My {31st} Birthday Weekend!

Well, the big 31 has happened in the house!!! 

My birthday started off with me getting cards from both of my guys! 

The night before my birthday, Matt went and picked up some flowers for me. However, I wouldn't let him take a picture of me that night. I had to wait until I was primped for our date. :)

Our dear friends, The Rasnakes, watched Mason for the day while Matt and I went on a day date. Our first stop was for a sweet tea at McDonalds. 

We dropped Mason off and before we got too far down the road, Jenn sent me this picture. Mason was helping with chores at their house. He's the best! 

Matt and I headed to Hendersonville arriving around 10:30 and it was a beautiful day!! 

Our first stops were the kitchen store and the toy store where we actually found some Christmas gifts. We were glad that we already have money set aside for Christmas so we could do that! 

Our next stop was a coffee shop where Matt got a Chai Latte' and I got a hot chocolate. YUM! This sign was posted and cracked us up. 

Next stop, Mast General store. It was MY day! 

We made lots and lots of stops in all kinds of fun shops. Hendersonville has bear statues all over the place and we had to snap a shot of this one...a honey bear. :)

You guys, we had so much fun!!!! 

We stopped for lunch at Mountain Deli. Matt had the hot carved ham sandwich and I had the Turkey BLT and we shared the steak chili. It was sooooo good! 

Our last stop in the downtown area was for cheesecake. YUM! 

We also made a stop at the local bakery and picked up some yummy treats. 

Once we got back to pick up Mason, Jenn said they had a blast! Here are pics she sent me. 

 

After we all got back together, Matt, Mason and I went to the YMCA to swim. It was such a blast!

Mason was blowing kisses :)

I got so many birthday wishes!!

 

 

We grabbed pizza to make at home for dinner after swimming and after Mason was in bed, Matt and I enjoyed some cookies and milk, TV time and played family feud. It was a great day! 

We decided before the weekend had even started that Sunday would be family day and we would be home together all day. It was the perfect day! We started with breakfast of German pancake....YUM! 

Matt and Mason gave me some gifts on Sunday morning since we didn't do that the day before. Matt put them all into the bathtub and covered them with balloons. It was so fun!! Later that day, Mason piled them all into our bed and played and played. It was so fun! 

Later that afternoon after naps, we ate an early dinner and watched some football!! 

We made delicious homemade potato chips for our tailgating food! There were so good, this was the only picture I got. HAHA!

Yay for a birthday and a new year! 

Who Am I?

When you first meet someone, one of the first questions that person usually asks you is "What do you do for a living?" or some variation of this question depending on the circle you happen to be in.

Lately, I've been thinking about the question: "Who Am I?"

At one point in my life, that was a simple, easy to answer question or so I thought.

I was a daughter.

I was a high school student.

I was an undergraduate student.

I was a graduate student.

Now?

It might would take me an hour to tell a new person who I am.

I'm a Christian. I've been saved by Jesus and although there have been some distant seasons in my walk with God, there have been some incredibly close moments, too. Currently, I am loving the season I am in with the Lord.

I'm a wife. Matt and I have been married for almost 5 years and boy, we still have a lot to learn but the hard times bring about some pretty beautiful times as well.

I'm a Mom. You guys, I'm a Mom to the sweetest, most energetic, strong willed, lovable, smart little boy that I've ever known. Not that I'm biased AT ALL!

I'm a daughter. I have two of the best parents. They may not have been married all of my childhood but they both worked extremely hard to be civil and do what was best for me. I look back on that now and realize what a blessing it was/is. (Side note: they are both pretty awesome grandparents, too!)

I'm a sister. I'm a half-sister and a step-sister and boy does that confuse lots of people sometimes. But in my mind, while it isn't without it's issues, I love those brothers and sisters for real.

I'm a daughter-in-law and sister-in-law. When I married Matt, I gained more family and that gave me another "title".

I'm an Aunt. I've been an aunt to my oldest nephews since I was younger than a teenager. I now have 6 nephews and 2 nieces and I don't get to see them all as much as I would like but I love them all. Being around them taught me things about being a mom myself.

I'm a friend. You guys, I do not take this one lightly. I struggled for a season of my life because I had a hard time when a friend would "go" and that friendship with change but as I've moved from home, had several jobs, etc, I have learned that friends for a season are a beautiful beautiful thing. But those life long friends? They are pretty incredible, too.

I'm a speech-language pathologist. I went to school for 6.5 years earning a bachelor's degree and a master's degree and I have worked in this career for nearly 7 years. I worked full time in geriatric care for nearly 5 years and since then I have worked as a PRN therapist. It's the best of both worlds for me.

I'm a stay-at-home mom and a working mom. That's hard work my friends but like I said above, it's the best of both worlds for me.

I'm a Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS) member and now, leader. I have learned so much in the last year and a half and I am so blessed that God has led me to be a leader as a table shepherd.

I'm a MOMS club membership VP and a member of that same incredible group. In this group, I have had my eyes opened to so many of the beautiful facets of motherhood. Our group has over 50 moms and all of us do aspects of parenting differently. I have realized that in some areas of motherhood, I was close-minded and I am becoming more and more understanding of the importance of there being differences so that we can all learn from each other.

There are more and more things I could say about who I am but these are where I'll stop for today.

Who are you?

Videos {Lately}

Some of Mason's animal sounds Part 1 & 2

Playing with Mom-Mom; I didn't get the best parts on video but I love seeing them together so I didn't want to leave it out. 

Cracks me up!!

Painting with Easter eggs to make circles

Being Silly with Momma!