Birthday and Emancipation Day

The past week was very special for the Mallory Family.   For starters, we celebrated my 32 birthday.   32nd!!   Mid-thirties, I have arrived, and so far, I'm loving you!    Much more importantly though, on Monday I went to my surgeon, and he gave me the most amazing gift......my freedom back.   I no longer have to wear that horrid back brace, and he gave me a yes on EVERY SINGLE restriction I had on my "ask the doctor if I can do this yet list."   These freedoms include the freedom to ride a beach cruiser, bend over to wash my face and shave my legs and buckle my shoes, vacuum, stand-up paddle-board, do push-ups and planks, and my own personal favorite..........LIFT SUSANNAH!!     Apparently my x-rays look great and we are so so grateful that the last three months are over and we can look forward to the next 32 years with a straight spine!!  Here are some pictures of the week's fun:

Wednesday was my official birthday and we celebrated with a family birthday party at home.

Nancy cooked a fantastic dinner and I opened my cards and presents, which included one of the fancy new travel cups that everybody except me seems to have lately.    Susannah even has one and it was her idea to get me one for my birthday since she and Aunt Nancy already had one.

I also received jelly beans (which is a much more exciting gift for me than for most people) and a new citronella candle for the kitchen window.  

Nancy also made the most incredible chocolate molten lava cakes for dessert.

They were amazing.

And everybody sang.

While I made my wish.   

My real birthday present was a shopping trip that I took a couple of weeks ago.   But now that I'm brace free, I can actually wear my new clothes.   This is one of my new dresses.    I know it may be weird for me to post a picture of an outfit on our family blog, but wearing this type of dress for the first time in my life is pretty darn monumental, so I'm going for it.  

Susannah wore a new dress to church that day too......she is doing her "camera smile"  for me.  

After Dr. Mundis issued my "emancipation proclamation,"  Peter and I decided celebrations were in order and headed straight to an Italian place we have been meaning to try for a lunch al fresco.  

A glass of Prosecco + California sun + killer view =  perfect lunch

On a totally unrelated note, Peter bought Susannah a baby pool last weekend and she LOVES it.

LOVES

IT

!!!!!

Daddy's Birthday is next so we ordered his cake today at our local ice cream spot.

And Mommy caved and let Susannah have "blue ice-cream" before lunch.

In all seriousness, this week really has been pretty incredible.   Lifting Susannah on Monday and hearing her say, in her adorable little voice, "The boo-boo on Mommy's back is all better," was truly one of the happiest moments of my life.   The past 6 months have been filled to the brim with some pretty difficult challenges.   But last week, I felt like we were emerging out of the darkness and back into the light.   And the light is full of hope for the future.   And it is all by the grace of God.   He promised that his grace would be sufficient and it has been.   It truly has been.   And we aren't just on the other side of the darkness, we are on the other side of the darkness AND I have a straight spine!!      Peter and I will be forever grateful for every prayer, kind word, and display of love that our friends and family have given us.   Thank you.   We love each of you and I can't wait to see many of you this summer.   

Mother's Day Weekend

Mother's Day 2013 was a great success.   Peter and Susannah made me feel so loved and we had a great weekend.    It was especially sweet because this time last year, Peter was still deployed.   Having him home was the best present ever.

We had beautiful weather so we decided to spend Saturday with a pizza picnic at the park.  

Susannah is really into both pizza and picnics lately, so this was her idea of a perfect afternoon.

On Sunday, we got all dressed up for church and I even let myself out of the back brace so I could wear a new dress.

We tried to get some more shots of Susannah with the pretty roses, but the sun was in her eyes.

Still really precious though.

So sweet.

This is her new "smile for the camera" smile.   So funny.

All the men at church got up and sang as a Mother's Day Present .  Peter was front and center and it was awesome.

After skyping all the Grandmothers, we headed to the beach.  

It was unseasonably hot and a perfect beach day.

After almost 2 years, I still marvel at the fact that we live walking distance from this beach.

Susannah gave a whole new meany to the word "sandy."   She was absolutely covered, and had the best time.

She wasn't into the water this time......

But she was ALL about the sand.    And the rice and beans she had at Miguilito's afterward.   

If I'm being honest, this weekend wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.    I stepped on Susannah's toe with the first pair of high heels I've donned since my surgery.   Then Susannah slammed her finger in her potty.   And of course, we had our normal share of whining and "no mommy's" throughout the weekend.   But I can safely say that the ruling emotion in my heart was gratitude.   Gratitude the God gave me the opportunity to mother this beautiful, smart, hilarious, loving, and sometimes outrageous girl.   Susannah Latham Mallory, you are my biggest and most favorite blessing, and I love you with all of my heart.  

Birthday Cupcakes and a Big Girl Bed

With a seeming blink of my eye, another one of our "last weeks" in Coronado has passed.    It seems to be flying by, but we are doing a pretty solid job of packing in lots of California fun while we can.   Here are some of the highlights....

Sliding with monkey.    Monkey always gets to play at the park with us.   Sometimes, he is the only one who actually "plays."   Susannah is just the mommy who pushes him on the swing or catches him on the slide.   So funny.

Meadow had to learn to share this weekend, as we kept a friend's dog while they were out of town.   Otto is a beautiful golden retriever who really loved chewing meadow's rawhide bones.   Susannah LOVED him.  Meadow wasn't as big of a fan.

On Saturday we spent the morning at IKEA, picking out a "big girl bed" for Susannah.   She had the best time jumping on all the beds.   After much deliberation, we ended up with a toddler bed that seems perfect for her.

This twin day-bed was my original intent, but it just seemed to swallow her whole.   And she liked the toddler bed better anyway even though she was a little sad that we didn't get a pink one. 

We spent a fun morning at the park to celebrate our friend Brooklynn's 1st birthday.     She loved her smash cake.

And Susannah really enjoyed her pink cupcake!

Yum!

Leyton had a blue one to match her sweatshirt.

Nothing like cupcakes to stop a group of 10 toddlers in their tracks.

In other news, Nancy and I have been doing some online shopping to prepare for next winter in Germany.   We both ordered some Sorel boots and Susannah loves to model them.   As you can see, they cover her entire leg.  

Happy Mother's Day to everybody!   Especially to Grammy, Grandmama, Shoo-Shoo, and Mimi......we love you so much and are so grateful for you!!

A Fun Weekend, a Diner Dance Party, and Mommy's First Bundt Cake

This week has found the Mallory Family all recovered from our various assortment of colds/ear infections/allergies.   Couple our good health with some sunny spring weather, and you have yourself the makings of a fun week.   And fun week we have had.    Here are some of the highlights.......

Friday afternoon we headed to McP's for a beer and some cheese fries.   Susannah kept herself occupied with the sugar packets so the adults could chat.

Until the fries arrived and she threw all of her attention into eating them with her new favorite condiment....ketchup.  

She loves ketchup lately.   LOVES.  

Saturday we met up with Susannah's best friend Leyton at the park.

   Peter held Leyton's baby sister Ellis for a while.   

Leyton's little sister Ellis is Susannah's favorite baby.   She always wants to hold her and loves to sit and watch her.

It is so fun to watch Susannah and Leyton play lately.   They have had "play dates" since they were 9 months old, but it has been just recently that they actually interact.   They played chase and had the best time.

Taking a rest under a big tree.

"Ring around the rosey, pocket full of posey..."

"ashes, ashes..."

"We all fall down!!"

Peter was defending the country Monday night so Susannah, Nancy and I decided to grab dinner at Clayton's.   It is a 50's style diner.   Susannah was a fan of their chocolate milk.

And their grilled cheese.  But what she loved most was their jute box.  The music provided for an impromptu dance party at our table........

Another highlight of this week was that a couple of my more fashion savvy friends spent the morning helping me clean out my closet.   A 12 inch rod in your back can do some crazy things to your figure, so most of my clothes aren't fitting properly anymore.   I felt like I was on the show, "What Not to Wear."   It was super fun, and since most German apartments don't have closets, my new streamlined wardrobe will probably come in very handy.  I was too busy trying on clothes to take any pictures, but I did snag a photo of the bundt cake I made for the occasion.

It was my first ever bundt cake and it turned out really well.  

It is a cinnamon roll cake and may just be a new Mallory family Christmas morning tradition.....it was delicious and made the kitchen smell delightful for the entire day.   In case anybody is interested,  I found the recipe at http://mixandmatchmama.blogspot.com/2012/09/bundt-cake-58-cinnamon-roll.html

Hope all of you are having sunny weeks as well.   We miss and love you all!