The Daily Hailey

Brady is FINALLY 25 with me! It feels good to have him in his mid-twenties instead of just his normal twenties. I’ve felt old for the last 2.5 months.

It was actually a great day, though, and I’m pretty sure I can safely speak for myself and my entire family. Laela only woke at 3:00am and 7:30am. However, we played it off right and she fell back to sleep until 11:00am!!! Dekker also slept in a ridiculous amount, so we had croissants and coffee in bed like we love to do. Just add a baby on me, and it was perfect.

When we finally got Dekker up, we fed him quickly and brought him downstairs for toys and a bit of tv. It was already the afternoon by this point so we flicked on Netflix and Dekker played while Laela napped.

 

Dekker went down for a nap around 3:00pm and Laela lounged in her MamaRoo while Brady and I got ready for our evening out. My parents arrived right on time for 4:00pm. We promptly gave them a whirlwind explanation of how much Laela eats and when, reminded them of Dekker’s general routine, and where to find food for themselves before we raced out the door.

We hit the road with blasting music and growling bellies. We arrived at Rock Creek Grill a few minutes early and were seated right away. Being who we are, Brady and I immediately installed a “hangman” app on my phone and played while we waited.

The last time I ordered a steak in a restaurant was the weekend before Brady and I got married. We went on a date the Saturday before the big day and ordered amazing steaks. That was just about five years ago. Bradys ordered steak since then but I have not. And today was the day. It was amazing.

Sigh. Blue cheese crumbles and bacon. Ridiculously delicious.

And Strongbow, because its also magically delicious. I know, its cider, therefore its “girl beer.” I’m a girl. Its allowed.

We ate really well, and as we were paying, our server asked what our evening plans were. I mentioned that it was Brady’s birthday so we were gifted a kid-free evening. She was surprised we hadn’t mentioned it sooner, and said she had a complimentary dessert for him. A very nice surprise! While we shared Bradys ice cream and weird-yet-delicious bananas in deep fried dough covered in cinnamon and sugar, I gave him his gift. My fun secret about Bradys 25th birthday is that I knew it would be glossed over. Not only is Laela fresh and exciting, but its also Thanksgiving, which takes the main focus of the holiday. So a month or two ago, I put together a plan and with a bit of help here and there, I bought Brady an iPad Mini. I kept everything super well hidden and had complete SUCCESS in keep the secret! Brady had no idea he was getting a gift even, as I kept apologizing for not planning anything. Which was the truth, since we had only made date plans with my parents a few days prior, so I truly hadn’t planned anything date-wise. But gift-wise I was more than covered! I was very happy with how it turned out, and so was Brady. Yay technology!

From supper, we opted to go back to our teens when we were boyfriend and girlfriend. We grabbed coffee and treats from Starbucks and headed to the train bridge. Brady forgot his jacket, and it was pretty chilly, so we didn’t actually go walk up on the bridge, but as we had done as daters, we pulled out a book. We read aloud the first few chapters of the first book in the Hunger Games series while drinking our lattes and eating those amazing chocolate caramel covered pretzels. It was delicious and relaxing and nostalgic. I loved it.

We drove along the river leaving the city and arrived home before 9:00pm, which was actually perfect. My parents had tidied the living room of all the toys Dekker had spread out, and even did our dishes. Its always nice to arrive home to a tidy house and happy kids. Dekker was already in bed after an apparently tear-free bedtime! And Laela was awake, well fed, and happy. No chaos for anyone, it seemed! A good evening for everyone involved.

Even though its a birthday, its still a day day. Time for a soak and a snack, as if I can (or need to) fit any more food inside of me! Tomorrow is another day 🙂 Gotta rest up!

All in all, it was a really great day, with my kids and my husband. Brady, I’m so thrilled you were born and have hung around for 25 years. You are officially classic. I had a big crush on you when we were 18 and I can’t seem to shake it. Loving you more and more, my dear.