34

So apparently I turned 34 last week. I still feel 30 (probably will permanently feel that for a decade) and 34 sounds a TON older then 33 because I'm now in my "mid-30s"....... but that's okay with me. Because I'm married to a 37 year old....and he's getting gray hairs.......so I guess I have to age with him, right?

To explain about my actual birthday, I have to start on the evening before. We had a double header baseball game.....with some light sprinkling which made it nice for me since I didn't bring any water for my kids to drink.

By the time the 7:15 game starts Kellyn has her friend (that she basically glues her hiney to for the whole game).....any guesses why Kellyn loves her so much? haha

(Kellyn could definitely pass as her child)

Some lady on the team made signs to display for the first game (Camden and Emerson's team that Brooks coaches)......my girls loved holding them up but Kellyn REFUSED to point it towards the team, because SHE wanted it facing her. Aaaaaaand I don't need to point out the obvious, but here I go anyway......you do NOT want to mess with Kellyn when it's a meaningless battle like this.

Here's Aleeya, I just like this picture because of her outfit.....plaids, crazy striped pants. I'm sure her teachers smile every day she walks into their class.

The reason I brought up the baseball games is because we got home about 9:30......young kids in bed by 10. A HUGE lack of sleep for the youngest ones which made the 7:15 a.m. dentist appointment on my birthday morning brutal. And I mean BRU-TAL!

Royce's face says it all.....

I take it back, Everly was happy there......but while we waited for Bronson's teeth to get cleaned Royce and Kellyn were basically in a permanent puddle on the floor.

As we walked out to the car, all I could think about was getting them in, buckled and leaving!!!!!

The problem with THAT is I left the lights on and my car was dead.

We "only" had to wait 30 minutes but that was kinda 30 minutes longer then Royce and Kellyn could handle, so Bronson and I buckled them in their seats and sat outside the car waiting for jumper cables to arrive. Neither of us wanted to be with the younger kids any longer.

All this to say, my birthday didn't EXACTLY start how I wanted....... 

THANK GOODNESS for my close friend Laura who came and saved me when I got home.

Laura is one of those friends who loves my kids (sometimes more then me) and my kids love her. She comes from a family with 7 kids and can tolerate and even laughs at ANYTHING my kids throw at her. 

(Two of the prettiest faces)

She understands sleeping in swimsuits. dirty bathrooms, loud dinner tables, and a whole lot of action and love packed into small spaces. She also sends random texts saying, "Can I come hang with your kids so you can run errands?" or when I tell her all embarrassed-like that we had to deal with lice with the girls she said, "Wow, all SEVEN of us kids would get it every year. They are the absolute WORST!" She just gets it. 

And she comes to my boys baseball games. Look at her all cute-like, pregnant with her first.

All this to say, she came and picked me, Royce, Kellyn and Everly up and took us to Chick-Fil-A for lunch on my birthday. And Laura MENTIONED to the lady that it was my birthday so she gave me a free cookie (they have the best chocolate cookies EVER!!!). 

Can you see how excited we are over the cookie?!?!?! It made me forget Everly was just losing it a moment before!!!!

The outing turned around my whole day!

When I got home I checked my email to see my sister gives me a gift card for Domino's pizza!!!! Which means I didn't have to make DINNER THAT DAY!!!! To celebrate this amazing news, I took a "Birthday nap" while the younger kids slept.

For my birthday Everly gave me the gift of standing up by herself. She really is so proud of herself.

And not only THAT but for my birthday she gave me my body back too!!!!!

I know this doesn't sound like a big deal to anyone but it's been 13 years straight that I've been either nursing or pregnant. There was only one month in those 13 years that I haven't had someone dependent on my body! haha. I stopped nursing Everly a few days before my birthday and I feel like it was my birthday present to me!!!!!! YAY.

After pizza we had my favorite (non-chocolate) dessert of angel food cake, strawberries and whipped cream.

Every year I ask Brooks for two things and one of them is always a junk box. He knows me TOO well!!!

Brooks, Camden and Emerson had baseball practice and I ran Bronson to the church for scouts. While we were driving we were HAMMERED by this huge rainstorm. 

One of the HUGE advantages of being Aleeya and always dressed in a swimsuit, is you are constantly ready to go run and play in the rain. It's probably one of her favorite things to do.

Seeing her so happy and smiling like that could've very well been the highlight of my birthday.