Perfect

Every once in a while, it's so nice to have one of those days where you feel pampered and treated and spoiled rotten. Today was one of those days. Weekends are always nice, because everything can move at a more leisurely pace, without all the hustle and bustle and time constraints of the regular work/school week. The weekends when Dad isn't working are even nicer, because I actually get to spend some quality time with my favorite person (as well as having the freedom to get things done without involving/lugging/overseeing Thing 1 and Thing 2).

When Molly woke up before six this morning, Dad got up with her and let me sleep as long as I wanted (bliss!). When I got up, there was fresh coffee in the pot and a happy family waiting for me. I got to take a long, leisurely shower and take my time getting dressed. A friend was meeting me at our house so we could drive over to another friend's baby shower. So, in addition to letting me sleep in, Dad wrangled the babies for a good hunk of the afternoon while I interacted with grown ups, ate a bunch of yummy food (which nobody threw on the floor or smeared in their hair), and swapped pregnancy and baby "war stories" with other moms.

When I got home, both M&M were napping and Dad had a surprise for me. My Mother's Day present had arrived while I was gone and Dad wanted to give it to me early. I opened the big box on the counter to discover that Dad had secretly bought me the Nikon D300 camera I had been drooling over for months, along with the 18-200mm VR lens that I had wanted for even longer. He had figured out the financing and even lined up a buyer for my beloved Nikon D70. Who knew that he was actually paying attention all those times I babbled on about cameras?

When the babies woke up, we packed everyone into the car and headed off to a street fair in a neighboring town. I wasn't overly interested in the fair itself, but had heard that Needtobreathe was performing there in the afternoon. Since I've been really enjoying Needtobreathe's music over the last couple of months (their "More Time" song was the one I used in my MOD slideshow), I really thought it would be fun to see them live. And, of course, it gave me a good excuse to try out my new camera and lens. Neither the camera nor the music disappointed -- both were rocking. ;)

Molly, ever the little fashion queen, decided that dressing up for this outing required her pink jacket, her "glasses," and her purple winter hat. Max and Molly thought the whole thing was a lot of fun, especially since there were both balloons AND puppies at the fair. Although Max was a little startled by how loud the music was, Molly was bopping along to the beat. It was fun to get outside and listen to some music with my family. As I mentioned, the new camera performed magnificently, even though I only half knew what I was doing. Any flaws in my photos from here on out are DEFINITELY not the fault of the camera.

After we went home, made dinner, and tucked the kids into bed, it was nice to relax and kick back with a cup of coffee and a slice of chocolate cheesecake (and the Nikon D300 manual) -- the perfect end to a perfect day. A million thank yous to my wonderful husband for spoiling me so much and making me feel so special and loved and appreciated – not just today, but every single day.