Another Year Older

Yesterday was my birthday. Nate knows me well, and in the morning kissed me and said, "Happy 29th birthday, Babe." Birthdays in this house stop at 29, and from then on we celebrate only anniversaries of said day, making yesterday was the 5th anniversary of my 29th birthday.

A birthday present I purchased for myself.  Nothing says happy birthday like a new pot for cooking.  Actually, it's something I've wanted and needed for awhile since my last one imploded 2 years ago.

The delicious chocolate cake I bought myself, and put candles on myself.  There are 7 candles because 3+4=7.  

Coop sat on my lap to sing happy birthday, and he was actually singing.  So sweet.

Then he helped me make a wish...

...and blow out the candles.

My little birthday buddy.

It ended up with a fun evening, but the daytime of my bday was a rather hum-drum day as far as birthdays are concerned. Totally my own fault; I should have planned it better. Fridays are my normal cleaning/ shopping day, and I kinda forgot my birthday and grocery shopping would coincide. I got up in the morning and made myself waffles.  Then cleaned house a bit. I did decide to go out for lunch, but being last minute, and Nate in meetings, I had Coop as my bday company. We went to Panera Bread, one of my fav lunch spots. Then it was off to my least davorite place, Wal-Mart, then Aldi, and then because Wally World didn't have an ingredient I needed for dinner, I had to go to Harris Teeter as well. It was raining all the while, and as I dragged Coop to the 3rd grocery store in 2 hours, he was getting impatient and tired, as was I. I grabbed the one item quickly, but then realized I'd left my wallet in the car. Ugh. So We had to trapse back out in the rain to the car, retrieve wallet, go back in the store, buy the green onions, and we were finally on our way home.

After putting away groceries, I was having some braxton-hicks contractions, so I sat down for a bit, then realized I'd forgotten to pay bills two days earlier, and one was due today. So I schlepped out the stak. Of bills, and paid them all using my bank's bill-pay feature on my phone, which only took a few minutes. But the one bill due that day I couldn't pay that way, then had trouble logging onto their website, ended up having to call tech support, and an hour later the bills were finally paid. Not the way I'd exactly planned on apending that hour, but I was thankful for the technology to be able to do all that from my phone rather "quickly" while Coop played. He doesn't behave well when I have to get on the computer.

At this point I was feeling a little sad about my blah day, and lonely because my parents and all my siblings except Camyll were on a cruise, so I didn't get to talk to any of them. I was able to chat with Camyll the day before for 2 hours while getting things done, so that was a treat, but I was just a little lonely on my bday. Then my friends wished me happy bday on FB, and my bestie called me on the phone, which totally made my day and lifted my spirits.

At that point I still needed to sweep and mop the floor because my friend Stephanie and her husband and kids were coming over for dinner and bday dessert. I was exhausted and having more false contractions while sweeping. It was about 4 pm, and Nate surprised me by coming downstairs and announcing he was done working for the day. What a relief! He finished sweeping, and I did a quick Swiffer of the floor an called it good. Then Nate chopped all the food for dinner--he made Hawiian Haystacks--my FAVORITE, and a bit of a birthday tradition for me.  I sat and relaxed and opened the bday card my mom had sent before they left on their cruise (THANK YOU MOM AND DAD!), and then treated myself to reading a book for a minute. Then all I had to do was make the chicken/gravy and rice. By then it was dinner time, and our friends came over and we had a really nice (crazy, loud, obnoxious) dinner battling our kids while trying to eat. One birthday gift I gave myself was to eat my dinner and not get up from my chair once. I let Nate handle all the Cooper dinner discipline. It was SO nice!! I had a great time with our friends, and the kids only cried/ got hurt once all evening. It was fun. We had cake and ice cream (I bought myself a chocolate cake, which I don't usually like, but had this weird craving for), and Coop helped me blow out the candles.

Nate wanted to watch a movie of my choice after our friends left and Coop was asleep, but I was nearly comatose, so we watched the season finale of "Gold Rish." I fell asleep on the couch before it was over, and missed the ending--so typical of me trying to watch tv after 9 pm. 

All in all it ended up being a good birthday; not the best ever, but good. Fhe best part was reading in bed before fallin back asleep, and then only waking up once at 6:30 am, and Coop letting us sleep until 8 am!! That NEVER happens. Good stuff.