Birthday time!

There's nothing like a traditional birthday breakfast to start the day off right! What would a birthday be without Mom's special breakfast cake, peaches, and pears?

 The kids created some fun cards.  My favorite was "Top 10 Reasons Why We Love Mom".  Mckenzie helped them create the list while babysitting.  I got a kick out of some of the reasons they listed.  They love me because I 'make them food and let them sleep with me when they are scared.'

Cameron and I have a fun relationship that is often represented by wacky cards.  This year was no exception.  He sent a card that had on its cover Dorothy and Toto from the "Wizard of Oz".  Dorothy is singing and Toto's caption is "Great. A KILLER tornado is bearing down on us and she decides to SING! This would never happen in an action film".  The card goes on to wish the recipient a "whirlwind of fun".  

But the funny part was Cameron's commentary. He writes, "I'm not sure exactly what part of this card made me immediately think of you--but I am grateful for whatever quality you possess that this card is trying to emphasize.  I am truly a better person because you posses THAT quality...really".

 I think he means I am totally out-of-touch with the world around me, and/or I tend to sing at all the wrong moments.  Either way, if he wasn't such an endearing brother, I could be highly offended :)

Then, keeping with the jovial theme, David gives me this card that reads, "To celebrate your birthday, I wanted to send you to a tropical paradise where you could have a cool drink in your hands, warm sand between your toes, and balmy ocean breezes 

blowing through your hair...(then on the inside it reads...)

But on my budget this is all I could afford." (a drink umbrella!)

Ha! Perfect for this season of our life!  We love living on a budget and all the opportunities for growth we are experiencing.  What's best is that we can laugh about it and enjoy the process!!

The kids are always so excited for birthdays.  They creatively decorated with streamers and balloons, and they loved insisting that I couldn't come out of my bedroom until they were all done.  

They were so proud of their efforts.

 For dinner we invited the Fruit Heights contingency; Mckenzie and Myrika Meyer and Tahlya Hunt.  Tahlya just recently started school down here this semester.  It's been fun to have her here.  She watched the kids while David and I went to Vegas early in the month and we are grateful for another young adult with whom we can trust our children's care.   

These lovely ladies were so good to come and help us prepare dinner, bring yummy cupcakes for dessert, and even stay and help clean up.  What a blessing to have ties to our Fruit Heights home.  

We love it!

I am grateful to friends and family who helped me celebrate with:

phone messages, emails, and cards,

a birthday in a box,

fresh flowers to enjoy,

an inspiring book to read,

the perfect accessories,

a new sweater to wear, and

 Sweet Tooth Fairy treats to share.

(I have to admit that this is the first birthday where I have felt old. Maybe it was because I am still limping on a bum knee and I feel like I'm falling apart! David gently reminded me that now I can round up my age to forty.  Wow.)