Mmm... cake...

This week I turned 29.

Yes, I'm openly owning up to my age. Partly because I think this may be the last year I will feel like doing that, and partly so that you can wish me happy birthday. Just kidding (but really...)

Anyway... We just so happened to discover that one of Travis's friends from his AA program (who is in our ward and also let Travis stay at his house when he came to Missouri on a house-hunting mission) was born on the exact same day as me. I mean that we BOTH turned 29. So his darling wife invited us over that night for dinner and cake and ice cream. It was really a fun way to spend a birthday evening.

Which is more than I can say for the rest of the birthday week. On my actual birthday, the temperature rose to a high of 18 degrees. Fabulous. I took the two little kids with me to walk to the corner where we would pick Kate up from the bus stop. We didn't wait at all and arrived right as the bus did, but all the same Brooklyn was in tears because of the cold, and the WIND! Ohhhh the wind! Kate tried to help her as we shuffled back down the street like little frozen marshmallows, but she and I were both wearing those kinds of boots that are probably designed more for fashion than for walking on ice.

You know those?

I know you own at least 3 pairs.

Well we were actually doing well, but suddenly Brooklyn disappeared. Kate shouted, "Brooklyn fell!" and I looked down to see that she had caught herself with both bare hands planted on a sheet of 18-degree ice. Of course her tears escalated into hysterics, and when I turned to scoop her up with one arm (Troy in the other), Kate's feet promptly flew out from under her as well, and she joined in the tears. I managed to scoot both wailing girls to the door, and as I opened it, Troy threw up. He is known in our family for his perfect comedic timing, and here also he did not disappoint.

(By the way, I should have recognized Troy's throwing up as some sort of foreshadowing, but I did not. I thought it was because I was squeezing him so tightly after he had just eaten.)

Well I planned to redeem the birthday festivities by going out that weekend (yes, I milk birthdays for all they're worth. It's MY, um, week... month?... after all!) So we went to dinner. First, we were off to a bad start, because the whole night took forever! Our "25-minute wait" to be seated turned into nearly an hour, and another almost two hours to take orders and for food to arrive. Our kids were exhausted. But, I guess I should look at the bright side which is that at least they were not hungry. Because, turns out, they all had some degree of a stomach bug. Which means that during dinner alone, Kate visited the restroom maybe 8 times and spent the remainder of the time curled up on the seat, unable to eat. Brooklyn was nearly asleep. And Troy threw up twice. It was awesome. Oh wait, the crowning moment was when the busboy who whisked Troy's plate of pasta-con-vomit away took the plate straight to the hostess station to SHOW to the gaggle of restaurant staff standing there. One of them said, "You should take a picture of that!" Yes, because everyone working at that restaurant that night was apparently 10 years old.

By the time our entrees finally arrived, we wrapped them up and went home. Oh well, can't blame us for trying, right?

The whole night, especially since it was prefaced by two elderly women stopping in the lobby to adore my children and advise us to enjoy every minute because they grow so fast and spend as much time with them as possible, reminded me of this awesome blog entry my friend shared with me.

Anyhow, thank goodness for chocolate cake.

There is no birthday disaster great enough that it can't be remedied with cake.

 So tonight I made myself one.

Well, half of one, according to our family's birthday tradition.

See, to be honest, we aren't strictly "cake people." We are ice cream people. We can't eat a whole cake on someone's birthday. But we CAN eat half a cake. So that is what I made.

I don't know, though... we initiated the half-cake practice before Troy was born, or at least before he was eating solid food. Pretty sure HE could single-handedly eat a whole cake. Next birthday we might have to go all out, just for him.

PS ~ We are *almost* feeling "moved in"... details on the entire past MONTH or so soon to come! Promise.