Father's Day~My Birthday 2011

For Father's Day this year, we attended church, and ate a nice lunch with the Newmans. My dad was sick this weekend, and we had been "on the go" a lot, so we didn't go to visit him in Vicksburg. I did, however, make him a cool card on Shutterfly, which I am sure he enjoyed. Mr. Gene has been a father to Jake since the loss of his dad years ago, so it was very fitting to be there for Father's Day. He's been there for Jake, and been there for our little family on more occasions than I can count. He also flew to NYC to wait with us through her last surgery, which really touched our hearts. Avery looked so cute in her yellow polka-dot smocked dress that "Red" Twiner got her for her birthday! She is definitely a "Daddy's girl," and has melted Jake's heart from the moment she arrived in this world.

For my birthday this year, Jake and Avery took me out to Nagoya for my favorite sushi- the Nagoya roll! They gave me the Troll Bead bracelet I'd been wanting for a while now with a heart "forever love" bead and a "M" bead, along with a really sweet card and chocolate cupcakes from Icing on the Cake. Jake thought it would be funny to get a ? candle for me to blow out- am I there already? I don't think so- not yet!! He is younger than me, so I guess I can allow him a few jabs about my age, right? As you can see in the pics, Avery really enjoyed her cupcake! My mom and dad bought me a sweet necklace I ordered from Julie McPhee on etsy.com. I'd been wanting a new necklace, and she did a special listing for me. There is a silver bar with Avery's name, along with (our birthstone) a pearl charm, (TS symbol of hope) a pink butterfly charm, and (CHD) a hammered heart charm. I love it! I can't believe I'm 32, oh yes, I'm actually 33!! I can't keep up with it any more- I honestly forget! Out of all the seasons of my life, I am enjoying this one the most. Being a mother and wife is an awesome experience, and I feel very blessed! I also feel like I'm finally on the right track with living out God's purpose in my life, which is a wonderful feeling. I can't say I'm doing it all, but I'm a work in progress- trying daily to do it right. Here's to many more blessed birthdays!