35!

Yesterday was my birthday.

But the festivities began the weekend before. On Friday, a group of my friends planned a gathering at a local restaurant. I didn't know it was to celebrate my birthday. I showed up to some balloons, a cake, some nice cards and gifts. It was such a great surprise. This group of ladies always brings me such happiness.

On Tuesday some ladies in the neighborhood got together for lunch to celebrate my birthday. About 11 of us were able to make. It was very nice. I've been a bit antisocial of late around the neighborhood, so it was good to reconnect with people again.

Yesterday my first gift began at 7 AM, when I woke up and realized that all 3 kids slept through the night and were still snoozing. Cameron usually wakes me up around 6 AM, so the extra hour of slumber was surely welcomed.

Cameron couldn't wait to give me the presents that he tried to steathily make the night before. I thought he just drew a bunch of pictures, but to my surprise, he did more than that. He wrote me a poem!

Now if that was the only present I received, and the rest of the world crumbled around me, my day would still have been perfect. I was touched by his kindness, especially because he never expresses such sentiments. I figured he just thought I was the evil mom who made him read all the time and wouldn't let him play video games. He also gave me some pictures and some coins from his wallet.

Max gave me the card that I helped him make the previous night.

Now I'm sure you're having no trouble figuring it out, but just in case you need a little help, to the right is a picture of me, and to the left it says "I Love Mommy"...just a little jumbled...but all the letters are there. He also spent much of the rest of the day making me a picture, then wrapping it up, and giving it to me to open.

Ella was the last one up, and came down the stairs shouting "Happy Birthday Cameron!" It took awhile to get her straightened out.

My husband also came home from his fishing trip, so that was great. While Sara watched the kids, Melvin and I went out to dinner and to a Bon Jovi concert. Bon Jovi was the first concert I had ever been to, back in high school, almost 20 years ago! So it was exciting to get to go again. It was a blast. And although they played a bunch of new songs that I didn't know, they played all the great classics as well.

So now I'm 35. Why does that sound so much older than 34?