Happy 31st Birthday to Me

I was thoroughly and completely spoiled on my birthday this year. Dad surprised me by taking a half day and since he goes to work at a ridiculously early hour and we sleep in until an embarrassingly late hour, he got home from work before we made it downstairs after our morning routine. I whipped up some pancakes, sent them to the garage to help dad with his renovation project and the baby and I went back to bed to read the last 100 pages of The Host
which I had not managed to finish the night before despite my best 2am efforts.

When I finished my book the four of them left me. All alone. For several hours. So I worked on my scrapbook. Well, I attempted. Mostly my brain was still fried on that subject so I did what I always do when I procrastinate a craft project, I organized. My sewing room looks better even if my wedding scrapbook is teetering on the edge of nonexistence. My reverie was interrupted by a quick birthday dropoff from a fabulous friend who gave me a bag of amazing goodies ~ including the beautiful necklace and earrings in the picture below. I LOVE presents from friends because I can't stand obligatory giving. A present should be from the heart - a spontaneous gesture of goodwill. Since I was expecting nothing from this friend, I know she genuinely wanted to celebrate my birthday and that touched me. ....I will assume it has nothing to do with her turning the big 3-0 in 10 days. No, I think if she was planting the seeds of reciprocity, she would have bought me a car instead of a spool of ribbon....

After my day of peaceful celebration, I was treated to a wonderful dinner out by our dear friends. They are obligated to spoil my children because they have cast themselves into the role of pseudo grandparents; but have no official hold on me. They just love me for reasons undisclosed. My birthday dinner was a Salmon Walnut Salad with gorgonzola dressing. If you want to win my heart, that is exactly the way to do it.

After dinner we retired to their house for Carvel icecream cake (the only cake worth eating) shaped like a giant M&M in honor of the boys, whom they shower with M&Ms entirely too often. I opened presents from my kids and husband and my brother's family, everything right off my wishlist (how often do you get everything you ever wanted?). The boys were coached and tried really hard to keep the secrets entrusted them. "Mom, open your water bottles!" and "You have one more present, it's a unicycle." Yes, a unicycle. Dad worked hard to hide it in the bathroom hoping I would have to take a kid potty and find it. The plan was foiled but at least I didn't have to do potty duty. See me on it above? If I get brave this week I'll have the boys video what I look like on it. "Mom, you need a unicycle with training wheels!" Yes boys, I believe that's called a tricycle. Something I am perhaps more cut out for.

See this sleeping angel with really long legs? She has been on the verge of using them for several weeks now. I am surprised it has taken her this long considering how long she has been standing unassisted but tonight she finally took her first two steps. A couple weeks ago she learned to readjust her footing while standing in a way that almost looked like steps but they were really just shifts, not attempts to walk. She is quite adept at pulling to a stand but tonight she stood from a seated position in the middle of the floor. Before I was able to replace my jaw she took the two steps required to reach the couch where I was lounging. And then we put her to bed. What a reward for her hard work. Tomorrow we shall see if she puts on a repeat performance and dashes through the house or if she reverts back to crawling faster than the speed of light. Either way, I'm pretty doomed.