Happy Birthday To MEEE!!!! Life at 31 :)

Life at 31 doesn't look too bad from this angle :)

I had a beautiful birthday this year that was full of love! Since my  birthday was on a Tuesday, Josh and I celebrated with a little weekend stay-cation before my actual birthday :). I dropped the kids off at Aunt Heidi and Uncle Dave's house because they offered to take them to my Mom's house out in Logandale for me as a Birthday gift! It was the perfect gift because then I could just head to the Aliante Hotel for a nice, relaxing weekend with the hubby without worrying about chauffeuring the kiddos back and forth :).

Preteding to ride Uncle Dave's motorcycle :)

The kids had so much fun! While the parents are away, the kids will play!

It was the perfect weekend! We relaxed by the pool a bit, but unfortunately it got stormy and they made us leave :(.... again, this spring weather has been really crappy this year! So instead we went inside and played Bingo with all the old people which was actually really fun and I would totally do it again! We also got to see a movie for the first time in a year! We saw Bohemian Rhapsody which seriously was incredible with the surround sound!! Such a great movie! We also ate to our hearts content and stayed up as late as we wanted because we got to sleep in as late as we wanted! That never happens in real life and it felt so luxurious! I also got to spend a morning at the spa getting a facial which was sooooo nice! That was my special gift from Josh :). Most of all, it was just nice being together. We talked and talked, and laughed and laughed. We felt so carefree and it was wonderful.

Relaxing by the pool! YESSSS!!!

Breakfast in bed was a must!

My facial was incredible and I felt like a spoiled princess in this moment!

But no matter how much I was loving the freedom, this little reminder in my book (a bookmark Austin made me) was enough to make me start missing my kiddos like crazy. I called them every night and loved hearing all their fun stories from their day! My life is dedicated to my children and I wouldn't have it any other way!

We checked out of the hotel on Sunday and picked up the kiddos at  my Mom's house. Her gift to me was the babysitting and I was totally okay with that! We spent most of the afternoon there at her house helping her move furniture around that she couldn't move by herself. She is still trying to figure out her life after the divorce and every time I go there she always has chores for me to do..... I was slightly irritated by it since it was my Birthday and all, but I tried to see past my own selfishness and remind myself that my Mom is like a child right now. She doesn't have the ability to see past her own needs and I have to be okay with that. You see, she told me that she would have a birthday cake and a birthday lunch waiting for me when we got there, but all she had waiting was a list of chores. So can you understand my slight irritation? Anyways, in the meantime, the kids had a blast running around outside and Josh had fun jumping on the trampoline with them. So it wasn't a total loss of a day. We got home late and had to hurriedly get laundry done, bags unpacked, lunches made, kids bathed, and everything ready for Monday because Josh and I both had to work the next day :(.

Then on Tuesday (my actual Birthday) I woke up super sick with a chest cold!! :( I started panicking that I had caught pneumonia again on my Birthday because I was struggling to breathe and that would just be my luck... But I pushed past it all day and refused to let my illness ruin my birthday! The kids made me a birthday breakfast of nutella toast, grapes, goldfish, and wheat thins :). It was the sweetest thing in the world and they were so proud of themselves! Austin was so excited to tell me that he was able to put the bread in the toaster, go poop, and come back just in time for the toast to pop up! I was suddenly totally grossed out by the fact that he didn't wash his hands and my toast had brown nutella on it. But i couldn't tell him that, and I ate it anyway :). I couldn't crush his little heart like that. Both kids had made me special cards at Grandmas house that they were excited to show me! I loved every misspelled word and stick figure more than gold!

My birthday breakfast surprise!!

Oh how I love those homemade cards :).

Then we took Austin to school and headed to Starbucks for my free birthday drink! Then Evie and I went to dance class and I happily watched my baby girl dance while I pondered on the beauty of life at this stage. Then my Mom showed up at dance class and got to watch Evie with me! She was supposed to show up in time to take Austin to school with me but she had decided to sleep longer instead and I chose to not be annoyed by it. Nothing was going to get me down on my day! At home my Mom made me the carrot cake she had promised and I got to work organizing the kids clothes to take inventory on what we needed for summer in hopes that the sun will grace us with its presence eventually!! Then I picked Austin up from school and was starting to feel REALLY sick and run down, but I pushed through it because, again, nothing was going to ruin my day! Josh brought home pizza and we all ate dinner and had birthday cake! The kids kept blowing out my candles before we could even finish the birthday song so it took about 4 rounds of song before I actually got to make my wish! haha! Then we played Twister and had a great time! It was a new game we had just gotten and the kids loved it! Then everyone took turns telling me what they love about me and the responses warmed my heart :). My Mom told me that since I was born, I've been the light in her life and she is so proud of the Mother I've become. Josh told me he loves how selfless and compassionate I am and is grateful for all I do for our little family. Evie told me that she loves me so much because I play with her. And Austin said he loves that his Mom is always trying to make him smarter and he really likes that :). THAT my friends is what life at 31 feels like. It is a simple party with simple pleasures, and lots of love from the people who matter most. And don't forget the constant laughter from kids who can't wait to blow out candles that aren't their own and from adults attempting crazy positions in a game that isn't easy unless you are a gymnast :). The happiness didn't last forever, unfortunately, because my Mom turned it into another chore for us to do for her (grrrrrrrr!!!!). She asked us to help her apply for a job in the middle of playing Twister and in that moment I seriously could have strangled her. Is it too much to have ONE DAY?! JUST ONE DAY ALL ABOUT ME?!! But this is seriously the story of my life. My Mom has always found a way to make everything about her, which is why I never allowed her in the room with me when I had my babies. There was no way I was going to let her ruin those moments for me, and I had no doubt that she would! But I swallowed my feelings, as I always do, and spent the rest of the night applying for jobs with her while Josh bathed the kids and my frustration grew and grew. I couldn't wait for her to get out of my house so I could go upstairs and spend the remaining minutes of my special day kissing my babies and hugging my husband. Can you tell that I am still feeling frustrated?! haha! That's the problem with swallowing your feelings, they never go away... Anyways, it was a good day nonetheless and I decided to stop blaming my Mom for her selfishness and just focus on all the good that had happened that day :).

Blowing out the candles (finally! haha!) and making my wish!

Evie was so excited that she blew the candle out for me! Just look at that face!

Evie and Mom kicking butt at Twister! We blew the boys out of the water! Must be all that yoga ;).

Life at 31 hasn't been anything glamorous, like it was at 30. But I feel a simple peace in my heart that I am right where I'm supposed to be. I don't long for adventure like I did last year. No, this year I long for simple, happy moments with the ones I love; memories to cherish for a lifetime. I am grateful to be alive another year and am excited for all the happy moments to come :). HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!

My sweet, crazy family! I wouldn't have life any other way!

Although my Mom drives me crazy, I don't know what I'd do without her. She is an important part of our lives and the kids and I adore her. Now if she could just stop being so annoying! haha! ;)