Another year

If you were reading my blog this time last year, doesn't it seem impossible that a year has gone by already?

Actually, I have to thank you for hanging around after that spectacle I created last year surrounding my big milestone birthday. The 40-day countdown. All the celebrations I had for myself. Then the surprise party.

Oh, not to mention the little secret I was carrying around, too shocked to tell all my friends and family there was a perfectly good reason I wanted to puke all of the time.

It was nice to let this birthday quietly come and go. My husband was on another continent, so that left me home to have a nice birthday just doing what I do everyday... being a mom.

It all started when my alarm clock went off yesterday at 5 a.m. Whoa! That was early considering the alarm also had sounded at 11 p.m., 2 a.m. and 4 a.m. But fortunately, even though she has a loud scream, my alarm clock is cute and cuddly. And unlike most mornings when she can be lulled back to sleep, she apparently was excited to tell me happy birthday and couldn't wait to start the day.

Once I got out of the shower, I couldn't find the big kids. I have drilled into their little minds my love for birthdays, so I was afraid they might have pooled all of their piggy bank money and rode their bikes over to Target to buy me a gift. Instead, they all jumped out of their hiding places and sang "Happy Birthday".

They told me they would be more than happy to buy me ANY Wii game that I wanted as my gift. All I had to do was drive them over to the store so they could pick it out.

Then, it was time to rush through school so we could meet up with their friends at the Arboretum. Thankfully, their friends all come with moms who are my friends, and we all had a nice afternoon together.

After that we went to the kids' favorite restaurant, Go Roma. Actually, I don't mind Go Roma. I thought the food was great the first 16 times we went there. But after about 349 meals at their favorite restaurant, I can't say it would have been my No. 1 pick.

I ordered myself a little chocolate molten lava cake for dessert and a little dish of ice cream for the three big kids.

"You ARE going to share, aren't you Mom?"

Oh. Yeah. Of course I was planning to share. I cut the tiny little cake into four pieces and passed a bite to each person.

When we got home, the kids decided we should have a movie night. And guess what?! I could choose ANY movie I wanted to watch!

Well... as long as it wasn't that one or that one. Actually... as long as it was either this one or this one. I made my selection from the two choices I was given, and we all sat down to watch it together while I folded laundry.

By about 8 p.m., I was ready for bed. It had been a long day.

It might not have been a birthday filled with all of the things I would have chosen for myself. But I got to share everything we did with my four greatest gifts. And that was perfect.

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