Happy Birthday, Ava!

Happy SNOWY Saturday. Except without the happy part. I know everyone is SO over this winter including me. Honestly, I don't make too much beef about it because I know there is not a damn thing any one of us can do to change it. We don't have Ava this weekend. We told Brittney she could take her to Stevens Point for a shower on her side of the family. While I so love these weekends with my husband it feels so quiet and empty without her here. We did have her for a bit last night and she was SO excited to show me the 4 pictures she made for me at school and to tell me about the chapter book that her entire school was going to read. She got another Scholastic book order form and each time we let her pick out a book for our house. Last night, I caved and let her pick 2. She was adamant that she NEEDED to get a diary with a lock on it. She told me that she would not write secrets (because we have no secrets in our family) but that she would write some surprises for me and Daddy :). We also got a new Easter recipe book. We plan on baking some of the things in that book together and taking them to our family Easter. Ava LOVES to bake with me and she has become quite the helper.

So, there's a good chance that if you follow me on this blog you are also already friends with me on Facebook and you have probably seen all the pictures from Ava's birthday last Saturday. WOW! It turned out really well (I think). We had a great turnout and everyone brought amazing food. It's the first time I've ever hosted a party of that size at our house and the first time that some of our family has ever seen our home. It was so nice to have everyone here - especially my parents, brother and sister in-law, my in-laws and my brother in-law and his boyfriend, Brad. Can I just please take a minute to talk about Brad. He is WONDERFUL! I am so happy that my brother-in-law, Eric, and Brad found one another. When we were together, it seemed as thought it's the way our family had always been. I wish they were closer! It was really the most wonderful weekend.

On Ava's actual birthday, we went to StoneFire Pizza in New Berlin. What an awesome place! Not only did Ava have a great time, but the rest of us did too! So many games and the buffet had all the food you could imagine. The next day, Ava woke up and said "I just wish we could go back to that pizza place...it was so much fun!"

Next on the agenda is my husband's birthday. I can't wait to show him what I have in store. After several years together, it's hard to think of gift ideas that he doesn't already have or that I haven't already done. Even harder is to think of something that represents the way I (and Ava) feel about him. He deserves to feel like the most special guy on this earth. To us, he is.

I am also SUPER excited because my good friends, Matt and Heather Bunn, are coming to MKE from Dallas for a work function this week. I can't wait to show them some midwest love. Have a great rest of the weekend.

Much love,
Lex