Hanson's Happenings!: Birthday Fun Part 1

Well, I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I am just now getting to sorting and getting ready to get caught up on blogging. I know, I know, I am a little behind, but I have been busy having fun. :)

I have issues with doing Christmas before my birthday, so first things first, here are the pictures from my birthday.

For my birthday we were beyond blessed by a couple at church. They gave us a three night stay at a two bedroom suite (condo? timeshare? the proper term eludes me) overlooking the ocean in Oceanside. It was beautiful and so relaxing. It was such a great treat.

We got there on my actual birthday, and my parents, Ann and Elena came up to spend the afternoon. The rest of the gang got there later (as they all had to work) and we had dinner, cupcakes and a nice time together. I hadn't see my brother Daniel much lately, as he had to work over thanksgiving, so it was great to see him, and Elizabeth enjoyed spending some Uncle Danny time.

Here at the pictures from the first night, I took so many pictures, I think I will do a two part post. :)

Grace LOVES her Grandma and Grandpa. She LOVES her Auntie Ann. But she LOVES LOVES LOVES Elena. When Elena is around, Grace only has eyes for her. The sweet thing is, that the feeling is mutual. The girls play so well together, and so enjoy being together. It is super precious.

Another thing that they have in common, is that they know deliciousness when they see it. They are girls after all, they know chocolaty goodness when they see it. And let me tell you, the cupcakes my sister Maria made define chocolaty goodness.

And they even had a secret message.

I am super strict, (some would say obsessive) about what Grace eats. As she grows I allow her a little more freedom. Generally, the rule of thumb is that grandparents can give her whatever (thankfully, her grandparents are pretty great about trying to find healthy treats for her). The other exception are birthday parties and vacations. Since this contained all three elements, I let her have a chocolate, chocolate cupcake (okay, fine, half a cupcake). Elena was pretty impressed.

How excited was she?

Elena is a huge Uncle Danny fan!

Elizabeth also got in on the Uncle Danny action. She hadn't seen him too much, so it was a treat.

I got a new lens for my camera and I am super excited. It is a portrait lens, which is awesome since I have awesome subjects to take pictures of.

I also got an amazing gift from my sweet sister. She drew me pictures of my girls. I love them. I think she captured each of their best features: Elizabeth's chubby kissable cheeks and Grace's beautiful big eyes.