Happy Birthday/Happy Jane

We celebrated Brian's PALINDROME 44th birthday right after New Year's.  I was feeling up to a date night the weekend before, so we enjoyed a huge splurge at RuthChris Steakhouse thanks to some generous giftcards from some people Brian had given some legal help to.  It was fancyschmancy atmosphere, and we both agreed it was the BEST steak (cooked at 1800 degrees and covered in butter!--I couldn't help thinking how Dad would've loved to hear how they cooked them!) we'd ever eaten! They also put confetti on the table, and gave Brian any dessert free off the menu! (w/ "Happy Birthday" written on the plate in chocolate!).

 

His actual birthday was Fast Sunday, so we enjoyed steak fajitas and German Chocolate Cherry Cake after church, and gave him a creme brulee set and foot massaging slippers :).

We got Christmas decorations down in record time (w/ so much help!), made some pot stickers and muddy buddies for New Year's Eve (the older kids were w/ friends), finished our puzzle, and got the children successfully started back to school,--even Jane and I have survived getting back into routine!

Brian was also officially sworn in as a City Council Member (again), and there was QUITE a crowd of support there for our great new mayor (also being sworn in--center in the group shot).

  Otherwise, our favorite pasttime is trying to get Baby Jane to smile :).  She has a remarkable amount of smiles for as young as she is (one month yesterday!), and laughed for the first time on Brian's birthday! If it's not hard enough to get her to smile, it's MUCH harder capturing on film, but it doesn't keep us from trying a lot!