Our Five Ring Circus: My Unexciting But Oh-So-Perfect Birthday

Sunday, April 2, 2017

My Unexciting But Oh-So-Perfect Birthday

Many people get really excited about their birthday, but I'm not one of them! I enjoy my birthday, but I feel like once I became a mom, my special day lost its appeal. Birthdays just aren't as exciting when you become an adult. I get more excited about my kids' birthdays these days!


This weekend was my birthday weekend and I didn't do anything overly exciting. I didn't have a drink or party it up. (Did I ever mention that I hate alcohol? So drinking would be out of the question anyway!) Heck, I didn't even have a party other than with my immediate family. And that was perfectly fine. I was surrounded by an abundance of love, and that alone made my birthday feel perfect!

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On Saturday evening, which was my birthday eve, my parents watched our kids for a few hours. Grant's coworker, who is also one of his closest friends, was directing a musical that evening, about an hour away. Grant, his best friend (also a coworker) and I headed down to show him our support. (Along the way, we delivered the last two baby bunnies to their new homes. I will be sharing the last part of our bunny raising adventure very soon!)

Grant and I met as the leads in a musical, so our love for musical theater is the main thing we have in common! It was nice to spend the evening watching a performance, and our dear friend was so happy we were there. He did a fantastic job directing the show!

We had to leave for the show before dinner, so by the time it was over, we were absolutely starving. A very late night visit to the Taco Bell drive thru was in order before we made the long trek home! When we arrived home, our entire crew was wide awake and already planning for my birthday! Our kiddos finally fell asleep and I got to enjoy a few hours of Netflix binge-watching to kick off my birthday!

This morning, everybody let me sleep in until nearly noon. I never sleep during the week, so it was amazing and much needed! I woke up to the sound of my kids singing Happy Birthday, and when I opened my eyes, they were all in my room with a tray. Once nice thing about having a few older kids is the fact that they can cook! Dylan made me scrambled eggs, Lily made me cinnamon toast and Lexie made my favorite hot tea. Liam just sang very loudly, which was appreciated just as much! 


Shortly after I got out of bed and got ready for the day, Grant's mom arrived for a visit. She stayed while my kids and Grant gave me presents, and was able to enjoy cake with us. We celebrate my birthday (and Grant's birthday) the same way every year. Each kid gives me a small gift and Grant gives me my big gift. My sweet kiddos get so excited about giving me gifts that it makes even the smallest gift seem like the most special thing in the world!

Lily gave me a new mug for my collection! She knows quite well that I love mugs and drink hot tea all day long.

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Liam is the focus of many of my photo sessions. It seemed very fitting that he would give me a memory card reader for my iPad. I'm sure it's going to come in handy!

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Lexie, who is my bookworm, gave me a new book from my reading list! I can't wait to start reading it!

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Dylan knows I love chocolate and other sweets, so a bag full of candy and gum made my day!

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My big gift this year is going to be a new DSLR and lens. It's a REALLY expensive gift, so I told Grant not to buy me anything, but he insisted. My anti-Apple husband did a lot of research and bought me a wireless keyboard case for my iPad Pro. Not only is it completely awesome, but it's also one of my favorite colors: rose gold! His hope is that I will use my iPad more frequently now that it's like a mini laptop. 

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I was completely spoiled this year by my sweet family!

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My little crew took it one step further this year, and made me a cake! It was Dylan's idea, but Lexie and Lily helped, too. They decided to make me a rice crispy treat cake! Dylan even spelled out "MOM' with toothpicks. He gets an A+++ for creativity!

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After a few bites of their masterpiece, my mother in law headed home, and our friend arrived to babysit for a few hours. Grant took me out to my favorite restaurant, Olive Garden, for my birthday dinner! It was so nice to go out on a rare, much needed date night, and eat a complete meal without interruption!

We made a detour to the grocery store on the way home, because we know how to party, then headed home to our kids!

Birthdays can never be completely boring in our chaotic home. Liam decided to liven up the party by trying to change his poopy pull up during naptime. Needless to say, a bath and stripping his crib happened as soon as we arrived home. Motherhood doesn't pause for birthdays!

And, well, I decided to start off this year of my life with an injury. A few weeks ago, a picture frame broke and we sat it on a trunk in our room and kept forgetting to hang it back up. Today, I bent down to grab something, and caught my finger on a piece of glass. Yes, I probably should have gone to the ER for a stitch or two, but I didn't want to spend my birthday there. It's nothing that a few big bandages won't fix! It's on the same finger as another previous cut that also could have used a few stitches, and the scars will compliment each other well! 

So despite the poopy crib and the cut finger, my birthday was pretty perfect! It ended with a piece of my favorite cake from Olive Garden, the season finale of The Walking Dead and an episode of Gilmore Girls. It was definitely a great way to end my day!

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I wasn't excited about my birthday this year, but my sweet family worked hard to make my day perfect! Just spending the day with them was enough for me. I am one incredibly lucky wife and mama!


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11 comments:

  1. Happy belated birthday. Minus those couple of things it sounds like a pretty great day!

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  2. I'm always game for a late night drive thru of Taco Bell! :) Looks like a great celebration, you are so loved Stefanie!! Sorry you hurt yourself on glass though! But I would have done the same thing, not go to the ER on my birthday! :)

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  3. Happy Birthday! Sounds like a fun one, and your kids got you such sweet gifts!

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  4. Sounds like an almost perfect birthday weekend for sure! Hope the finger heals quickly. Did you order the new camera yet? Can't wait to hear all about what you get!

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  5. sounds like the perfect birthday!!!

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  6. Aw, sounds like the perfect birthday weekend! Happy Birthday!

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  7. What a happy weekend!! I'm glad that you enjoyed. You deserve it! Especially the extra sleep. ;o)

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  8. Sounds like the perfect Birthday! Minus the poopy sheets and cut finger! :)

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  9. You had me at sleeping in until nearly noon! Best birthday ever!

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  10. Sleeping in is the best gift. No matter what the occasion.

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