Birthday Post

Today I am officially 37. I don't feel 37 (at least I don't at the beginning of my day...the end of my day is looking like a different story!) My sister, Brooke said she doesn't believe I'm 37. She said I look and I act like a "girl" in her twenties. (God bless her...I knew I liked her for some reason!) I haven't been looking forward to my birthday. I am on the downward spiral to 40 and that really stinks so with each birthday, the thought in the back of my mind is "Uh oh...you're getting even closer!"

This was a very uneventful birthday. Tomorrow is the first day of school so there are lots of "last minute" things to do and finish up before we all head off to bed tonight. Noah and Elijah had orthodontist appointments this morning at 9 a.m. and then we had the very unfortunate task of trying to buy Sydney some shoes. If you've ever shopped shoes with Sydney Layne, you know immediately this is NOT a fun task. She is VERY picky and on top of that, she has weird (but really cute) feet. I'm not exactly sure how her feet are weird but they are. In any case, finding some cute, cheap sandals or slip ons is close to impossible.

I first need to mention, I don't like to shop. I know this is probably not normal for a girl but I have never been a shopper. So, after trying on nearly 20 pairs of shoes and hearing Sydney say things like, "This one makes my big toe feel funny," or
"I think the side of this shoe feels hard on my foot," or how about "the inside of this shoe is just not cute" I had had it! We had been in and out of four or five stores and I was getting grouchy! I just wanted to get the rest of my stuff done and go home. However, we still had two or three stops to make and we were becoming hungry so we decided to stop someplace for lunch. OH...before that could happen, I had to separate Elijah and Noah in the car because they wouldn't stop "touching" each other. (BOYS....so much energy in such smalls places equals a touchy mommy!) I'm quickly losing patience so we head to Burger King where Sydney then spills her orange soda all over the floor and onto my flip flop. Are you seeing a pattern here?

After Burger King, we head to Target and look for more shoes as well as finish up the loose ends of supply hunting. I still can't find all I'm looking for!!! It's so frustrating.

We came home for about 30 minutes only to head to the middle school to check lockers and schedules. FYI - due to construction issues, students weren't allowed back to their lockers during enrollment. Noah couldn't get his locker open and neither could the custodian so we had to wait in line for another locker.

It is 4:00 and we are finally home. The grass needs mowed and I seriously don't think I have the energy to do it. My patience is gone, I have dinner to make, Sydney wants her toenails painted, Noah needs the faded blue dye cut out of his hair yet, and I have a little ironing to do before bedtime.

*sigh*

I get online to check my email and there are several birthday greetings from friends on my Facebook as well as an email from a friend I haven't spoken to in years.

Then my doorbell rings. It's a flower delivery. Beautiful purples, pinks, and yellows crammed into a square, white vase. They are so lovely and they're from my husband. How did he know that today of all days and at this exact moment, I needed this? I know he didn't know how frustrating and exhausting today has been but his thoughtful delivery brightened my day.

Isn't it amazing that you can be blessed even when you least expect it? I hadn't had a great day. It was tiring, I didn't feel like a very good mom, I didn't get as much accomplished as I had planned, and I have sticky orange soda inbetween my toes yet something as small as a flower delivery from my husband, birthday greetings from Facebook friends and an email from a friend I haven't heard from in years makes me feel loved and cared for.

Thank you to those who cared for me today. It turned out to be a pretty nice day.