Happy Birthday to Me!

Friday was my 26th birthday and we have been celebrating all weekend! My day started with the kids in my class bringing me homemade cards which were too cute. They are so sweet. My 3rd grade team ordered out for lunch from our favorite little Mexican place and then at the end of the day my homeroom mom brought cupcakes! Chris also delivered a beautiful bouquet of flowers to me during the day.

When I got home from school I saw this awaiting me on our kitchen table...

I was really surprised because I wasn't expecting so many gifts! Chris and I got ready for dinner and headed to Red Lobster (my favorite). We stuffed ourselves silly with jumbo coconut shrimp, grilled salmon, and stuffed flounder. Not to mention those cheddar biscuits!

After our wonderful dinner we headed to another fine establishment for a gourmet dessert...we went to McDonald's for Hot Fudge Sundaes! Ha! We were both pretty full from dinner but passed by McDonald's on the way home and made a split decision to grab dessert there. When we got home Chris let me open my presents!

The funny thing is that Chris and I were shopping last weekend and I tried on those grey tennis shoes. Chris asked me if I wanted to get them for my birthday and I said "sure!". So in my mind...that was my gift...but Chris surprised me with all these other little things he had been collecting for months! He got me (the shoes), new yoga pants, Julie and Julia, bracelets, earrings, and...a car wash gift card! I love having a clean car : )  Gary and Dianna also sent me a gift card for a pedicure. I can't wait to use that!

On Saturday night we had some friends over to celebrate and the best part was the cupcakes we got from Cupcake A La Mode. I loved the ones we had for Valentines and couldn't wait to get some for my birthday. 

They were so delicious!! We cut them into fourths so everyone could try all the different flavors. I can't wait until the next "special occasion" when we can get some more of these.

I really have to give all the credit to my sweet husband for making my birthday so special. He knows how much I love it and he really pulled out all the stops to make this one so spectacular! 

Emerald Isle Parade

Yesterday, Downtown Lee's Summit had their annual St. Patricks Day parade so we saddled up and headed down for the fun. Even Bear got into the spirit!

They kept throwing out candy and he was so confused why he couldn't have any : )

Happy St. Patricks Day!

Valentines Weekend

This year, Chris and I had a very special valentines weekend. We decided to take the weekend off from life and just spend time together. On Friday we had lunch at the Nordstrom Cafe and did some shopping. On Saturday, we slept in and spent the day together. Rather than fighting the crowds at a restaurant for dinner we decided to just eat at home and have some really good food. Our menu consisted of lemon chicken, roasted brussel sprouts, roasted asparagus, dijon potatos and for desert...cupcakes. Not just any cupcakes. Cupcakes from Cupcake A La Mode. We bought 3...Red Velvet, Strawberries and Champagne, and Bella Nutella.

And Chris surprised me with this beautiful necklace... (I took this pic from their site...mine has a "c & k")

Happy Birthday Bear

Bear had his 1st Birthday on December 27th. With the holidays and getting back to school, I am just now writing this post...oh well, better late than never!

Dear Bear,
You are the best dog anyone could ask for. You have a very calm personality, even for a puppy. From the very first minute we saw you when you were 9 weeks old, we knew you were the puppy for us! You let us hold you and snuggle you for a long time while we talked to Terri about getting you. We came back and picked you up exactly one week later and you were finally ours. You slept on my lap, in the car, all the way home. I have to admit, those first few weeks with you were quite a challenge. You absolutely hated being in your little crate and would bark the entire time we were gone. You also didn't like sleeping in your crate at night either, you barked all night. I know now, because of you, that we will survive being parents.

Watching you grow from a fat little puppy to the big dog you are now has been amazing. You love going to the dog park and going on jogs with me. When we jog, you like to put your head on my knee every once in a while, like you're telling me "this is great!". You really don't like getting baths but seem to tolerate them because we feed you treats the entire time. And now that you are a big boy, you happily run into your crate when we are ready to leave...again, because you know you will get a treat. You always know how to cheer us up when we feel sad and you are learning to let us snuggle you for a long time. I know you will do great when eventually some little people come along.

You make us laugh every day. When you were just a few months old we were playing chase around the apartment. I ran into the bedroom and jumped on the bed and you followed me right up there!  Watching you in all this snow is completely hilarious. I think you feel like you are at Disney World. You gallop through the deep snow and love looking in the bushes for bunny rabbits. Although, I don't know what you would do if you actually found one, because you are kind of a scaredy cat. You are also a very smart dog. You know how to sit, shake, high five, lay down, stand, come, and leave it. You do the best at your tricks right before you eat. Other times, you are a little selective. Especially if you are laying on your big, fluffy, bed and don't want to move.

Happy Birthday Bear Branigan. We love you so much.

 The very first night we met you. You didn't quite know what to think of us...

 11 Weeks Old

 14 Weeks Old

 4 Months Old

 5 Months Old

 7 Months Old

And here you are at 1 year old.



Two Words...

Snow day. There is just nothing that beats that feeling when you wake up in anticipation, turn on the news, and finally see your district scroll through at the bottom of the screen. Sweet victory.

Actually it was more like, "thank goodness we finally have time to take down the Christmas tree." And that is exactly what we did today. We spent the day in jammies, taking down our Christmas stuff, cleaning a little, watching Ramona and Beezus, and mainly just enjoying the day!

We did venture out to let Bear play in the snow and he had a blast! I would throw snow up in the air and he would try to jump as high as he could to catch it!

And eventhough I don't want to be teaching too far into May...it sure would be nice to have another restful day tomorrow!

It's Time for Mistletoe and Holly

Chris and I just got home from spending eight wonderful days at home in Arlington with our families. Although there are many challenges to being a teacher, it sure is a wonderful perk to have two weeks off for Christmas!

This year we loaded up the car nice and early to head home, only to spend two hours waiting at the Honda dealership so they could fix a small problem with our car. We were on the road by 9am after that and in for a LONG trip. After 10 1/2 hours in the car we figured out that Bear does not travel well. Poor guy. He was very carsick and stressed. We made it to my house just in time for Christmas dinner and present opening.  Needless to say all 3 of us were ready for a good night's rest that night!

Once we settled in we had a wonderful time with both our families. We went to the Christmas Eve service all together. Liz, Kevin, Elise, and Jeremy even came too! We spent Christmas day at Chris's house opening gifts, eating, playing Wii, and eating some more!

Bear was really worn out from all the festivities! And apparently I was too because this is the last picture on my camera. The other important occasion we celebrated on December 27th was Bear's 1st Birthday! I know he's just a dog...but I can't believe he's already one year old. : )

We had a wonderful Christmas with our families and friends. It was great to see everyone and we can't wait to be home again soon! 



December 16, 2006

4 years ago, Chris and I said our vows. This weekend we celebrated by going downtown and listening to the Kansas City Symphony. We headed to the Mariott right after school and had a little time to relax in our room before getting ready for the night.  We took advantage of a large, flat screen tv and watched Oprah's Favorite Things. When we were ready for dinner we headed to the Prime Rib Grill which is a sister restaurant to the Hereford House. Umm, let me just say...YUM. I ordered cedar plank salmon and Chris had this amazing smothered chicken dish.  The waiter even gave us a free dessert since it was our anniversary!

 Here we are before we left the hotel.

 We have discovered that when there is only two of you, it proves a little difficult to get both people in the picture. Our solution...individual pictures!

After our dinner, we headed down to the Lyric Theater to listen to the symphony's Christmas concert. It has been awhile since we have been to a symphony concert and this one was amazing. They did some fun Christmas songs but also some songs like, Ave Maria. They had the Allegro childrens choir sing from the balcony which was just beautiful. They even had a handbell chorus.

A little blurry...but none the less...

On Saturday, we slept in and then had breakfast in the hotel restaurant. After we checked out we did a little shopping on our way home. Bear stayed at his doggy farm so we had one more night to ourselves which made it feel like a real weekend getaway! No one had to take the dog out at 6am in the freezing cold : ) We both laughed about how having a dog really is the perfect way to prepare for having kids.

I think one of the things that made this weekend so special was that Chris planned the whole thing completely on his own. He finally told me the surprise earlier in the week and I was thrilled. I am so thankful to have such a loving, romantic husband.

Happy 4 Year Anniversary honey and here's to a million more.