It Was A GREAT 36th Bday!!!

So, I have this philosophy that IF you remind everyone that your bday is coming up THEN NOT only does everyone appreciate NOT FORGETTING and FEELING BAD...BUT...you aren't setting ANYONE up for failure either...So...how many of you out there PURPOSELY DON'T tell your spouse or loved ones that YOUR bday is coming up.....JUST SO you can see if THEY REMEMBER????? Ok, that is an awful "set up" game....You are setting these loved ones UP FOR FAILURE and then what?? Everyone has an awful day on your bday...So...remind, remind remind!!! :) ***WELL...with that said...I reminded for days...and we began by heading to Kentucky where my MIL and FIL (aka..Jules and Poppy) made dinner for me!! My camera battery died so I only got TWO pics of the entire SUNDAY afternoon:Above....THIS is where LL is wearing her bows MOST of the time these days...She CONSTANTLY rips them off and says, "NO BOWS!!!" Oh, hurt my heart!!! I tried to explain that she IS THE AFRICAN QUEEN OF BOWS!!! But she wouldn't listen!! :) I tried to EXPLAIN that she started a WHIRLWIND across the WORLD of people wrapping crazy looking headbands with HUGE bows and flowers attached to them AROUND their baby's heads....BUT SHE JUST IGNORED ME!!! :) Oh...well...I'm NOT giving up yet....NO WORRIES my BOW lovin friends!!!! :)
AND...the kids had a blast in Jule's and Poppy's back yard:They literally played OUTSIDE ALL DAY LONG...AND...my dinner and cake was wonderful...Thanks Jules for ALL your hard work!!! :) It was so much fun!!

***Then we woke Labor Day and I announced that it was Mommy's " BDAY EVE "!!! :) And, we headed bright and early to the local baseball park where we met a few other families for a LABOR DAY family softball game!!! And, yes...one other family has 5 kids too..and all the others had at least 3...so we had a nice TEAM going!! :)

LL enjoyed playin in the dirt during the Family Game:

Such fun memories for our kids:

THEN...my bday on Tuesday eventually arrived..and the WORST gift of all...was that it was my 3 yr. old George's FIRST day of preschool EVER....Yes, I'm a nut and George has been glued to me for 3 years and 4 months....Seriously..no babysitters, no nursery, no Sunday School (unless we were his teachers)...and well...I thought he'd just hate it and cry..and then I'd cry..and WELL...HE LOVED IT!!! It seems he was READY to go have fun after all!! That might have hurt me even more!! :) He was only there two hours..and he ran to me at pick up and said, "Mom..I had a FUN day!!" I just couldn't believe it:

He'll only go two days a week...but still...he just seems WAY too young to be away from Momma yet...What will LL and I do with two days to our self?? CRAZY!!! :)

Then, above...the hubby and kiddos all took me out to dinner...so fun and yummy!! Above is my one shot at trying to get ALL 5 kids to look at the camera so I can remember how I looked on my 36th bday (hmmm...I'll remember NO shower and greasy :) LOL

Then it was home to have bday cake!! The hubby always buys me the same Baskin Robbins cake every year....and IF you look at the pic above...there is another cake to the right too....My mom and Grandma drove up to give me a strawberry cake too!!! So, yes..I'm still eating on these two yummy cakes!! Thanks again Mom for my cake!! I had it for dinner tonight!! :)

And...I'm really, honestly NOT into gifts at all!! There is just nothing I ever need or want...BUT...I did get the NEW Ordinary Hero tshirt I've been wanting (pictured above)....Yes, my sister came out with this new shirt in July...and I've wanted one ever since...You can get yours by visiting the blog at www.ordinaryheroblog.blogspot.com My friend, Charlene, actually gave it to me...She is my sister's personal Ordinary Hero assistant...and well...she says that it was WORTH giving me the free shirt cause every time I post about their shirts, THEY SELL MORE!! :) So....if you don't have this one yet...jump over and order one...cause that way they'll keep givin me FREE ones!!! :) LOL

And...another FABULOUS friend gave me this (above)!! Thanks Vanessa!! She just got back with her son from HH in Ethiopia and she brought me back some authentic coffee and an authentic map where I can see LL's birth place!! So neat!!! Oh, and this awesome tshirt that says "Mama" in Amharic...so cool!!! Yes, my friend's know me well!!! :) And, another friend gave me a new watch I've been wanting...way too nice and generous...and I don't deserve ANY of this niceness....I rarely remember any one's bday anymore...but yet...so many people keep making me feel special on mine!!! I'm just so humbled!! :)

***So,that was my day ( or weekend) in a nutshell!!! I feel incredibly blessed and lucky to be surrounded by so many wonderful people!!! And, thanks to all of you too for your sweet bday well wishes!! Too kind of ya!!! :)

**I'm looking forward to my NEXT 36 years!! Happy Wednesday to you all, kj