SCATTER-BRAINED!

SCATTER-BRAINED!
So.....................it has been awhile since these old bones have contributed anything to my blog. It's unlikely that anyone has been sitting on the edge of their seat waiting to see what I may write about next, or more importantly, what JUSTIN may write about next....as he is starting to outdo me on here - it's like, Hey Justin - GET YOUR OWN BLOG! Ya know?! :)



Anyways, I have so much to say, so many experiences to document, and so many things to look forward to, that I have been completely SCATTER-BRAINED, and it has been quite frightening to attempt another post with so much going on in my head. It's quite ridiculous actually. Last year at this time, I was stressed about all of my real estate deals.....will the inspection go ok? did their loan get approved?, etc, and was casually planning a fun 1st Birthday for Hudsen.....and fastforward to today......my worries consist of trying to sell our house, getting the baby's room ready, getting Hudsen's NEW room ready, organizing the entire house (literally from the basement up), potty training attempt #1, and planning Hudsen's 2nd Birthday Party, which I have sadly put so much time into, you would think I was planning her wedding. In actuality, I am planning a very simple get together with 9 other kids at her gym :)






This summer has been the BEST summer of my life and we have definitely enjoyed everyday. So many fun days spent at different parks, the pool, the zoo, many playdates with friends and alot of fun family get togethers.











We enjoyed our first Cardinals game together with Hudsen and that is something I know Justin and I will always remember.....not to mention I took about a hundred pictures to make sure I would ALWAYS remember. I didn't put the camera down, as I didn't want to miss her eating her first 'Ballpark' hotdog, and certainly didn't want to miss her expression when she saw her first fireworks! Needless to say, I hardly watched the game -although did 'fake' a picture like I was paying attention :)











Below are some pictures of just some of the Summer Time Fun the Backsmeyers had:



Playdates with all Hudsen's Boyfriends :)

Soccer lessons from Daddy - look how far he made her run!

Family Night Out

Softball Reunion....Hudsen is definitely a future Slugger!

Clearly she's a natural!

Checking out the family favorite at the zoo - the Giraffes!

Golf Lessons from the expert...

Oh, and during all this fun my stomach got HUGE!

(7 months pregnant)

Many hot summer days spent having driveway fun with bubbles and sprinklers...

Meeting Big Bird at Bo's Birthday

Relaxing poolside...

A little tired after the pool :)

Park Fun!

Justin and I also celebrated our 5th anniversary on Aug 6. We made big plans too! We planned a relaxing, 5 day, family vacation to Savannah, GA. Justin had lived in Savannah during his minor league days, and had always said I would love it there and that it would be a fun place to take Hudsen. We had planned to drive, as I would be in my 3rd trimester....SO, we booked it! Only to find out a few weeks later, that it would be impossible for Justin to get out of a few work things that had popped up, so we canceled.

Now what you may ask?

Ok, so lets just do a long weekend in Chicago. Easy enough....booked it! Only to cancel it 1week later, as Justin was unable to get out of 7hours of pitching lessons scheduled for that Saturday.

Back to square one.

What to do what to do? Well, the big guy decided we would enjoy a lovely dinner at PF Changs. We had celebrated there the night we got engaged so it was a PERFECT idea! Justin's parents volunteered to come over to watch Hudsen at our house, and so we walked out the door at 5:30p.......................... and walked back in the door at 7:30p. Ha! Sadly, our 5day vacation was cut down to a quick 2hour husband/wife dinner....but we both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. And we were thrilled when the check came, there was no check.....Carmi and Popi had called in and paid for it :) What a fun little surprise!

Unfortunately there are no mushy anniversary pictures to share....and hopefully some of you other moms can relate to the reason why. I am a pretty emotional person, can cry pretty much anytime, anywhere...but pregnant Brittani, literally cries ALL the time and EVERYwhere! So when we got to PF CHangs, and the waitress looked up our name on the reservation list, and immediately congratulated us on our 5th Anniversary, I was surprised she had known. How cute of Justin to tell them...right? No tears yet...the hostess then escorted us to our table, and wow...the tears started pouring. They sat us at the same booth that we had sat at the night we got engaged.....this was actually a coincidence....so the hostess was a bit concerned about my bright red, mascara smeared face (hence, no decent pictures to share). I tried to compose myself and told her why I was crying and tried to blame it on the pregnancy. She said she thought it was 'cute' that I was so emotional....yea right, we saw her go tell her hostess friends about me. Trust me, it wasn't cute! :) haha! But it was a very special night, topped off with dessert and a new fun ring for me!

I mentioned earlier that one of the things keeping me busy is our house being on the market. Well....that has kept me extremely busy since May. Now, with Sept 1st looming, we are both excited to take it off! Bummed of course that it didn't sell, but excited to know exactly where we will be living for the next few months :) as we hadn't found anything that we were interested in purchasing anyways. It was a nice thought....get pregnant again, and move before the baby comes. Things don't always work out perfectly, but we will be just fine here for another few months. Come February, when our daughters are 2 1/2 and 4months, I will be busting out of here! For sure! Be looking for the red light special on Sandalwood Creek Dr. in early 2011!

Hope everyone enjoyed their summer as much as we did! It flew by way to fast, and I am already looking forward to pool season next year. Not quite sure what type of swim wear I will be featuring though....it was kinda nice to be able to sport the 'swimdress' this summer....next year, will I be expected to be back in a two piece? Yikes!!

Turning Two!

Two years ago...

Two years ago, I was 41 1/2 weeks pregnant! Gross, I know! Now that I was 10days late my Dr. was finally going to induce me. We got the call that it was time to check into the hospital around 11am. Driving to St. Johns was an emotional experience for me (shocker!). I just couldn't wrap my head around the fact that it was time to meet the little person who had been growing inside me for what felt like forever. We didn't know if we were having a boy or a girl and were ecstatic that we would soon find out.

I was induced shortly after arriving, and hour after hour went by with little progress. The next day (and 30hours later), my Dr. said it was time to get the baby out, and a C-section was necessary. OMG!! I totally panicked, as this seemed like devastating news at the time. I remember thinking that this meant my mom couldn't be in the room with me, and I had never pictured her not being there. I only had a few minutes to panic before we said our goodbyes and got some good-lucks from our parents as I was wheeled into the operating room. It seemed like 20 people were working on getting me 'prepped' and Justin had been taken out of the room to get what I was told - 'suited up'.....this concerned me.....was he going to be assisting my doctor?! :) He came back into the room in scrubs, and had never looked cuter :)

I wasn't nervous about having a C-Section, I just had no clue what to expect. I had the epidural, and whatever else they give you for a csection....and within a few minutes of getting into the operating room, the curtain was up, and my Dr. asked from behind the curtain if I could feel anything. I literally said 'ummmm.....I feel something, but I don't think it hurts.' And the anesthesiologist that was next to me....looked up at my Dr. and said 'She feels something.....' And there was some silence....and what looked like a slight look of concern on the anesthesiologists face. Hmmm...not really what you want to see at a time like this. My Dr. asked again if I could feel anything.....and I said, 'No, I don't think so.....' and she said 'good, we are almost done.'

I couldn't believe it! It took less than 5minutes.....and at 3:30pm on Sept 9th, 2008, the most beautiful little girl was brought into the world.....and given to Justin and I. We couldn't believe how lucky we were to be blessed with this amazing person. We were immediately in love.

Hudsen Beal Backsmeyer is our little princess and has become our best friend. I cannot believe she is turning 2 today and is going to be a BIG sister in just 6weeks.

I cannot believe, that she went from this little BABY.....

...............to this little GIRL in just 2years!

So many memories already made, and SO MANY more to come! This is such an exciting time for our family, and we just can't wait to see what the future holds for us.

Happy Birthday Hudsen! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

Justin and I both wonder, every day, how we ever got so lucky. Hudsen is truly a gift from above and I am so blessed to be able to spend each and every day with her.

Is this what Potty Training looks like?!

This is what she looked like 3hours into the FIRST day! I looked WORSE! :)












Potty Training Attempt #1...Yeah, this was rough. I just kind of always assumed, that I would get Hudsen potty trained before the 2nd baby arrived. As, in my mind, I am just picturing our house literally exploding with diapers. I picture myself NEVER leaving the changing table, and our trashcans overflowing with pampers and wipes. So, I decided to try the 3day potty training method when Hudsen turned 23months old.



I'm sure many moms have heard of it, and it apparently has a high success rate - well, maybe our 2nd attempt will be a success :)




Basically, the plan for this method is simple. For the THREE days, you and your child are on lockdown at your house. The first morning, you take all the diapers away, in dramatic fashion by throwing them in the trash with your child so they know they no longer exist. We, however, felt that was wasteful, and instead, had Justin take them away with him in the car on his way to work. So Hudsen and I walked out to the car, and waved by to the diapers, that Daddy was taking away to the 'babies'....not sure what babies she thinks Daddy works with, but this trick worked when we said bye to the Paci at 21months - and daddy drove away with a bag full of pacifiers and we waved goodbye from the street....she still says that Daddy took her Paci's to work for the babies.....so we thought this story would be perfect.



NOT THE CASE.



So, for the 3 days you are required to keep your child in only a tshirt and big girl underwear. That way, when they start to pee/poop (and they will like 50 times a day), you can see it right away and rush them to the toilet. Apparently, after having accident after accident, they realize that they need to tell you before they go in their pants and onto the floor. You are not to leave your childs side for 3days and as soon as you do, they WILL have an accident. And by staying so close to them all day, you are supposed to be able to pick up on their cues....maybe an expression or something that they may make right before they go.



Well, my daughter had no expression, and no look of concern until after pee/poop would be on the floor. And as I would run her to the toilet to try to get at least a little into the 'potty' she would be pointing to the floor telling me there was a 'mess.' (as if I didn't see it splash all over the floor) :) Thank god we have wood floors, as I cannot imagine what the moms were doing with accidents all over their carpet.



Hudsen is a big talker, says everything she wants to say at all times....so she got pretty good with the 'fake outs.' What is a 'fake out' you may ask....well, this is when your child says the word 'potty' and you immediately swoop them off their feet and sprint to the bathroom. Only to pull their underwear down in time to set their tiny little bottom on the toilet seat....and then to hear 'No potty mommy.' Take them off the potty, pull the underwear back up, resume playtime, only to witness another accident minutes later. Repeat this 50times daily, and that was my life during these few days.


Seriously, I was starting to think that those doggy pee pads would be great to put around the house!



So by 9:30am the FIRST day, there had been 8 accidents. That's 8 times where I had to clean up the floors, change her big girl pants, and tell her that it was okay, but to NEXT TIME TELL MOMMY WHEN YOU HAVE TO GO POTTY.....if I had a dollar for every time I said that :)

Elmo also tried to show her where to go potty

I was emotionally and physically exhausted by the end of the day, and the next 2 days were not any better. She was sleeping through the night and not wetting her bed so that kept me going....like hey, she can hold it ALLLLL night, that's impressive, so I stuck with it for a 4th day, and luckily, that was the weekend, so Justin was home to help. Although, again, we just saw accident after accident and by the morning of the 5th day, I was emotionally drained. I cried...again, called Justin, and he said 'Brittani, you have given this 100%, and it is obvious that she is just not ready, can we please give our little girl her diaper back' - oh my god! I felt so much relief.....but also, felt as though a little part of me had failed as a mother. But I had to realize that she just wasn't ready and you are not supposed to push them if they aren't there yet. If we weren't having another baby in a few months, I would not have even tried to push her, and probably would have waited until she was 2 or 2 1/2.
So now Justin and I are just bracing ourselves, and we realize this house will be Diaper Central starting in October :)

Dad's Turn to Talk...

So I lied. Last time I wrote on my wife's blog it was entitled 'Justin's first and Last Blog Entry.' Hey white liar, my name is Justin....I convinced Brittani to allow me write this post...allow me to share with everyone the sex of Baby #2!!!

I’m more than happy to write this post as I am the lucky one to be able to announce the sex of the newest Backsmeyer. We found out this time in large part of me. I am the one who would rather find out than be surprised. Although being surprised for Hudsen was a lot of fun, this would be a new experience for us. Going to the doctor to find out was stressful for ONE of us, I’ll let you guess who….hint: this person cries anywhere from 1 to 10 times a day from American Idol cast offs to Teen Mom and how can I forget, Real housewife’s reunion shows. Your right, I was stressed. Ha! Just kidding!!!!

Our plan was to have the ultrasound technician write down the sex and put it in an envelope. Brittani and I never envisioned ourselves finding out in the room, as we thought it would be weird to react to the sex in front of someone we barely knew. She wrote it down, slipped it in the envelope and the next 7 hours were borderline torture. I returned back to work and didn’t return home until 7pm. No time was wasted before we decided to open the envelope. Of course we wanted to include Hudsen on this amazing experience and life changing moment so we had her open it up and pull out the sonogram. As she fumbled through it, Brittani decided she would take action and take a peak. We all looked at it together, then looked at one-another, Brittani cried, Hudsen wanted her milk and I realized how lucky I was to proudly say I am going to be the proud father of…………………………….
Another Beautiful little GIRL!!!!!

Words cannot express how happy we both are to have another girl. The fact that Hudsen will have someone she can share so many wonderful things with is so exciting to me. They will grow up talking about things that will help each other navigate through life. Lessons learned only by having a sister. I see the relationships girls have with one another, especially sisters and I can only hope and pray that they will always support one another rather than resort to pity fights of jealousy and God forbid….boys! Not in my house ladies!!!
Now some of you may wonder…what is a dad to do with two girls? Those who know me well may wonder…how will Justin handle two girls? Good question. Easy answer! I have been so enriched being Hudsen’s dad and she has taught me that little things in life are most important. As a guy, growing up, all that mattered to me were guy things head lined by sports and career opportunities and I can’t begin to imagine how two girls will open my eyes to all that is great around me.
I am confident in my ability to play what I will call a zone defense when being the dad of two girls. That means talking on the phone and texting while I’m talking will NOT happen. Dating guys with long hair and ear rings will certainly not happen. (No offense to you guys with long hair; it might be because I’m losing my hair and I’m a little bitter) Most importantly they treat their mom with respect. I have come across girls that are daddy’s little girl but treat mom like crap. Again, not in my house!
Overall, I feel like I’m ahead of the game. I’m not like a lot of guys in a lot of ways. I don’t get mad if a game is not on T.V. I don’t have to watch only ‘guy’ movies. In a lot of ways, I have always had the personality to go with the flow and find everything to be enjoyable. For example, I watch Real Housewives on Bravo and polish that off with nice tall glass of Tori and Dean on Oxygen. So if a guy is gonna have a couple of girls, I might be the best qualified. AND if any of you gentlemen are reading this, don’t laugh…because you know I would kick your ass in any sport, so don’t think Justin is turning soft and won’t boat race you on the golf course and talk trash while I do it.
Another reason for my excitement is for Brittani. She loves being a mom and mom to a little girl. Have you ever seen my daughter without a cute dress/outfit or a bow in her hair? And despite what I may say to sound cool, I too would not want her to walk out the door without her bows. She has done such a terrific job of parenting and I know how wonderful of a role model she will be for our daughters. Brittani is so kind and so grateful for everything, our daughters will have no choice but to one day be smart and beautiful women.
One of the great things about having girls is that they tend to be around a little more. Guys move out, get a job and stay busy being the man of the house. Women tend to come back and visit often. They like to make sure dad is taken care of, which I plan on taking full advantage of. Having two girls, a couple of things are for sure... The clothes I wear will constantly be scrutinized, the guys they date will be hated until proven otherwise and most importantly, they will have me wrapped around their finger until the day I die.
On behalf of Brittani and I, we can’t wait to begin another chapter of our lives with two precious girls. Personally, I could not have imagined it any other way!!

I better go get some work done now, as I recently realized that so far I have two weddings to pay for. We may be asking for donations in 25 years so get your check book ready!!! So until then, Brittani and I will enjoy what two girls have to throw at us, and thank God each and every day for our two little angels!

PS: Brittani and I do have a few names were thinking about. Just to get it out of the way…NO we are not going to tell anyone the name until she is born. We will leave that as a little surprise.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DADDY! Love, Hudsen

Happy Daddy’s Day!

(after the Tim McGraw concert last night, Mommy told me one way I could make this a real tear jerker for you....hopefully she has figured out how to play 'My Little Girl' while you read my note to you......cue the music mom!) :)

I was so happy when Mommy told me I could contribute to her blog and couldn’t wait to write a special note to you. I just want to thank you for being the BEST DAD in the whole wide world. You make everything so special for me.It is the highlight of my day when you walk into my room in the morning to get me up! I always know you have to leave for work soon after, but I look forward to enjoying our breakfast together. Later, it is music to my ears when I hear the loudest-garage-door-ever open in the evening when you come home for dinner. I stop whatever I am doing with Mommy, and run as fast as I can to meet you at the door. You make me laugh and smile when I am with you and I know you must be really funny because Mommy always laughs at you too.

I wish you were home more but Mommy says you have to work so much so she can stay home and play with me every day. Mommy is really fun and I’m so happy I get to be with her all of the time but I really miss you when you’re not here. I am going to miss you even more when the new baby comes. I know the new baby will be here soon, and I’m excited but also hope that I can always be your favorite. I know I am Daddy’s Little Girl right now, but if the new baby is a girl….can I be Daddy’s BIG girl? If it’s a boy it’s okay too…because then I know I am still your one and only princess :) I can only hope you enjoy being my father, as much as I enjoy being your daughter.

This is your 2nd Fathers Day, and my last Fathers Day as your only child and I wanted to make it special for you since you make everyday so wonderful for me.
In just 21 short months I already have so many great memories of just the 2 of us, and I wanted to remind you of those good times today. This way when the new baby comes, and tries to steal all the attention you can look back and remember how fun I am! Here are some pictures of my favorite times with just me and you…

I can only hope that other little girls out there are as happy and lucky as I am to have such a caring daddy as I do. I will always look up to and will, of course, always LOVE you! :)

Written By:
Hudsen Beal Backsmeyer

Happy FIRST 'Twenty First' Birthday Hudsen!

A Day in the Life of a 21month Old...

After Hudsen's first year of monthly celebrated birthdays...Justin asked me nicely to please cut back and suggested it was time to just celebrate her ACTUAL 'yearly' birthdays. I agreed, and have since been keeping it simple. Hudsen and I have been having our own secret parties each month instead! Justin jumped back on board when I reminded him that this was her 21st Birthday! Ha! Thought it will be fun to one day compare her day as a 21month old to the day she turns 21 :)

We started the morning by opening her bedroom door singing 'Happy Birthday' and she was all smiles! She is so cute in the morning and this was such a fun way to start to her day!

(I know, almost unrecognizable without her signature bow-she looks naked here to me) :)

After a quick diaper change, we went down for breakfast. She enjoyed her favorite.....Pear Yo plait and a cup of milk.

Then it was back upstairs to change into her 'day clothes.' Justin was wondering why I had her in a 'Party Dress' (this is what he called it-ha!) on a random Wednesday....and I said because today is her BIRTHDAY and we will be having a PARTY all day long!

Justin insisted he still needed to go to work - (even on her 21 month birthday!) :) - so the party had to continue with just myself and the big gal. She was anxious to get the show on the road and hopped into the car.

First stop - the GYM!

Big Mama has to get a work out in everyday in order to keep these pregnancy pounds in check. Hudsen loves going to the gym and gets excited to see her 'friends' in the child center. When we pull into the parking lot, she starts saying 'boys?....girls?' because she is wondering if she gets to see all the boys and girls today.

We headed into Lifetime...

An hour later, I picked Hudsen up from the child center. I must say, she doesn't seem to care very much when I drop her off for the hour, but it is the highlight of my day when I pick her back up. She gets so excited and shows me all of the toys she was playing with. Today's choice was a lawn-mower and tini-tiny baby doll that she was dragging around by her neck - hope that isn't a sign of the way she will tackle her big-sister role :)

On our way out, Hudsen stopped to pat and wave goodbye to the Elephant on the window...

Second stop - the grocery store!

This is an unusual errand for a Wednesday, as normally we do this on Mondays....but we had dinner disaster last night. Justin had requested breakfast for dinner, which is wonderful...especially since HE likes to make it for us. However, he was getting out his 'ingredients' and noticed there was no Ketchup for the tater tots! That was a deal breaker, and we had to go with plan B. Tostino personal pizza for him, and Baked Chicken Lean Cuisine for me. His looked great...mine was a little rubbery.

So, at the grocery store, we picked up the Ketchup, and some pickles (just because they sounded good...not to go with eggs or anything) and Hudsen flipped through the latest Ladue News...

Finally back home around 11am and the fun didn't stop!

Hudsen and her doll, Holly, watched Yo Gabba Gabba while I made some fruit salad.

Then Holly got a ride around the house in the shopping cart.

I don't know about her, but I know I had worked up quite an appetite at this point so it was time for Lunch!

Meals are ALWAYS challenging with this girl. I never know WHAT shes going to eat, IF shes going to eat, or how MUCH she's going to eat. Today, I offered (and made) a grilled cheese...that was turned down/thrown on the floor, then fish sticks...she took two bites, then said 'all done,' and then finally....she accepted pieces of salami, toast, and peaches! Shes an odd and picky eater, that's for sure, but her weight is perfect, so I can't really complain.

After filling her belly, it was nap time.

She actually has started to ask for a nap...which is great. She gets so excited when she says to me 'Nap?' and I say 'Yes' and then she hurries and puts her downstairs toys away in the closet, whiling saying 'bye' to everything.

Upstairs in her room, she gets tucked in with Holly, Daisy (her lamb), and 3 or 4 books. She is such a book worm! Sometimes when Justin or I wake up in the middle of the night we will look at the video monitor and see her sitting up in her crib flipping through one of her books. Its pitch black in there, but she looks like she is reading EVERY word. It's hilarious! So we always make sure she has something to read to entertain herself during her midnight book club meetings :)

A few short hours later, I am alerted that Hudsen is UP when I hear her jumping up and down in her crib and laughing out loud as she watches herself in the mirror across the room.

Time for some outdoor afternoon fun in the driveway before Daddy gets home from work!

And then some Tea for Two...

As mentioned earlier....the ketchup was purchased this morning, so I knew Justin would want to make his famous Breakfast For Dinner. Since Hudsen is allergic to eggs...I knew this meal would do her no good, so I tried the grilled cheese....AGAIN - this time she LOVED it and didn't even share one bite :)

When Justin got home, he was thrilled the Ketchup Crisis was over and he got right into dinner mode. I swear, this guys eggs are so delicious, if the insurance gig doesn't work out, he may want to consider opening up a Bed and Breakfast!


After dinner, it's time for Hudsen's bath. Thankfully, Justin takes care of this 99% of the time. She loves it, and I think it's actually really fun for both of them.

7:30p....Time for bed! We interviewed her and recorded it, but it was a lengthy 5min recap of everything she did today....so I will skip sharing it with you and just store that one in our own family video library :)

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ....a few minutes later she is out like a light. Now normally this is our time to catch up on some tivo-ed reality TV programs, however, tonight Justin is going to force me to watch the CMT music awards. Boooorrrrriiiiiinnnnnggggg! ------hence the fact that I am working on the blog! :)

Hope you have enjoyed your first 21 months as much as your Dad and I have! Goodnight Hudsen and sleep tight! :)

My Birthday Month!

Happy 30th Birthday to ME!

So, I'm obsessed with my birthday! And if anyone is bored enough to read this, then you will realize it. As I was 'proof-reading' my mumble-jumble here, I noticed I used the word 'Birthday' at least 97 times!




I really wish I hadn't spent so much time worrying about this birthday ever since the day I turned 29...because it actually turned out to be probably my most favorite Birthday EVER! 30 sounded so scary, but I had the most fun, and was so lucky to be able to celebrate it with so many wonderful family and friends!



The FIRST birthday party took place at Bravo! on May 15 . Prior to dinner just before heading out the door Justin attempted to get a 'Happy Birthday Mommy' out of Hudsen...she wasn't in a 'performing' mood, but glad he caught this anyways!









All of our favorite couples!


Hudsen joined us for a little while but was later kidnapped by Carmi so we could relax and enjoy our dinner! Mmmm....the spaghetti and meatballs were delicious!









After Bravo!, we headed over to Primebar for some drinks...








If you're thinking how could anyone have that much Birthday fun while being pregnant...trust me, its possible, and maybe even BETTER pregnant! Think virgin lemonade-sprite spritzers for me...and drunk friends all around! I lived vicariously through their colorful cocktails and watched as every hour passed, the girls especially :), got louder and louder and funnier and funnier! Ha! And lets not forget the special friend that let us all in on her secret to going from a small C, to a C+++ thanks to some chicken cutlets! :)

Ha! Girls, I had forgotten about taking this short video...its basically a bunch of non-sense but I couldn't help but post it! Don't be mad! :)



And Lisa, I am now well aware that you cared more about the DJ than leaving me a nice Birthday Message :)

Later that week I spent the day of my Birthday at Des Peres Park with Hudsen. Justin was at work, and I was going to see my family that evening, so it was great spending time with my favorite little girl.

As usual, she hit the slides pretty hard at the start.

But then sat on a bench for a mother-daughter chat, and assured me that turning 30 wasn't so bad :)

We also hit the gym that day, and I discovered something amazing while on the treadmill. I learned that I am now in a new 'bracket' when monitoring my heart rate during a workout. If you are 20-29 years old, your ideal heart rate during a workout needs to be at 160...but now that I am in the 30-39 year old bracket, I only need to push myself and my heart rate up to a measly 152! This changes EVERYTHING! :)

Re-energized and rearing to go, my SECOND birthday celebration was with my family later that night. We had a wonderful dinner at Sugo's and I was so spoiled with more presents! Thanks so much to my parents, Justin, Connie, Blake and his adorable girlfriend, Susan for joining me!

At the End of my Birthday 'Night'.....I opened my LAST Birthday Card....and it was from Hudsen. I am such a baby when it comes to the end of my bday, and always feel like I have to have at least one more present to open or card to read before going to bed. Luckily, my daughter's card was the sweetest thing I had ever read.

The THIRD and sadly, final, birthday hoopla was small and intimate the following weekend. I couldn't have had more fun with my handsome hubby and cute little girl and some tasty Mexican at our local Wildwood El Magueys. It was a great evening spent out on the patio watching Justin drink gallon sized draft beers, and Hudsen stealing her Dad's hat to play peek-a-boo with us.

Thanks again to Justin, and my family and friends who helped celebrate my birthday this year! I absolutely LOVED turning 30!!!