Happy Birthday to the Man of the House!

*Play song, "Undeniable" with this post (because Steve really likes Mat Kearney)

So Steve celebrated his.... **rd birthday this month (on the 11th specifically) *wink, wink...

We couldn't celebrate on the actual day because we were crazy busy with family functions (more on that in a following post).... so we settled on the next weekend (St. Patrick's Day actually), and we decided on Park City :) It was pretty wet and rainy that Saturday, but at least the weather was still warm. We tromped around the outlets first looking for something specific, and all we managed to get was really wet! But we still had fun together! 

Steve's birthday present was a nice external flash to go on our new camera, and a pretty nice one might I add! It can communicate with the camera without even being attached! So that means you can set it somewhere to make for a more natural look in photos, man I love technology! :) 

In case anyone cares, it is a 430 EX II. He also got some lens filters as well. So of course in true fashion, he wanted to try out his new toys.... and what better than our overly used model?? ;) 

 This is one of Utah's "fake beaches" lol

 It was starting to get pretty windy at this point, and I kept imagining that little flash (that was placed on the ground to Em's left) to blow up into the water! Thankfully it stayed put though!

This was Steve's birthday photo taken by yours truly! This was as we were waiting to go to dinner at Ruth Chris Steak House.... you may remember (if you follow me on Instagram or Facebook) me posting that one of our Chromosome 18 families had sent us some gifts... well a very generous gift card to Ruth Chris was one of those gifts! Thanks to this family once again, you guys brought tears to our eyes when we opened it and made for an extremely nice birthday dinner for Steve!

Forgot to take pictures of the food at the restaurant, but did remember to get a couple shots of the leftovers we took home! 

This was my meal, it started out as 2 petite fillets (with a blue cheese crust) and 8 grilled shrimp. Don't have a picture of Steve's, but he got a Ribeye steak and we both shared a wedge salad and some au gratin potatoes.... everything was divine! 

They actually gave us a free dessert to honor Steve's birthday, and they let you choose anything on their menu! We were so full, that we decided it would be best to choose something we could take home.... cheesecake!

And it was huge! Enough to give us four desserts (2 each)!

Here's some more pictures from dinner (this one courtesy of Em's iPhone)

 Giving daddy her card.... that she picked out... and helped sign!

 And then she insisted on giving him my card too! Good thing I love her ;)

 Steve had set them over to the side of the table and Em kept handing them to him over and over..... 

 She thought this was hilarious! 

 Coloring

More from the iPhone and Instagram

Em mid hug (she was giving them out in crazy Em fashion that night!)

And Em all bundled up in her vintage coat! Saved this coat from being thrown away forever my first year working at the preschool (when Steve and I had been married just a few months and kids were a very far off thought!), so it got put away in the basement, surfaced again when we moved to Provo and I was barely pregnant, didn't know if I was having a girl or boy yet and didn't know how long it would be to fit this child.... so it got put away again! Sadly it didn't resurface until we barely moved again and lucky enough it barely fits Em (it is a 2T), at least she got to wear it in our crazy start to spring! Funny enough, when I posted a picture of her in it on FB, one of the teachers recognized it as belonging to one of her girls! So I was right in thinking that it was late 70's- early 80's! Very cool and I hope another cute girl will get to wear it someday! (don't get any ideas though, I'm NOT pregnant!)

Anyway, that's it for this year's birthday! We love you Steve and are glad we get to celebrate you!