Happy Birthday To Me!

I have always enjoyed my birthdays.  It's all the attention and yes, the presents.  It's a fun day just for me!!!  ha ha ha!  So today is my birthday -- one year older and wiser too -- well, maybe not wiser but definitely older.  But it's all good. 

Yesterday, one of my BFF's, Ali, hosted a birthday lunch for me at her house.  So much fun!  She ordered pulled pork (pig is my favorite animal to eat; so versatile!!) and the rest brought stuff to share.  Love pot lucks!!  Brad called me in the middle of it and asked how many were there.  I said, "about ten".  He said, "wow, you're that popular, huh?"  and I said, "no, a lot of people couldn't come."  he he he!!!  At any rate, it was a fun afternoon.

Last night another friend, Christine, watched our kids for us so that Brad and I could go out on a date.  We were tired so we ended up watching a movie at home.  It was quiet and the kids had much more fun there instead of going to bed early here.  :)  Brad went to get the kids and I fell asleep before they got home.  (Hey, I'd been up since 4:30am and was TIRED!)  They all put themselves to bed.  It was wonderful.  I should go to bed early more often!  :)

So what am I doing today?  Cleaning the house.  Or rather, making my kids do most of it.  I can't think of a better present than a clean house.  Ahhhh.  No more sticky spots on the tile, no more crushed up noodles on the carpet, no more black scum in the toilets, NO MORE CLUTTER EVERYWHERE!!!  OOH, I think I will require my kids to clean happily, with no fighting.  Yes, that would make my present even better.  Yea, I am verrily excited about my day today!

Jillian wants to make me a cake so I may have to teach her how to make a German chocolate cake.  Or an oatmeal picnic cake.  Or a strawberry jello angel food cake.  Or 4-layer pudding/cream cheese Mississippi Mud dessert.  I'm drooling.  I have a canker sore in my mouth right now (irritatingly right in the front of my mouth so that when I sneeze -- because of allergies -- it's like 60mph pin pricks jabbing it -- ouch!!) so anything with sugar should be completely avoided (because sugar makes them worse) but I will have to make an exception today...like I did yesterday at lunch.  Sometimes a week of pain is worth a moment of pleasure.  Hey, you only have one birthday a year, right?!

And Life Goes On

Every time I look at my blog I think, "eh, I don't have anything to say."  Brad always thinks I look too much to "big" things and discount the little.  Perhaps that is true.  We've had a very eventful week last week; school started, Brad started a new project, I was super busy getting things done for choir.  You know, the usual stuff.  ha ha ha!

The kids all started school on Tuesday.  Every night throughout summer Logan would pray that he would have a good first day and I think he did!  They were excited to see friends and they all really like their teachers.  Jorja entered 1st grade, Logan 2nd and Jillian 5th.  This is Jillian's last year of elementary school.  That is much too weird.  There are three 5th grade teachers and they each take a subject to teach.  The kids are put in three different groups that are different than their "homeroom" and rotate with that group.  It is supposed to help them prepare for the rotating schedule of middle school next year.  She's pretty happy with all the teachers. 

Here are my first day pictures!

 I can't get this girl to smile naturally at a camera!  She takes after Brad....

 Jillian is really into tank tops over shirts.  What a cute girl!

 Logan looks like he's got a belly in this picture!!  ha ha! He loves this outfit!

 Love this picture!

 Jorja gets a locker this year!

There's a cute smile!  It made me laugh that she wore bright red shorts under her dress.  hehe!  And she had just lost both her front teeth the week before!  What a cutie!

I will also be going back to school...as a substitute teacher.  I have my application and all the documents in and am waiting for the state to finish the background check.  It should be done in about a month.  The kids are beyond excited that I may be their teacher!  So funny!

Choir starts up tomorrow.  I held auditions on Saturday and had a little girl join.  She was so excited!  Right now I have 11 girls in choir, and I just got another email this morning with another who is interested.  I have changed my focus on choir.  My new motto is: Building character and confidence through music!  I really like it.  Before I was concentrating more on the performing aspect but I think my new focus is a lot better and really pinpoints the reason why I am doing choir.  Jorja gets to join this year and she is sooooo excited!!

Brad is now painting a house down the street; he's never had a job so close and he loves it!  I will probably end up helping him sometime this week.  I was going to today but it is raining and I'm still trying to let my back heal....

Yeah, I hurt my back last week.  I was helping Brad move a paint sprayer over a big box and wrenched my sacrum and hip out of place.  I've been to the chiropractor twice and may need to go again this week.  It has been really painful, mostly because I had such a busy week and wasn't able to rest.  Hopefully I can do that today along with the laundry, paying bills, picking up the house, etc.  haha!