Keepin' It Real

I made sure Eric got a photo of me just as I was on my birthday...or at least on the day we had birthday cake with the family: spit-up on my shirt (I think I had worn those clothes as pjs the night before); messy hair (don't know if I had even done it that day); oh, and I had actually just washed off the mascara from under my eyes before snapping the photo.

This is me at 33.

But as every photo simply records a slice of life, here are some more slices of my life during my birthday week.

Waking up to donuts!

Gift from the girls :)

My biggest fans ready to party first thing in the morning

Playing with the birthday balloons

My sweet friends planned a lunch date for me. We met up at Piada just after I took Ollie to get his shots, and I wrestled with Henrik in line during the lunch rush. The food was yummy, and it was fun to be out with friends. On top of lunch, one of my friends made me a cake and invited everyone over to her house to eat and chat some more. Henrik fell asleep there, and I was able put him to bed upstairs and hang out while he slept. It was wonderful.

I loved getting cards in the mail and texts/phone calls from my sisters that day. If nothing else, it's nice to have a birthday as an excuse to catch up with family far away!

We tried our best to take advantage of my birthday freebies. We made it to Cold Stone on a day with only mild sickness, but the infections and stomach bugs were hitting hard. It wasn't until a week after my birthday that Eric and I were finally able to go to Bravo for my free birthday meal. Again, my friends spoiled me and let me leave Henrik at our playgroup while I ditched them to be with Eric for the afternoon.

That same night we brought the whole family to Dairy Queen for Blizzards to top it off.

All of my birthdays have been very sweet, and this one was no exception. This year has brought me my fourth child, our first job, a new city, a new job at church (Young Women President), and wonderful new friends. As always, I have much to be thankful for!