Another Year Older

Because I am a walking conundrum, my realist nature is constantly at war with my optimism for the future.  Because I am a realist, I should have had ZERO expectations for my birthday.  Instead, I foolishly thought the day would be filled with family fun and happiness.  Wrong.  Or at least partially wrong for large chunks of the weekend.  Womp womp.  Hahaha.  Seriously, though, unrealistic expectations are almost ALWAYS the order of the day when it comes to what I imagine my children will do for me.  :)

Since my birthday was on a Sunday this year, we decided to "celebrate" it on Saturday when (in theory) we'd have more time at our disposal.  All I wanted to do was head down to my favorite part of town (by my favorite running trail) AS A FAMILY, and go out to eat, get ice cream, go to the cupcake shop, and maybe hit up the candy store.  Fun, right??  And what kid WOULDN'T want to do all those things?  You'd be surprised.  {Spoiler alert -- Ethan and Alex weren't interested.}

Rather than a tedious point by point recap of the weekend, I'll give you the highlights and lowlights.

HIGHS:

Feeling all the love from family and friends who sent cards and gifts.  Birthday flowers and love notes from Scott when I woke up on Sunday morning. Hilarious cards from the little ones.  A semi-salvaged outing downtown with Scott and the girls on Saturday as Ethan stayed home to watch the boys.  And a delicious birthday dinner made by Scott on Sunday night.

 36 reasons why he loves me, in honor of my 36th birthday.

More BabyLit books from Scott's mom.  :)

 Barnes and Noble gift card from my dad.  

{Not pictured -- thoughtful cards and gifts from various siblings and BFFs :)  }

 My Card from the little ones...

 Sophie's page -- "I remember when you always said 'you're the supermuppet."  You're the best, mom!  Happy Birthday"

 Jane's page -- "I remember when you called me fluffy pants when I tooted.  You're the best.  Happy birthday.  From: Jane"

Alex's page

Pinterest find -- Honey, Lime, Cilantro Salmon.  It was delish. 

LOWS:

Grace highjacking the weekend with bad moods, un-cooperative-ness, and attitude.  Not having the family outing I wanted.  And less than stellar behavior from the kids at bedtime on Saturday night, and pretty much all day on Sunday -- my actual birthday.

Who Me?

And that was my birthday!  However, as I've put this post all together, and thought back over the weekend, I've come to the realization that things weren't nearly as much of a bust as they seemed at the time.  Hahaha. Yes, I would have liked it if the kids had put a little more effort into SHOWING me they loved me on my big day.  But at least I know that deep down inside, they DO love me -- even if their methods of showing it are a little crude at times.   And that's a wrap.  ;)