More birthday loot.

Growing up, my mom would always arrange all of our birthday presents on the floor, stick us in the middle, and take a picture (she did this every Christmas as well). We called these the "loot" pictures. As a child I loved to thumb through the old family albums, and it was especially fun to look back and remember what all I got at Christmas and on my birthdays. It's a tradition I have started with my boy as well (not to mention it does aid in the thank-you note writing as well, when you can visually see what all he was given and remember whom it came from, which is the hard part, of course). I haven't continued the tradition for myself, but I still thought it would be fun to share some more fun birthday presents I received since the Nashville post.

From my husband and my son, I received an American Express gift card. ALWAYS the perfect can't-go-wrong gift. (Have I trained them well or what?!)

From my awesome friend, Lauren, I got these two fun things:


WOOHOO! Thanks to Lauren I now own the complete set of Gilmore Girls!!!
and these...



Lauren made those little clips herself. Aren't they cute?

From my mom I received a little cold hard cash (again, ALWAYS the perfect gift) and this...

Now I must tell you, I am not a Sex and the City girl. I've never seen an episode, but while thumbing through the channels with the remote, I have caught more-than-an-eyeful on many an occasion (boy, those producers really do love their nudity, don't they?), which was enough to turn me off to the whole series. But I cannot lie, I do love Sarah Jessica Parker's perfumes. I have worn "Lovely" for the past three years, and the last time I went in to buy another bottle, the store gave me a free sample of her newest fragrance, "Covet". I've been using that little free sample off and on for the last few months, so my mom bought me a bottle for my birthday (and the saleslady even through in a free bottle of lotion as well, wasn't that nice of her?!). Divine.

And last, but certainly not least, my beautiful boy found a piece of cardboard this morning, probably from the packaging of the new present my husband bought himself (but that's another story for another day). Ahem. Anyway, I asked my son if he wanted me to get him some markers to draw with on the piece of cardboard, thinking it would buy me some more time to get the kitchen cleaned.


Sweet little thing that he can sometimes be, he got hard to work, "writing" (or pretending to write) all over that piece of cardboard with his markers. When I asked him what he was writing, he heartily announced, "Haha Barebay, Mama!". ("Happy Birthday, Mama!")


How cute is that? He was making me a birthday card, all on his own! I'm afraid this present wins the prize on best ever. I proudly put it up on display on my shelves in the bedroom, and I know I will keep this little treasure the rest of my life. My first heartfelt birthday present from my sweet little man.