Why my husband is awesome!

I know I've said it before, but I couldn't nearly say it enough.  My husband is one of the greatest people on Earth and I am a very lucky girl!  I might have to dedicate a page of my blog to just how great his awesomeness is!

Here's a preview of his latest endeavor:

So, our previous attempts at getting a quality picture for our Christmas card were a complete failure.  Either my eyes were closed, T's eyes were closed, someone wasn't looking at the camera, etc.  Here are some of those outtakes:

So, we planned for our friend Colleen to come take our family picture on Saturday afternoon.  I stressed and stressed over outfits, because unlike the last attempts, these were more posed and less action.  On the morning of the photo shoot, I found the perfect maternity dress that would coordinate with T's dress.  B just had to wear a navy sweater which made him happy because I had strict instructions not to buy him something that he would only wear once.  I showered late that day, so that I would be in the best "shape" for pictures, and got T dressed after her nap so her dress wouldn't be wrinkled.  It was perfect.  While we were waiting for Colleen to arrive, we were all hanging out in the kitchen.  The usual question came along, "What do you want to have for dinner?", to which I replied a couple of options, both of which I would need to start ASAP.  Both were met with not enough enthusiasm for to actually get to work, so whatever we had, it was going to be a quick and easy meal.

After a few minutes, B turns to me and asks, "So, what if I planned a surprise date for us tonight and we're actually going to Dogwood with reservations for 6:00?  Colleen is babysitting."

Seriously?!  Yes, yes YES!!!  This was great for many reasons:
1. We hadn't celebrated our anniversary from October yet
2. I wasn't thinking about it all day and getting anxious about leaving T (I hate missing bedtime)
3. I was already dressed up and ready to go out!  Woohoo!

What a fantastic evening!  We got our family pictures, B and I had a lovely three-course dinner at Dogwood (check out their mission!) and then afterward we took a stroll to see the Miracle on 34th St. Lights in Hamden.  Legend has it that one year, the residents of a block on 34th street entered into a lottery pool and won.  Trying to decide what to do with their winnings, each house invested into an assortment of Christmas lights that each resident would put up each year.  The whole street looks like something of a Hollywood set!  It is even rumored that anyone who moves into the neighborhood has to sign an agreement that they will continue the tradition (that was begun in 1947) and decorate their house each year too.  Whether all of this is true, I can't say, but it certainly adds to the magical spirit of Christmas!  Click here to find out more.

This was my favorite house on the street, complete with a family of robots and the bar scene music from Return of the Jedi playing.  So nerdy, I love it!