Birthday Birthday

To tell the story of our double birthday week, I'm turning to journal excerpts, because why reinvent the wheel?

Sunday, November 3rd: We had Amber's birthday dinner tonight with the full White family coming over. We set up a folding table in our family room, end to end with our kitchen table in the kitchen, and everyone actually fit! We couldn't use the front door (everyone had to come in through the kitchen door), but it worked great. Amber was so happy and excited. We had mac and cheese, apples, white store bread, and oven roasted kielbasa, cauliflower, and yams. (Amber didn't eat that last dish, haha, that was for my dairy-free needs). The Gibbons and Whites stayed for one hour. The pink strawberry cake (mix) with unicorn star sprinkles (and canned frosting) on top that I made for Amb actually turned out! It was a relief because I have been struggling to get my 9x13 pan items to bake all the way through the center. I wish I could have managed to take a few more pictures of the gathering, but I did get one of Amber with her cake.

Monday, November 4th: Happy birthday to me! And Amber! This morning at 6am I laid in bed for five blissful peaceful minutes after my alarm went off. Then I JOLTED out of bed and ran to find Jeff. "We forgot to wrap Amber's presents!" I gasped. Quickly we shoved the four items into gift bags and set them on the kitchen table underneath the Happy Birthday banner. Then I went in to the girls' room to see Amber. She was lying in bed awake, snuggled in her kitty blanket. "Is it morning yet?" she asked sleepily. I snuggled up to her and kissed her soft sweet cheeks and told her yes, it was finally her birthday! She came out to the kitchen and opened her presents after we sang to her. Amber's gifts: a unicorn pillow, ballet slippers ("dancing shoes"), markers with a superhero coloring book, and a butterfly rolling suitcase (I got rid of the pink rolling bag she used over the summer because the smell from that rotten sea creature we found in one of Amber's seashells never quite went away, and Amber has wanted a new rolling bag ever since).

After Amber's present-opening, I took Jeff to work (he drove there, I drove home). Back at home I got Jay and Rose out the door to the school bus. Then I spent a pleasant hour doing laundry (there was too much laundry to put it off even one day), answering birthday text messages, and feeling the birthday love. I had so many nice people pause their busy days to send me birthday love, from text messages to phone calls to visits. Before today, I removed my personal birthday expectations from November 4th because Jeff and I decided to celebrate another day, probably Thursday, since he has that head coaches meeting tonight. So every time a kind text, call, or visit came in, I was pleasantly surprised. My heart is warm from all of the sweet kind loved ones who helped me feel loved today. 

On our way to preschool this afternoon, we went to Safeway so Amber could pick out a balloon. She chose a massive donut shaped helium-filled balloon. It cost $12! But her balloon bliss was worth it, and I actually factored in a balloon as one of her gifts because she LOVES them so. She asks if we can get a balloon EVERY time we go to the grocery store and she sees them hanging above the check-out area. Amber brought pink and white frosted animal cookies to her preschool class for snack today, plus mini 8 oz water bottles. When I picked her up afterwards, she was wearing a big pink paper crown with princess stickers all over it. Her teacher also gave her a pencil with a cupcake eraser. 

Rewind a little: after preschool drop-off, I went home for an hour (mom called) and then to the track for a birthday dash time trial. I listened to my two oldest pre-race songs, Eye of the Tiger and She is Beautiful in the car to pump myself up. It worked! I was ready! I didn't know if I wanted to run a 5k or a one mile until halfway through my warm-up. I decided to go for the 5k. It was not easy running a 5k all by myself! My goal was a sub-21 minute 3.1 miles. Halfway through I was gasping for air and  allowed myself to slow down and jog one curve of the track to catch my breath. Then I kicked it into gear again! I took one more jog-break before finishing the 12.5 laps. My time was 21:42. WHEW! It was HARD! Even though I didn't break 21 minutes, I am pleased with my time. This was my fastest 5k in 12 years! In other words, I am the fastest I have ever been since I had babies--it's a PB-PR (post baby personal record). I think PRs should re-set ever decade or so anyways. That 5k was my own personal birthday gift to myself. It was a fun challenge that I enjoyed doing on my birthday. A great way to start age 33! 

Amber and I went to cross country practice after preschool. Reid had four other guys there to support him as he preps for the state meet this weekend. Amber and I stood on the side of the track while they ran their workout. Then we went home and arrived right behind Jay and Rose's school bus. Jeff showered, sat on the couch with me for 10 minutes, and then left for the head coaches fall sports district meeting in Ellensburg. He is still gone and it's now 9:10pm.

For dinner tonight I made myself spaghetti, and the kids had the rest of the mac leftover from last night's birthday family dinner. My spaghetti sauce was not quite what I wanted it to be...I should have followed a recipe, haha. Or I should just get more canned spaghetti sauce instead of winging it with Italian tomatoes, although in the past that has worked great. I think I forgot a step or something. 

For CFM tonight I didn't have much inspiration beforehand so I had Jay read the intro to this week's lesson (Hebrews 1-6) in the manual. Then I asked him what stood out to him. He said he has been wondering about conversion and what it is like for people who join the church when they're older. I explained that even lifelong members of the church need to be converted. Then we talked about what to do to be converted and how it feels. Jay said "A few nights ago when I prayed after reading the Book of Mormon, I felt that good feeling inside." I told him that was the spirit testifying that the scriptures are true and that witness is another layer of strength to his testimony and conversion. It was a good talk. Rose said she feels the spirit most when she is kind to other people. (I was surprised and a little impressed with myself for doing Come Follow Me on my birthday and without Jeff. I must be mature at last, doing hard things on my birthday, haha.)

Tuesday, November 5th: The relief society presidency took me, their secretary, out for a birthday dinner tonight. They are so sweet. Right before I left for that dinner, my family attacked me with presents. Jeff ordered several gifts and then let each kid present me with one. They crowded around me shoving gift bags in my face vying for the honor and glory of giving the first gift. Jay gave me all five seasons of Alias on DVD (an old fave spy show from 2001), Rose gave me a packaged of wild patterned compression knee socks, and Amber gave me one of those couch robe-blankets that has arms in it. Their chorus of "open mine, open mine, open mine!" reminded me of the seagulls from Finding Nemo.

Thursday, November 7th: We cleaned out our fridge leftovers for dinner tonight: spaghetti and chicken soup! I made brownies. Jeff and the kids made whipped cream and put candles in the brownies. They sang Happy birthday to me and then Jeff and the kids took turns go around and around the table saying 33 things they love about me. It was sweet. They said everything from "pretty hair and a good kisser" (Jeff), to "good cook and she listens and I love her so much" (Jay and Rose) to "I give her lots of presents and presents and presents!" (Amber). For the record, Jeff said some more substantial compliments on his turn too, not to worry. He is smart.

My birthday has officially been celebrated. We really prolonged it this year!

On Sunday afternoon I took Amber outside for a few birthday pictures so we could do her birthday interview.

The birthday interview. "What makes you happy?" --Jesus! What do you like best about our family? --Come follow me!  Miss Amby was making us look really good with those answers! haha, Jeff and I looked at each other in surprise at her answers. She also kept claiming that she loves to clean, but I completely refused to write that anywhere on her favorites page because she DOES NOT like to clean. I think she likes that I sometimes let her watch a cartoon after she cleans up, but she very rarely cleans willingly.

The five year old! She has been walking around telling anyone who looks at her "I'm five." If someone asks "how are you?" she says "I'm five." To Amber, being freshly five means HAPPY and BIG and SPECIAL.

Our Amby.

Amber helped make her own birthday cake. She picked out the cake mix and the funfetti frosting and helped stir the batter joyfully. Birthday preparations are almost as good as the birthday itself!

Sunday night with the fam: not quite five, but still fine with blowing out candles early.

Blowing out candles: I did not get a picture of our crowded front room/kitchen with the end-to-end tables. 

November 4th: The Big Day, with our hastily wrapped gifts on the table.

That conscious-special-glowy birthday grin! Cute even in shadow.

Rose made Amber an elaborate birthday card.

Rose's note made me laugh. "Even though you are harsh you are AMAZING." Also, Amber is "zaping (?) and imposable."

Amber prayed for a unicorn for weeks. While Amb and I were at Costco together one day, I smuggled this into our cart and hid it inside a winter coat we were also buying. The cashier was super sly and helpful, scanning the unicorn while it was still inside the coat and instructing the cart-loader to keep it hidden. It worked, and Amber looked at me in awe when she opened this gift: "you got one?"

Dreams come true and prayers are answered.

Amber wore her ballet slippers all day until preschool, when I explained that ballet slippers are ONLY for inside. Amber and Rose had been wearing their Mary Jane style church shoes often to dance around the family room (sometimes they sound like elephants!), so I got Amber some real "dancing shoes." She's not in ballet class, but she loves the Piano Guys' video "Someone You Loved" and it inspires her to dance/thunder around the house.

Testing out her new markers and coloring book.

My sister in law Steph stopped by and gave me THE BIGGEST REESES I have ever seen. This was a POUND of Reese's: two 8 ounce peanut butter cups! It was as big as my head.

Post birthday dash birthday buddy selfie at the track during cross country practice. Amber had to change crowns at preschool, because naturally she was still wearing her own plastic crown when they gave her the princess birthday crown.

Birthday dinner, part two. It was weird without Jeff, but we still had to eat! Those beautiful carnations are a birthday gift from a true kindred spirit, my friend Danae.

I decided to get in the birthday dinner picture too.

We had just enough cake left for one more night.

Traditional birthday buddy selfies-- a tad blurry this year from excitement. Ages 33 and 5, we're ready for you.

Rose took this one for us.

November 5th: Amber's annual well child doctor checkup. I love that she has had the same doctor since zygote-hood.

Tuesday night gift attack!

Wednesday morning run. After my Monday run, I discovered that the AQI (air quality index) was in the ORANGE, meaning our valley had significant stagnant air and we were under an "air stagnation warning." No wonder I was dying and gasping for breath so much during my birthday 5k time trial! I probably knocked ten years off my life by running that hard in the bad air, haha! What's really annoying is I very well could have potentially run FASTER if I had just waited for the air to clear (it cleared two days later).

Amber loved and enjoyed her massive donut balloon for two full days before it popped under her intensity. The birthday is over. She is already looking forward to her next birthday when she gets another balloon!