Pop!

We had a pretty great Christmas. Just one piece of exciting news from the past week - my sister is pregnant. Some of you may remember me posting and asking for prayer back in September as she miscarried. She has a daughter who is two years old. Kailyn was a high-risk pregnancy, and after the miscarriage, Stephanie's doctor is again paying close attention to her. She is now 7 weeks along and has already had two appointments, an ultrasound and has another appointment this coming week. Things are looking great so far and she is feeling very sick, which is always a blessing and a curse when you're experiencing it.
Tim and I were able to go on a date Tuesday night. It was the best part of the entire week I think. We used some Christmas money to go to dinner at Tomato Brothers, one of our favorite restaurants. They have the best breadsticks you will ever taste. It was soooo good. Before dinner we went over to the outlet mall and I updated my wardrobe thanks to some birthday money. I haven't clothing shopped for myself since the weekend I found out I was pregnant with Ellie, so that was a long time ago. I did go once at the beginning of my pregnancy to get a couple shirts but that was it. Anyways, we found some great deals at the outlet mall and I came home with three sweaters, a long sleeve shirt, a tank top for next summer (or to wear under a sweater or cardigan now), and a cami. I know money doesn't buy happiness...but it sure boosts the self-esteem when you can wear some clothes that aren't covered in spit up or have holes.
Christmas day was beautiful weather. We spent some time sledding, riding snowmobiles, playing in the snow and inside we played the Wii and visited. I beat my sister in bowling but my mom killed me in tennis. She does have an advantage since it's her Wii.
My birthday was yesterday. The big 2-8. The older I get, the less exciting my birthday is. It just becomes like any other day. Tim really tried, though, to make it feel like it was a day off for me. He insisted on getting the kids' breakfasts, cleaning up, etc. so that I could just sit and do what I wanted. Unfortunately, my dad had to work and my mom had come down with the flu and had quarantined herself to their room in the basement so it felt kind of weird but that's ok. We came back home in the afternoon and met the Nashes for dinner at Applebee's. They gave me a great birthday present - some food from Trader Joe's (I have never been to one so Jeana was giving me a "preview" for when I get a chance to get over to the one in Ann Arbor) and the Sara Groves' Christmas CD, which is great! It really is a wonderful CD. After the kids went to bed last night Tim let me pick what movie to watch. We had borrowed "Music & Lyrics" from Matt and Jeana awhile ago and hadn't watched it yet so I picked that one. It was cute. It's one of those movies that's good for snuggling up with the one you love, but don't expect it to lead to any thought-provoking discussions. Just a cutesy movie. However, I will confess that I do love '80s music and, as a result, I will leave you with this clip from the movie. Enjoy!