Happy Birthday to Me!! (March 10th)

So today is my birthday and I decided to copy my friend Kara's blog for today (hope you feel flattered Kara!)

Happy Birthday to me,

I am now twenty-eight

My life is so wonderful

And here are the reasons it's so great!

1. My personal relationship with Jesus Christ--I am so thankful for what He has done for me and for His constant love (despite my many downfalls and weaknesses).


2. Matt--I knew from our first date that this guy was unlike anyone I had ever met. And after just a few weeks, I knew I wanted to marry him (thankfully he felt the same way). I am continually amazed at how perfect Matt is for me and am so thankful to be married to my best friend.




3. Wyatt--he is all-boy but still has such a tender heart. He cares deeply for others and is such a momma's boy (I have to enjoy it while it lasts!)


4. Sadie--she has such a great smile and lights up any room. I can't wait to see her personality develop!


5. My parents--I am so thankful to my parents for the home I grew up in. I am mostly thankful that I was raised in a Christian home and taught God's Word, yet our home was always open to discussion and questioning issues. I am so grateful that I wasn't taught to believe anything blindly and that my questions were welcomed. I was encouraged to make my faith my own yet I always had their support. And they are such great grandparents. Wyatt and Sadie love going to "Nani and Pops" house.




6. My sisters---The three of us are SO different and this is what I love. We learn from each other, tease each other, grow with each other, and are each other's biggest defenders. I love my sisters so much and hope Sadie will someday experience the joy of having a sister.


7. My in-laws--They say you marry your husband's family when you get married and I truly could not have picked a better family. They have welcomed me into their family with open arms and made me feel like one of their own. They raised a wonderful son and I am thankful that my kids have such great grandparents and aunts and uncles (hopefully they'll have cousins someday as well!)


8. My friends--I can't imagine experiencing life without the support of friends to get me through it. Each of my friends holds a special place in my heart and have each meant something different to me. I am especially thankful for the friends who have challenged me on issues and told me things I may not have wanted to hear at the time. These friends truly love me and care about me and I am so blessed to have each of my friends in my life.


9. My physical ability-I am so thankful that I am able to run (something I love to do), ski and be active with my kids. I try not to take this for granted as I know there are people who aren't able to do these things. But I couldn't imagine living life with it.



10. My job--I love being a stay at home mom. I didn't always love it, but I have learned to accept some of the not-so-great things about it (like lack of recognition). I love being able to help my kids when they get hurt, spending time teaching them new skills, and having the freedom to be able to do what we want to do when we want to do it. I couldn't imagine not being there for them and having someone else raise them.



11. Living in a place with all four seasons---Right now, I'm dying for it to get warmer out. But I truly love each season and the changing of seasons.



12. Music--I LOVE music and just about every kind. My iPOD is loaded with songs by so many different artists and genres of music. There are so many times in my life that are marked in my mind by a particular song. And I love hearing about other people's favorite music. Music makes life so much richer and I don't know if I have ever gone through one day without listening to it or singing something.



13. College basketball--although I used to know EVERYTHING there is to know about college basketball and now don't have the time to stay up to date on it all, I still love it. Just watching one game on TV takes me right back to my days of playing. And this is just the best time of year---March Madness!! (One of my dreams is still to go see UNC vs. Duke)




14.My optimism--I'm not sure why God created me this way, but I am eternally optimistic. I rarely worry about anything and always think things will turn out fine. This isn't always a good thing, but I am thankful for this outlook on life--I don't worry about things I probably should, but I don't even realize it! (Ignorance is bliss:)



15. Internet--I can barely remember life without it and am so thankful for it. It has allowed me to stay in touch with so many friends and family. I can listen to sermons online, buy clothing or books, download music, blog, check email--the list is endless!



16. Learning that life is a marathon--not a sprint. I have a tendency to sprint through life and I am learning to slow down and experience things to the fullest--thanks mostly to my kids! I can't even fathom all the things I have probably missed in life because I was moving too fast. But I am learning to try and slow down (notice I said learning--I'm not fully there yet).



17. Cameras---I have discovered a new passion I have for photography. I am not very good at it, but I love taking pictures of all kinds of things (especially my kids) and being able to "freeze a moment in time" just with the click of a camera. And someday I think I'll be so glad that I took so many pictures.



18. Change--I have always loved change and am so thankful that things don't always stay the same. It can sometimes be difficult to experience change, but I always end up being a stronger, more balanced person because of it. I love the new experiences that change brings about and a different side in people that you might not have seen otherwise (did that sentence make any sense???)



19. Gifts--My love language is gifts and I LOVE any kind of gift. Big--small--a card--a car :) I love giving gifts and receiving them. And my husband did a GREAT job for my birthday this year. What woman wouldn't love to see this box on her birthday?! Matt got me the ring on the right, but mine is in brushed silver (couldn't find a pic online of it). I love it!!!

20. Naps--I've never been a "napper", but I am so thankful that my kids are! Wyatt still takes a 2-3 hour nap everyday and I love it. It still gives me a bit of "me" time and allows us all to "regroup". Sadie is a bit more like her mother and doesn't nap quite as long as Wyatt, but I'll take whatever I can get at this point.

21. Our housing--Although I would love to be a home owner, I am so thankful for our "resident housing" situation here. With Matt being a resident, we are able to live in resident housing with all the other residents. Of course there are some downfalls, but it's been so great to be so close to other moms and for Wyatt to be so close to other kids. We are all in the same stage in life and it's great to be able to support and care for each other.

22. Laughter--How horrible would life be without laughter? I think I laugh at myself more than anything. But I just watched "Business Time" on YouTube by Flight of the Conchords and I couldn't stop laughing. Anything that makes me laugh outloud is worth watching again and again--this includes my husband, my kids, and myself!

23. YMCA--The kids love going and playing with the kids there and I love getting work out. The girls that work there are great with the kids and I know they don't get paid all that much, but I am so thankful for the work they do so that us moms can get a break and work out. Wyatt has started gymnastics this year as well as "SuperTots" and loves both classes. We love going to the Family Fun Center and playing and I am really going to miss the Y when we move.

24. Politics--I love hearing all the different points of views that people have and how an interest in politics forces people to have a defense for what they believe. I love all the debates on TV and the entire political process. I am so thankful that we live in a country where we have access to all this information and can take part in the political process (don't complain if you don't vote).

25. Books--I have recently rediscovered how much I love to read and I can't seem to get enough of it. My kids both love reading books and I really hope that they'll continue to love reading as they grow older. Matt has always been a reader and I'm getting back in to it. I love reading everything from memoirs to fiction to self-help type books. So much to read with so little time.

26. Shopping--I know it's not important in the grand scheme of life, but it's something I really enjoy doing. I love finding a cute boutique with clothing that you can't find on every other person you see. I could shop anywhere--from small boutiques to the Mall of America. And if I'm with a friend, it's even better!

27. Drive-Thru Starbucks (or drive-thru anything, for that matter)--Being a mom, it takes about an extra 30 minutes to get both kids out of the car, go into a store, keep the kids hands from breaking something, and leave with whatever I needed to get and load them back in to the car. The drive-thru is a lifesaver!!!

28. I love my birthday! And really, who doesn't? Twenty-eight great years on this earth and hopefully many more to come!

As I was working on this post, I took the picture of myself at the top of the page. But Wyatt really wanted to be in on the picture, so I took one of myself and the kids. I am so blessed to get to spend each day with these great little people!