This weekend, she turned ten. That means I turned thirty-five that next day.
On Friday night after dinner, I left my youngest daughter with my husband and took my two oldest girls all around town, picking up their friends from church. I took everyone to get froyo and then the girls opened gifts, etc. I tried to fade into the background and just let the girls be themselves and enjoy one another. On the way home, the girls sang "Let It Go" from Frozen while I tried not to laugh. They were so loud, they couldn't hear me giggle anyway. It was a lot of fun and a preview of the teen years. My daughters and their friends are growing up too fast. Here's a photo I took of the "party."
On Saturday, I fed my family, went to an early exercise class while the kids stayed with their dad, came home, showered, dressed, fed everyone again, and then I took the birthday girl to the cupcake store, the bookstore, and to Target to spend her gift certificates and birthday money. We ran some other, non-birthday related errands while we were out and near the stores: Office Max, grocery shopping, and exchanges at the thrift store.
For her birthday, I bought her several books and a bunch of toiletries of her very own. I let her pick out her very own prissy shampoo and conditioner, deodorant, flowery body wash, etc. She's been using all of my stuff for the last six months or so, so it was time for her to pick out some of her own. Having an older child means we can have intelligent, interesting conversations and we can joke, back and forth. That is a really nice part of having kids that are getting older.
On Saturday night, I made a simple dinner of tacos, everyone's favorite, and then we took out the bakery cupcakes that we had purchased earlier that day. Note: I have started buying bakery cupcakes on our birthdays. That way, someone else does all the work, the cupcakes taste and look better than the ones we make, and we don't have tons of cupcakes left over that we feel obligated to eat even though we shouldn't. We put ten candles in Norah's cupcake and sang her Happy Birthday. Here's a photo.
On Sunday, I woke up to kiss on the cheek and a "Happy Birthday" from my husband. I had forgotten in was my birthday. As a mom, it is easy to do this. As a mom who has a daughter with a birthday the day before, it is even easier to do this, I think. He brought me hot coffee, refilled it, and made the kids and I breakfast while I read my Bible. I was scheduled to volunteer in the church nursery for the first service, so I went ahead of my family. There was only one kid in the nursery and she was sleeping, so I got to read the entire book of Romans, something I had been wanting to do. It was really nice.
My husband and kids showed up in time for the second service and we attended that service as usual. We talked to several friends. I am always glad when I can manage to visit and connect with people at church. Later, we came home, had lunch, and then I went to bed to read The Giver and took a nap or, as C.S. Lewis would say, a nap took me.
In the evening, we had dinner and then our friends, Robin and Katie McCandless brought over dark chocolate cupcakes with the most delicious homemade vanilla icing. They were the best cupcakes I've ever had, hands down. I will be ruined for any other cupcakes from now on. They sang me Happy Birthday and we drank hot coffee, decaf of course, I am too old to be drinking regular coffee later at night and we all talked for about an hour. I can't even tell you how glad I am to have friends who I can be free and easy with, who crack jokes and who get my jokes, who love Jesus like I do. It was a nice, subdued way to celebrate. Before I fell asleep, I finished The Giver. I didn't like the way it ended, but it was a good book. I may try and see the movie now because I've heard a lot of people rave about it.
In all, it was a nice birthday weekend. Norah and I are one year older. I don't fear getting older. Though I relish this abundant life God has given me, I don't even really fear death since it means I will be in Heaven and Heaven means perfect, unbroken fellowship with the God I already know and love so much. So by the grace of God and love of Jesus Christ, I can just smile at the future. -Proverbs 31:25
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