The Big Three Ohhhhh

Last Wednesday I turned 30. I must say I have been dreading this number for a while. I have two older brothers. They will be turning 34 and 33 this year. You would think that they would have married girls older than me but love has a funny way about it and they both married girls that are younger than me by about, oh I dunno, a year and a half. They are actually both younger than my younger sister so she'll hit the milestone before each of them as well. So that leaves me being the old lady in the family. For my oldest brother's 30th birthday I sent him a sympathy card to show I cared as he mourned the passing of his youth. I thought I might see one myself but he probably spaced it in his old age. :)

The problem is there were just so many things I had planned to have done by the time I hit 30. One of the most bittersweet days of my life happened almost two years ago. I made my husband walk at his MBA graduation. I have never been so proud and so jealous at the same time. He now has two degrees and I have none. I've taken enough classes before marrying him and off and on since having kids to be a semester away from student teaching but it's something I can't do now until all my kids are in school themselves. That might be awhile considering I hope to get knocked up this year with number four. So you see my dilemma. I was talking to my friend who turned 30 just two days before me. She is single with a degree and out traveling the world - she spent last year in Korea teaching English and traveling around Asia. We were discussing where we each thought we would be at this age. I said my accomplishments right now included popping out three kids. She said "No, you have built a beautiful family for you and Darren." What a sweet thing to say. She pointed out to me that the grass is always greener on the other side.

Anyway I knew Wednesday would be a weird day for me. It was. I basically gave myself permission to have a pity party and between the calls and drop-ins from friends and family to wish me a happy day that is exactly what I did. The kids and Darren had given me my gifts the night before and so if not for Renae and Terri I would have been gift-less on my big day. (Thank you sweet ladies!) Handsome husband of mine brought home dinner and then while I was away at Young Womens that night he baked me a cake - he forgot the salt, but honey it is the thought that counts and the homemade frosting was out of this world.
The next day, I woke up and was like "Huh, I'm 30. Okay - on to another day." No big deal. My wallowing was over. Besides a good friend mentioned at YW the night before that the 30's were her favorite. Bring it on!

Some Birthday pics...

This is why I am not in very many pictures. I do not trust Darren with my camera. You would think he would have noticed the gray loopy thing (the cord attached to the camera) in the middle of the picture. Especially with the big screen on the back that shows you what the picture you just took looks like. But seriously all three of the pictures he took have it right in the middle of the them. This was the only one that hadn't focused on the cord. Gotta love it! :)

That's me opening my gift from Darren - a compilation of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Little House books.

My gift from Alexia. She spent a whole week writing a book about me and things I had told her about when I was little and "ilstradid" it herself.

This is Parker's gift to me. You might think that it is a cereal box painted blue and decorated with metallic birthday stickers, with the top and bottom cut off and then a faux bottom made of wrapping paper attached with tape, but it is actually a flower pot. He couldn't find me any flowers but will do that as soon as we walk to the park and he can pick some alongside the street.