Our Five Ring Circus: Another Year Older

Friday, April 3, 2015

Another Year Older

It's official.  I'm another year older!

I had an amazing birthday full of love!  It really was a fantastic day!

Grant wished me a happy birthday as soon as he woke up this morning, then I drifted back off to sleep. The kids were off school, so I didn't have to get up too early. The next time I opened my eyes, Dylan and Lily were coming into my room, singing "Happy Birthday" to me.  It was the sweetest!

I was in for an even bigger surprise.  The older kids surprised me with breakfast!  They made me wheat toast topped with butter and cinnamon sugar, sliced strawberries, and hot tea!  WHEN did they get big enough to make me breakfast?!?

They were all sitting on top of the table waiting for me to come into the kitchen.  Four kids sitting on the table, one with dirty shoes, and one without pants.  I typically would tell them to get down, but they were so excited and so proud!  I'm lucky to have an entourage greet me in the morning!

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Our morning was very rushed.  We only had about a half hour to eat, get ready, get dressed, and get out the door.  Let me just say...we were racing through the house!

Our first item on our agenda was going to the school for  Dylan and Lexie's conferences with their teachers.  It was one of those things where I really didn't have to go.  As usual, both kids are doing great.  Their teachers adore them and they're doing really well in school.  Each conference lasted less than 5 minutes, so it was very painless!

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We were less rushed leaving the school, so we were able to appreciate the nearly 70 degree sunny day. The weather was gorgeous!  Such a special birthday treat!  After a quick stop at the pharmacy, we headed home to get our stuff together for our playdate.

We had a bit of time before we had to leave, so we all snuggled up and attempted a group photo.  We ended up laughing so hard, because there were too many of us and my phone kept distorting our faces.  Honestly, those few minutes were some of my favorite all day. I love these kids with every ounce of my being, and I will always remember laughing hysterically with them over some of our "alien" faces!

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We finally left the house for our park playdate.  We stopped at the grocery store to pick up some picnic food, and as we were coming out it started pouring!  Change of plans!!!

We ended up meeting our friends at a local arcade.  It was noisy, crowded, and chaotic, but the kids had fun, and I loved spending time with my friends. I got beautiful flowers and we snacked on jelly beans and shared delicious chocolate cheesecake! Miraculously, the last bit of migraine that was lingering ended up going away.  Of course, it could have been the caffeine and the cake, but what a relief!

It wasn't the afternoon I planned on, but it turned out to be just as much fun!

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Dylan ended up going home with a friend for a sleepover, so I hugged my sweet boy goodbye.  He made my birthday so special!

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Lily fell asleep on the way home, so we had a few minutes of quiet before my Grant's mom and brother stopped by with gifts.  We had a really nice visit!  By the time they left, it was time for me to get ready for my dinner and shopping date with Grant!   My dad came over to watch the kids, Grant got home from work, and we headed out for date night!

Our first stop was Olive Garden for dinner, then Grant treated me to a shopping spree for some spring/summer clothing.  It was a tradition we started last year, and I LOVED it! After a trip to Target for some necessities and a quick stop at the gas station, we headed home.  It was such a fun evening!

As soon as we got home, Grant gave me a small gift he picked out for me (some new shelves!), but my most favorite thing was the unbelievably sweet card he gave to me.  His words had me in tears!

I got a few more birthday snuggles...

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...then we put the kids to bed.  We curled up on the couch, ate Black Tie Mousse Cake from Olive Garden (the BEST!), and watched a few episodes of Gilmore Girls (our guilty pleasure!).  It was the perfect way to end my birthday!

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It was such a wonderful day!  I may be another year older, but I treasure every single day I'm given to love and be loved. That's what truly matters!

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13 comments:

  1. Happy, happy Birthday! I LOVE the last picture! Moms need more pictures like that - surrounded by her blessings!!!

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  2. Aaaahhhh! Happy Birthday! I agree the first and last picture are my favorites.

    Have a wonderful weekend. Hope you are able to keep on celebrating.

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  3. Happy Birthday!!! Hope your weekend is also filled with love and fun. :)

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  4. Happy Birthday Momma! Looks like a blessed day with all those little loves of yours!

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  5. Sounds like you had the perfect Birthday! Happy Birthday again to you! Love all the pics!

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  6. Happy birthday Stefanie! You look so beautiful in all of these sweet pictures :)

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  7. Happy birthday Stefanie! What a very (busy) and special day. Love the group photo!!

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