25th Birthday Celebrations

When people ask how my Thanksgiving was and I say, "Great!  We celebrated my birthday!" They usually respond with a, "Oh man, you had to share it with Thanksgiving??"  Actually, I don't mind at all.  It's a great excuse to spread it out as long as possible, and I felt celebrated for about ten days instead of just one!

It started Saturday before Thanksgiving--I went out with SMoo, Lyndsy and Claire to Kona Grill at Northpark.

{Me and Lyndsy}

{Surprise Red Velvet Double-Layer Cupcake!}

{Claire & SMoo}

Then we all headed back to my house to watch the Baylor game.  The Bears beat OU, and it was SO EXCITING!!!  We were all on our feet and yelling at the TV.  Hilarious, but true.

Wednesday night we celebrated at my parents' house.  It was just the five of us (plus Bella) and was the first time we'd all been together since the wedding.  It was a relaxing night together and lots of fun!  Dad grilled steaks, and we had baked potatoes, salad, grilled veggies and yummy rolls.  

Me and Mom--she made sure my presents were wrapped.  Apparently, I'd made a comment about how the Paulsons don't typically use bags, so she wanted to make sure I had things to unwrap like they do it!  :-)  

{Bella and the Birthday Girl}

{Brother, Bella and the Birthday Girl}  

(Sorry...too much alliteration??)

I had no other photo of Dad that night, but just wanted to note that he was there!

We typically are very careful about not mixing holidays around here.  (Mom's b-day is December 21.)  I was a little confused about the Christmas wrap but didn't say anything.  Turns out, it was for Adam... Santa just came a little early.

I had no idea what was inside, but he unwrapped a stocking that looked shockingly like the rest of the Dixons' that have hung on our mantle for the past 24 years.

Mom borrowed my sewing machine and made this stocking.  She will be the first to admit that she doesn't know how to sew, but that's not the case!  Adam and I were both really touched by this sweet gesture, and I was equally impressed with Mom's sewing and cross-stitching abilities!

Thursday morning, my actual birthday, I woke up smiling more than usual.  I was especially excited to share this day with AMP.  (Last year, he had to work on my actual birthday, so it was quite a treat to have him around!)

He made a pancake breakfast for us in his jammers.

We sat in the dining room so we could watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on our TV.  It's one of my most favorite traditions, and I was so excited about it!  Adam sat and watched it with me--a first for him. 

I don't know if you can spot them, but in this photo, there are four notes in envelopes.  They were hidden all over the house (and I mean, all over!), filled with coupons for a Starbucks breakfast date and a Sonic Lunch date (a true gift from AMP, my non-fast-food-eating husband!), and all these things he loves about me.  There were over 25 notes, and I was literally finding them around the house for days.  It was so sweet!

We went over to the Flaggs' to celebrate Thanksgiving with a late lunch, and celebrated even more there. Photos to come!