birthday celebrations and family dinner

 

Happy Wednesday, friends, and happy birthday to my hubby! 

We didn't set out to do this last night, but we ended up having an impromptu birthday family dinner for Todd. I love it when things happen that way! Drew texted me earlier in the day telling me he was off work, and that he and Caitlyn wanted to come by so that we could exchange Christmas gifts with her. She had gone back to her hometown in Mississippi for Christmas and got back to Memphis yesterday. Since I hadn't yet been grocery shopping for actual dinners this week, it was decided that takeout would be the best way to go for our spontaneous dinner for seven. 

You should know that takeout also kept me from having to dress in real wear-out-in-public clothes, because I'd de-Christmased the house that day and cleaned up afterward, putting on leggings and my favorite comfy sweatshirt. 

Todd and I were craving sushi, so for the ones who like that, that's what we had. (Him, Drew, Noah, and I ate the sushi.) For Graham, Jonah, and Caitlyn, we got Chick Fil A, per Graham's request. It was a very sweet night! We had the table ready with everything on it when Drew and Caitlyn got here, and we just sat in there the whole time eating and laughing afterward. Noah cleaned up the kitchen for us while we ate, then they had some leftover cake from Christmas. Caitlyn opened up her presents, and I opened ours. 

It was a fun and easy night, and it dawned on me that I love the fact that the two girlfriends that our sons have are low-key. I don't feel the need to be dressed for the public when they're here; they've seen me in my lounge clothes plenty of times and without makeup too many times to count. In fact, they're often dressed exactly the same! I love this and that I also don't feel the need for my house to picked up or clean when they're coming over. They're always witness to lots of dog hair on the floor, and it doesn't bother me in the least. I love being that relaxed around someone! It's such a wonderful, freeing feeling, and I am grateful for the times in our life that we can be like that. 

Drew and Caitlyn didn't stay long, and the other guys started leaving at the same time. It was a quick and easy night, and after things were put back again afterward, Todd went up to get comfortable, and I read my book for the rest of the night, before and after I started writing this post. I love celebrating Todd in such a relaxing way, when it doesn't take too much thought and our expectations are realistic. He is such a laid-back guy and requires very little from all of us. He really is the greatest husband and dad ever! He ended the night in his favorite way: in pajamas watching a show on Netflix, with his nightly glass of bourbon. 

Last night was proof that relaxed and simple celebrations are often the very best. The only thing that would have made it better was if we had played cards at some point. We love to do that, even if we rarely do. I'd like to incorporate more of that into our nights at home in the coming year. Do you celebrate like this? I'd love to hear about it, if you do! Thanks for reading my blog, friends. Love to all!