A hard pill to swallow

I've never really been one who cared much about my age ... until this year. I use to think that people who were turning 40 really had it all together and were super mature. Then I realized, good golly ... I AM turning 40! And that, my friends, was a VERY hard pill to swallow!

Everyone had been teasing me for months and I think that I was in denial about turning the big 4-0! What exactly did I think was going to happen on that day? I would suddenly be sporting Depends and be required to carry a Senior Citizen Card with me? Thankfully that was not the case.

Speaking of my birthday ... like I said, my family and friends had been teasing me and I was hoping that the day would just quietly pass by. But I should have known better with this group. Ashley and Amy asked me if we could go out to lunch a few days after my birthday. That sounded safe and fun and not too terribly embarrassing. Then 2 days before my birthday another friend, Brooke, invited me to lunch. She was running a little late and I was worried that we wouldn't be back before Kate and Josh got home from school. So, I felt a little rushed and headed towards the closest Pizza Factory. Brooke, that sly devil, INSISTED that we go to the one in town because she wanted to sit outside. To make a long story short, when we arrived my friends were all there yelling surprise! We had a great time and I was overwhelmed with everyone's sweet gifts.


As we were leaving the restaurant, Amy, Ash, Marcia and Sandi said, "We have another surprise! We're going to Vegas ... RIGHT NOW!" They had made arrangements with Greg, who was secretly at home packing my things and taking care of the kids. Needless to say I was super shocked and very excited! So, off we went ... 5 moms with enough luggage to stay a month (and trust me ... we thought about it.) We had a RIOT! We shopped, ate, laughed and talked til all hours of the night/morning. Truly a memorable 24 hours! Thanks girls for an AMAZING trip! You really are the BEST!


But the surprises didn't stop there! My mom and sister also surprised me by making the trip down from SLC to watch Eme while I was gone and then spend the weekend. So, when I got home I got to enjoy more shopping, eating, talking, laughing and having fun! My mom and sister are amazing and I love them with all of my heart! Thanks you two for always being by my side.


And then there's this cute little group of people ... my hubby and kids! My life certainly wouldn't be the same without them. Greg was so cute to pack my things and keep everything a secret. He wrote me a really sweet note and stuck it in my suitcase. And the kids wished me a happy birthday about 1,000 times. They really made me feel special.


So, in the end, turning 40 was actually the greatest birthday yet! Thanks everyone for all of the surprises, fun and most of all, for making me feel loved!

Kate's 11th birthday!

I'm having a hard time wrapping my brain around the fact that I have an 11 year old, but it's true! Time goes by WAY too fast and I'm trying to savor every moment.


This year we had talked to Kate about having a family party instead of a friend party. I thought she'd be disappointed but she actually seemed kind of excited. So the day started out like most birthdays ... breakfast in bed and presents. Then after school she and I went to get pedicures and do some shopping. What she didn't know was that a BIG surprise had been in the works for weeks and all of her friends were at home busily decorating her room. Greg texted me the whole time letting me know how the decorating was coming and when they were ready he gave me the green light to come home.



I have to admit that I almost spilled the beans about a dozen times in the days before. And I was sure that one of the girls might slip and mention it at school. But no one did. THANKS GIRLS!

So, we headed home to "get everyone so we could go out to dinner." I sent her downstairs to her room with all of her packages and when she opened the door ... SURPRISE! Her face was PRICELESS! I actually think she was a little scared but that quickly turned to total excitement!


We let the girls just dance and sing and act like preteen girls do. Then we had pizza and treats, played Minute To Win It games, opened presents and then of course, what would a girl party be without face masks. The girls even convinced Greg to join the "spa treatments." What a fun, fun night!


The other thing that Kate didn't know was that her 2 best boy friends also wanted to celebrate with her. So early on Saturday morning, Kenna, Kaden and Jaden snuck unto her room and woke her up for breakfast. She rolled over and said, "What are you guys doing here?" Again, priceless! Thanks Kenna, Kaden and Jaden for being such great friends! I hope the 4 of you will remain close your whole life! (and thanks Marcia for organizing it. You're awesome!)


Happy birthday Kate! We love you SO much and we're incredibly grateful that you're a part of our family. You are funny, thoughtful, kind, spunky and a million other things! We are proud of you and the person that you are becoming. We hope you had a GREAT day! We love you!