Our celebration was a hit! We talked about more than children, laughed and caught up, introduced friends, and really got to enjoy having people over again. I’d forgotten how much I love having friends over – because I love hosting and because it forces me to frenetically organize and clean the house!

Dave’s brother and some college buddies even came up from Chicago, so after the boys stayed up til the wee hours cleaning and hanging out, we all got together with kiddies and headed out for brunch in the sunshine at our new favorite spot. A sunshine stroll with friends, a clean house and a relaxing meal followed by playground time felt amazing – and despite Tess’ teething and Remy’s tummy issues, we had a delightful time. The early days of spring always feel like this: full of promise, the lure of sunshine to make up for limited sleep, time outside and having fun.

For his actual birthday, I tried to cram all of Dave’s favorite stuff into one 24-hour window: sci fi flick, fishing rod, beer fest tickets with friends, dinner with me, kiddo snuggles and good weather! Next year I’m screwed. 🙂