31 years old

On April 8th I turned 31.  My birthday really snuck up on me this year, I can honestly say I wasn't even thinking about it. We have been so busy that I really didn't plan for my special day. Lucky for me Andy did. He took me to lunch at Yassu (my favorite Greek place) for my birthday and I knew we were doing something with my family that night but I figured we would get take out from somewhere and hang out at home since that seems to be easier with the kids.
While we were at lunch Andy informed me that he had made us reservations at Bouchon at the Venetian for the whole family. I love French food so Andy decided to spoil me this year with a very good French restaurant. I couldn't help but get extremely nervous when he said "the whole family" because this isn't the type of place you bring kids to.  I questioned him, and suggested that him and I just go, but if you know Andy well you know that everything we do is a "family affair." He loves taking our kids to places kids don't normally go and exposing them to just about everything. I really do admire this about him b/c just the thought of Talia wanting to run around a restaurant, Andrew getting bored and not liking the food, or Talia starting to cry etc...made me not want to go. I knew I would get stressed out watching them and that it wouldn't be an enjoyable evening out. Once again Andy proved me wrong. My kids did great and we had so much fun! It was a very memorable night and a birthday I will never forget. It was so nice to spend it with my loved ones. I was especially proud of my little ones who sat in their chairs for almost 2 hours without getting up. Truly a miracle!

 Another fun surprise was that Andy's long time friend Brandon happens to be a server at Bouchon. We hadn't seen Brandon in years and were so glad that he was able to switch areas and take our table. It was so fun catching up with him and he pointed us in the right direction as to what was best on the menu. He is a food expert which made our dining experience exceptional! As you can see Andy was SUPER happy to see Brandon...haha.
 

 Me and my Andrew...my kids devoured the frites.

  

 I purposely dressed my kids up so they knew they were going somewhere special and had to behave. I think it really did contribute to their good behavior.

We went to the canal shops afterwards to walk off the amazing dinner and I got this pic of my Mom carrying Andrew.  I just about died seeing that he is more than 1/2 my mom's height. He is only 4, but growing up way too fast! I wish I could just press pause, keep him at 4, me at 31, and things the way they are!

A few more highlights from my birthday...

I love a good laugh from a great card. Thank you Tawny.

Hmmmm....I wonder who gave me this card....ANDY!!!! Typical Andy, and I appreciate his humor.

Lastly I recieved these beautiful flowers from Andy's parents. There is something about flowers that just makes a girl feel special so having these on my day really made my birthday stand out. The hot tamales were from Andy, I love his thoughtfulness to get me my favorite treat. It's all about the details.

I was also very spoiled by my family, and my friends which made it a very nice 31st birthday. A special thanks to everyone for making me feel so loved.