My Not-So-Secret Secret

I am HORRIBLE about keeping gift secrets. 

No nail pulling, fire burning, club beating here. All you have to do is look at me the right way and I'll spill the beans. I get so excited about giving gifts (and getting them!!!) because it's an expression of my love & caring for the person. Steve must have 30 cards I've left in random places for him over the last few years. One thing I feel we (people in general) don't do enough is express appreciation for each other. It's a short, short life. Why do we hold back? I often wonder that when I am feeling extra defensive or guarded. 

After a very interesting blog post (here) from one of the writers I stalk (which also features a new recipe on Oreo Brownies-WHAT?) I was quite determined to be spontaneous (which I rarely do...sigh...) and book a night away. No kids, just us. 

I was desperately trying to keep it a surprise because....well, I don't know, it seemed liked the kind of exciting thing to spring in your loved one, but I failed. 

We hadn't been sitting for 10 minutes together when I told Steve, "I was going to keep it a secret, but I thought you'd want to know..." See, Steve is as bad as I am when it comes to being prepared for things. Being prepared relaxes us. The extra work up front is always worth it. Since my parents were watching the kids on Friday anyway, it worked out perfectly. When I told Steve, he reacted as I thought he would, lots of nods and a small smile. I choose to believe he was jumping for joy on the inside. :) 

I spent most of the evening making treats for a friend's baby shower. The kids were wonderful. While things were baking, I'd roll around with them on the floor, using hangers, books, pillows, stuffed animals, and stray pieces of clothing for games. While at Target this evening (for milk- they go through it like water) I restocked our supply of lavender Aveeno baby bath supplies, which we loooove. We had a great bath time together and they emerged clean and sleepy. 

The munchkins and I snuggled for quite a while and then it was off to bed. 

The house is still a disaster, but I can't bring myself to move an inch. I had pictures to upload, but something's being finicky and it won't work. 

Can't wait for Friday!!!!

Oh, and someone please come get our FREE TV. (See blog post below)