Birthday Gifts

My 35th birthday was yesterday. This has been the birthday that keeps on giving! I’m hard-pressed to say what my favorite present was.

Over the weekend, Mom and David (Tatum’s CeCe and Gramps) came over to help clean up our flower beds. The family that lived here before us planted some amazing landscaping. Our neighbors tell us that the mom was outside doing something in the yard EVERY DAY. I believe it. It’s like a park out there, with so many lovely flowers and plants that pop up each season. I feel guilty about it ALL THE TIME, though, because I just can’t maintain the yard the way the former owner did.

Mom assures me that this is a matter of “ages and stages.” The stage we’re in right now is about having and raising babies, not planting and tending to elaborate flower beds. Unfortunately when we first moved here, I landed in the hospital where we tried for weeks to keep our triplet sons. Of course after that was a period of deep grieving during which I couldn’t have cared less about the yard or in fact about anything much in this world! Then we were blessed with my pregnancy with Tatum and again, I wasn’t really feeling the yard work—I was too concerned with keeping our sweet baby in my belly for nine months.

So, all of this back story is to illustrate that our flower beds realllllly needed some work. Mom and David came over on Sunday around 10:30 AM and worked until 2:30 or 3:00 in the afternoon! I helped when I could, though I was also taking care of Tate since Bruce is still on the road. I pulled weeds from one side of the house, though—satisfying work! In the end our curb was lined with 8 bags of yard debris. What a massive undertaking! And what an amazing birthday gift, to have a tidy yard at long last. Wonder how long I can keep it that way?

That’s not all, though! My sister planned a little birthday dinner with my best friend from high school. We had a girls’ night out with fun drinks and great food and adult conversation. After 17 days with Bruce in DC, I needed that like you cannot believe! It was wonderful. I even had a cocktail (an Angel Food Cake martini…and yes, it tasted every bit as good as it sounds!).

And if THAT wasn’t enough, Lauren and Mom got me a gift certificate to get a pedicure. I need to find the time to do that soon, since the pigs are on display pretty much all the time in sandals during the summer. I could use the relaxation, and my feet could use the pampering! Oh my gosh, I have hooves down there. It’s not pretty. Not pretty at all. I don’t even know the last time I had a pedicure, and I haven’t exactly been exfoliating on a regular basis (quick shower! In and out! Is the boy crying? Do I have time to dry my hair?).

Finally—this may actually be my favorite gift of all, barring the gift of Tate that is!—mom finished the quilt she’s been working on for Tatum. It’s amazing!!!! I absolutely love it. There are SO MANY fun things for him to look at on this quilt—boats, balls of all kinds, dinosaurs, dogs, trucks—almost anything fun for a little guy to look at, it’s on there! The colors are incredibly bright and vibrant, and it’s just SO ENERGIZING, this quilt! Lucky boy (and lucky me, to have such a talented mom!). As you can see, Tate quite loves his new quilt. And so do I!