It’s Monday again and today starts a special week for us– it’s BIRTHDAY WEEK for Jordan! Any other year I would have already had presents bought, wrapped, and a cake ordered to pick up on Friday, but this year has been a little different for us financially. We have one income, three children, and a whole lot of bills. It’s so easy to feel disappointed, discouraged, maybe even a little ungrateful, in times like these but I am remembering all of the things I’m so incredibly blessed to have that aren’t actually things. Rather than focusing on materialistic things for Jordan, I am focused on celebrating him– literally, the man my dreams are made of. I want to celebrate everything he is, with the top two things being a loving husband and a super dad. Rather than ordering a $15 cake, I will be making one and that, my friends, requires a lot more thought and love than anything bought from a store. Instead of showering him with gifts, I will be showering him with kisses.

We made arrangements for our kids on Friday night and we done all of the things Jordan wanted to do without spending a ton of money. We went to a shoe store and he lusted over some boots. He is a boot guy, for sure. He thinks about, talks about, and probably dreams about boots. Ariats, Justins, Carolinas, Red Wings. See, he loves them so much that I’ve even picked up on boot language.

We had dinner at Applebees. The last 3 date nights we have had we have went to Applebees. Our favorite is the 2 meals for $20. We get the spinach and artichoke dip as our appetizer, Jordan gets the whisky bacon burger with fries, and I usually get the bourbon chicken and shrimp with potatoes, but this time I tried the burger, too.

After dinner we went to some of his favorite places and looked at his favorite things. Bass Pro Shop, where we found him a flannel shirt, Cabellas, and Tractor Supply.

After a few hours of shopping we went to the Blackbird Bakery. Y’all, this is my favorite place in all the land. The entire place is so dreamy. I love everything about it– the lighting, the fireplace, the windows, the stairs, their food display, even their packaging. It is all so lovely.

Jordan got a pumpkin cheesecake bar and I got an eclair. They both were incredible!

On Saturday morning Jordan had to work so I went to his parents house to pick up our sweet babies. There’s nothing like seeing their little faces after you haven’t seen them in a whole 18 hours. I love our date nights, but man, leaving the kiddos with someone else is and always has been so hard for me. They had so much fun with their Mema and Dinky, which is no suprise at all. Kylan told me in the car, “Mema and Dinky are always so good to all of us, mama.” If y’all were wondering where my kids get their big hearts from, I know without a doubt that Jordan’s family is a huge part of it.

When Jordan got home he rounded up the boys and they raked the yard. This was the first year that the boys have done the raking, but they done so well and were so proud of themselves once they were finished. The little blisters on their hands earned them $5 a piece.

To celebrate their hard work, we fed them one of their favorite dinners. We picked up a pizza and crazy bread from Little Caesars and had popcorn and watched a movie afterwards. This week we watched Garfield and we all loved it!

Once the kids went to bed, Jordan and I turned on The Blacklist and watched a few epidsodes before we went to bed. I’m pretty worried about the fall finale that’s coming on this Wednesday. #tomkeen

Sunday morning the kids participated in a Veterans Day program at church. We spent most of the day relaxing on the couch and Jordan made his homemade potato soup for dinner and no bakes for dessert.

We done some online Christmas shopping for the kids and watched more of The Blacklist before bed.

This week I am focusing on my husband and giving him the best birthday week he has ever had. I never thought I would see the day that I couldn’t buy him all the things he wants for his special day, but that allows me to be creative and make the most of what we have– to make the memories more special than the things. Just because our bank account is empty doesn’t mean our hearts can’t be full. Have a happy Monday, friends!