All things 31

Being a mom is a wonderful thing. But once you are a mom, your job is 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When your sick, you still have to work. And so when you have a birthday- even though you can do things to make it extra special- you still have to do all the normal things of your life. Make breakfast for the kids, get them off to school, etc. Most birthdays since I have had kids have come and gone with little excitement, HOWEVER, this year was great!

Now, the first disclaimer I want to make is no birthday is ever the same since I moved away from Arizona because my dear mother and I share the same special b-day (along with a niece of mine as well) and we used to celebrate every b-day together. Last year I was lucky enough to spend my b-day in AZ with my mom, but it just didn't work out for this year. So I must say that no matter how wonderful my birthday's are, it will never be the same when my mom and I are apart, and that is just the way it is! LOVE YOU MOM!

Secondly, I am blessed to have the best friends and family ever to pamper me and make me feel more special on my birthday than I can remember feeling on a birthday before! My birthday started the weekend BEFORE my big day. Some of my friends arranged for a fun little bowling party with our families...

It was a blast except for this little stinker who we really had to be careful with. He seemed to think he could lift a bowling ball. We helped him bowl a few times, but he really didn't seem to get that the bowling balls were heavier than he is! ;)

Kyler and Brayden loved it! Cortney and I helped them a bit but they got it on their own too.
There goes Brayden's ball, I think it was a strike!

Just a few of my lovely lady friends...

It was a great night and we had so much fun! On Sunday, the day before my birthday, Cort and the kids made me a German Chocolate Cake! And I had no idea cause I was sleeping on the couch while they made it. It was delicious!

Then Monday, WOOOWWW! So all before leaving the house to get the kids off to school I had 3 phone calls of Birthday Wishes. During the drive, a few more calls. Aerobics was one of the hardest workouts of my life-which was exactly what I wanted and needed- and lots of birthday wishes from friends there. On to get Brayden from preschool and I get two phone calls with wonderings of where I am...I apparently had two deliveries to my door--one, a plate of goodies from a sweet neighbor, the next flowers from my sweet friend Sandra. Throughout the day I got a package from my mom and Sister, over 80 messages of Birthday wishes on Facebook and several more sweet doorbell ringings with goodies/lotions, etc. It was amazing!!

We ended the night with my favorite- A steak dinner with baked potato and cooked veggies (I dont have steak or potatos very often but they are my FAVORITE). Then lots of cake and desserts...a wonderful FHE given by Kyler followed by birthday spankings from all of my kids.

Finally, my friends had me over for desserts, goodies of all kinds, diet coke galore, presents and just plain old gossip and girl talk! It was so great! I can't remember the last time so many different people went out of their way to make me feel so special. It really was a very special day.

So I took this picture to show, 1, the flowers my friend sent me (and yes, I put them in my bathroom because I just wanted to, okay!) and 2, to show that Cort got me a hand mirror for my bathroom (next to the flowers on the right). YAY! He always remembers that one little thing I mentioned I wanted like a year ago and never got...then he surprises me the exact one I would have picked out! It was great!

All in all, minus being apart from my mom on our birthdays, it was the best it could be! Thanks again for my friends and family for all the phone calls, e-mails, notes, cards, presents, parties, everything!! Now back to real life...