chris' 37th birthday & mom's visit

Hope you all had a great long holiday weekend for the 4th of July! Ours was good for many reasons...my mom was visiting, I had a 6 day weekend, and Mr. Chris turned 37!

He also finally purchased the riding lawn mower that he has been wanting! Insert grunting and fist pumping, for he is now officially a MAN!! :)



We enjoyed a delicious catfish dinner at Deutchlanders on the eve of Chris' birthday, in the fine company of Mr. Neeley. That was delish!! For Chris' 37th birthday on July 3rd, we had a lovely family dinner at Perini's in Buffalo Gap...it was hot and we sat outside in the waning sun, but the food was good and we enjoyed our celebration. We also took a few fun shots to commemorate the occasion:

The 37th Birthday Portrait...

The awesome grilling tool set for Chris the Grillin' Villian! To go with his dandy new mega grill...

My pretty mom with Aspen...

Mimi, Chris, and Aspen...

Me and Mom...

Another of me and Mom...this is the longest I have ever seen her hair...it's so pretty!

Me with my adorable step daugher...who yes, is taller than me!

Our family!

LOVE this one! He was just not sure at all how to react! :)

Not the best of us, but at least we got one!

I love photos that show sincere, real, happy smiles!

Daughter and father...14 and 37...

This girl has no idea how cute she is...yeah, ok, she might have a little idea!

After dinner, we came home to the peach pie I made for Chris..he's still enjoying it!

Overall, I think Chris had a very nice birthday!!

Our visit with Mom was so very wonderful...I was so sad to see her leave. Below is a recap of our time together:

:: Thursday, June 30: She arrived on Thursday afternoon, after a plane delay due to a bathroom door that wouldn't close. When she arrived, we grabbed a quick snack at Subway and then I took her to the office to say hello to everyone. From there, we headed home so I could show her our new home! She loved it, of course! And was so happy to have her own bedroom and bathroom! I made a delicious dinner of buttermilk chicken, red potatoes, and sauteed mushrooms...yum!

:: Friday, July 1: We left our house at 8:00 a.m. and headed on a Mother/Daughter day trip to Fredericksburg!! We had a lovely day in one of my very favorite places, shopping, eating, and bonding. We bought a few things, but mostly it was just nice to have that time together. We got home around 6:30, and then went to dinner with Chris and Aspen at Szchuans. Another yum!

:: Saturday, July 2: We did a little shopping around Abilene on Saturday with Chris and Neeley...started at Stokes new location, then hit Jordan Taylor. After the mall, and Chris getting his mower, we all went to dinner at Deutchlanders (thanks for the feast, Mr. Neeley!), and then came back for movie night! We watched "Under the Tuscan Sun", so we lost Chris and Neeley a little ways into it. ;)

:: Sunday, July 3: Happy birthday to Chris! He is 37 and glorious! We went to church, did the grocery shopping, and had lunch at Double Dave's...then spent the day celebrating Chris (see above).

:: Monday, July 4: We all enjoyed a relaxing day celebrating our country...and we grilled out with a wonderful meal of chicken, sausage, baked potatoes, steamed squash, grilled onions, and homemade mac and cheese. It was the best meal I have had in a long time, and our little hands made it! :)

:: Tuesday, July 5: My mom left bright and early for the airport...I dropped her off at 6:00 am and she was home safely before lunch.

We are already ready for her next visit!!!