I had a fantastic 36th birthday weekend. We celebrated by taking Quinn and Oliver to lunch at Fogo de Chão. This was a happy accident as we meant to have lunch at the Melting Pot but they were closed. Fogo de Chão is right next door so we went there instead. It was a really fun time. The salad bar was my favorite, but the cuts of meat were delicious.
On the 4th, my parents, Cliff, Audrey, Jaleck, and the kids came over to celebrate the holiday with a little cookout. We had cake and ice cream and listened to my Dad's ipod that Jay rigged up downstairs with some computer speakers and a small pre-amp. That evening Jay, Oliver and I checked out the Buda fireworks. Quinn went with Gibreel and Dalal for a sleepover. They watched the Town Lake fireworks. We missed Quinn that night, but really loved the small town atmosphere and lack of traffic. Oliver clapped at the fireworks and seemed to really enjoy himself.
I think I'm getting to an age where birthday gifts aren't necessary. I love receiving thoughtful cards and enjoying the day with loved ones. But this year, I feel like I cleaned up. This necklace was a gift to myself. It was made by Kate from
for me,for you. It finally came in the mail on Friday. Jay, Quinn and Oliver gave me the stools I blogged about
here. They look really great in the kitchen. And then the rest of my family all pitched in and gave me an Ergo baby carrier. I absolutely love it. Carrying Oliver in his sling was great, but this carrier is so much more comfortable. Grocery shopping has always been fun for me, but now I really look forward to it because I can take Oliver with me in the ergo. He likes to rest his head on my chest and then plays a game where he looks up at me and then giggles when I finally look down and say 'boo!'.
I also just read about some other cute tops French Connection has on sale here. 
Oliver has been eating solids now for about two months. He started out with rice cereal and breastmilk, then graduated to mashed sweet potatoes. Since then he has had apples, pears, plums, carrots, bananas, and butternut squash. Yesterday, he finally ate some peas mixed with sweet potatoes. I was so proud of him! 
We had a great time last weekend celebrating Father's Day. It included mimosas in bed, homemade breakfast tacos, cards and gifts (Quinn put together the sweetest photo collage of her and Oliver), a trip out for lantanas, bulbines, and a firebush for the front yard, and then meeting up with friends at the Salt Lick. We got home after a full day and Jay still wanted to plant everything, so he dug while I unpotted. It was a fun, hot, sweaty, really great day! Of course it was celebrated with plenty of Lonestar and Tecate.
