Natalie Turned 30!
I had an amazing 30th birthday! A lot of people ask me what I think about being 30 years old. I have to say I am thankful for another year of blessings! Having a baby was such an amazing experience and is still an amazing experience that it sort of overshadowed the fact that I was reaching a milestone in age.
However, I still had a wonderful celebration. My birthday weekend started out with birthday cards in the mail from family and Robert surprising me and spoiling me with a fancy SLR camera. The D5100 from Costco. It takes such good pictures! And now with the little one, it snaps the photo so fast I can capture all the precious moments! I have the best husband ever! He loves me so much and knew how much it meant to me to have a nice camera for our family.
During the weekend Kristen, my sister-in-law, came to visit me and we hung out for the day. Which was a lot of fun. We sat around staring at Zek, played Settlers of Catan and went to the beach. It was a little cold for the beach, but we were trying out the new camera and of course enjoying each other's company. We topped off the evening with a stop at the Manhattan Beach Creamery and Pete's Coffee. Yum!
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| Manhattan Beach Pier with Kristen |
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| Jumping for Joy |
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| The Family Beach Photo |
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| Close Up! Thanks Kristen! |
Then on Monday, Zek and I flew together to Sacramento and met my mom at the airport. It was Zek's first flight and despite how nervous I was about flying with an infant, he flew like a champ! Everyone on the plane complimented Zek on a job well done. I think he liked all the people and lights to look at and the nice roar of the engine. The flying put him right to sleep. When we got to the airport my mom met us with great anticipation, excited to see her grandson. Zek after exiting the plane was so wide-eyed looking at all the hub-bub in the airport that my mom and I laughed to tears at the sight. It was a great moment.
My dad greeted us at the airport and drove us home. He too was so excited to see us and unbeknownst to me pretty tired from all the secret birthday preparations. On the way home we chatted and I even got a birthday call from my sister and brother-in-law, Tiffany and Zach, who hinted to me that the night wasn't yet over. And sure enough when I got home the place was decorated to the tee! Birthday balloons, flowers, cake, wine, presents and even a gourmet dinner! When I saw it all I was moved to tears! I felt so loved! For dinner we had Chicken Cordon Bleu and Asparagus with Hollondaise Sauce. And for dessert a yummy Chocolate Strawberry Cake with Chocolate Ganache. I also received some really nice jewelry from mom and sister. Watches, bracelets and earnings oh my!
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| Yummy Birthday Cake! |
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| Quite the Birthday Spread! |
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| The Birthday Party Culprit |
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| Delish! |
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| Thanks Dad! |
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| Thanks Mom! |
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| Balloons! |
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| Zek and Grandpa! |
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| Zek and the Grands! |
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| Big Eyes! |
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| Cutting the Cake |
During my stay with my parents we went on a really nice walk around the lake and I had an opportunity to use my new camera. I really like these photos of my mom. Very photogenic!
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| Cute Mama! |
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| Swans |
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| Using the Pack N Play |
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| Helping Zek Sit Up |
Also on my trip I got to see my grandma for the first time in a year or so. She is currently in a home and I know it must get lonely. It was nice to see her and for her to meet one of her great grandsons!
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| This one made us laugh! Zek what happened?? |
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| Cuddles |
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| Happy |
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| Kisses & Hugs |
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| Generations |
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| Hands |
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| Group Photo |
