My Birthday

We celebrated my birthday this weekend, but I'm just now getting around to blogging about it. It was pretty low-key, but that was a good thing this year.

I usually get crazy excited about birthdays, especially my own, but this year it felt a little anti-climatic. I hope I'm not getting to that age where birthdays get less and less exciting. Major bummer!

We spent Saturday hanging out as a family, then my parents watched the boys so Darreck and I could go out to dinner. We tried out a new Japanese restaurant, and it was super good! I love my yearly sushi- I just wish we got to do it a little more often.

Sunday was church and dinner at my parents' house. My mom bugged me for weeks to pick out what I wanted for dinnner, but I never did think of anything. Apparently it's not just my birthdays that are getting less exciting. Now I can't even think of a favorite food! I've got to muster up some enthusiasm. I did, however, pick out dessert then pig out on it. We had cheesecake, but I was the only one really excited about it. Oh well, my birthday, not their's!

Monday we spent the morning as a family, but then I had to teach lessons and I started a new yoga class. I've felt unusually stressed out lately, so yoga felt great. It was nice to have time set aside to do nothing but relax and meditate. The class lasts for six weeks, and I'm going to savor every minute of it.

My big birthday present from the boys was the camera I got a few weeks ago, but I got a poster from my grandma, a gift card from my sister, and new scriptures from my parents. Pretty much exactly what I wanted! I'm a happy girl.

Luke's First Steps

We were lucky enough to get Luke's first steps on camera today! He has been stubbornly resistant to walking for some time now, even though he's more than capable. In fact, he wouldn't even stand on his own for more than a second or two. I'm not sure how he did it, but Darreck got him standing by himself today for long stretches- further reinforcing that he's been able to all along. So, then we pushed him to take a few steps. He did it a couple times before throwing an all-out fit and going back to crawling. Seriously, it was an epic tantrum! We'll keep gently pushing him...

We also got some pictures of the boys "flying" with daddy. Mostly Max wanted pictures of him, so we had to find a good excuse to take some.

Feels Like Fall/Weaning Luke/Moving Day

We've been getting back into the swing of things around here. Darreck is back to work, doing his normal schedule, and I'm busy teaching violin and piano three days a week. As much as I LOVE summer, it feels good to be in a more normal routine. The house is cleaner, we're eating better, and I've been able to get more projects done.

I've also taken the time this week to fully wean Luke from breastfeeding. This is such a bittersweet process for me. On the one hand, I love having my body back all to myself for the time being. However, it also means that my baby is no longer dependent on me and me alone. I love that others can care for him now so I have more freedom, but it's just one more milestone that means he's growing up. I'm not sure why that's such a sad thought, but babies are just so dang cute! And they certainly don't stay babies for long.

Also, today is an exciting day for Grandma Necia (Grandma-Great to the boys). She's moving into her new house today! She purchased a house we had originally looked at back in May, and she's spent the summer having the entire first floor remodeled. She replaced all the flooring, put in a new kitchen and bathroom, and painted everything. I know my parents will miss having her with them, but I also know she'll love her new space. The house turned out beautifully, and we're all really happy for her!