I love to celebrate birthdays. Yes, even mine, which was yesterday. So I’m in the birthday mood and thought I’d share some of the reasons why I think birthdays rock.
1. Yummy cake. My friend made a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and it was heaven! Best part, she left the rest for me to devour.
2. Parties. We have experienced some killer kid birthday parties here in Tennessee. We’ve had Dr. Seuss themed, Mad Hatter tea parties, Superheroes and princesses. For grown up parties we’ve had terrific potluck dinners. That’s what we did yesterday and it’s so fun to see all the kids running around playing and giving the parents time to be grown ups and have extended conversations. Definitely tops on my list.
3. Handmade cards from my girls. They insisted on doing them ALL by themselves with absolutely no help from Brent. Sammi has started spontaneously writing letters. Both her cards were filled, front back and inside, with letters: h, s, a, m, i, and f. Definitely going in the keep pile.
4. Presents. I got some fun presents from friends at the party, sweet smelling things and jewelry. I also got the experience of having a manicure and getting my nails tipped for the first time. So fun! I’m also shopping now for the choose-your-own-gift presents I got. I’m thinking a jewelry box of some sort or a pattern book to get the most out of my serger.
5. A clean house. I got a little extra help from Brent to get the house all cleaned up for the party. Then everyone helped clean things up after the party. It feels good at the end of a busy day to have the house cleaner than when I woke up this morning.
6. Lots of birthday wishes on Facebook and yesterday’s post. Birthdays are a great excuse to pop back into an old friend’s life and say hey. It’s been fun to hear from so many friends from so many different stages of my life. Speaking of, to celebrate my birthday, I’m hosting a giveaway from Baby Cribs Plus. It’s a choose-your-own prize pack. Go on over to that post and enter. Please! I’ll feel so loved 🙂
7. Extra phone calls with family and friends. Even though Sammi cried through my whole conversation with my dad, it was still great to get to talk with him. I forget how much a familiar voice can melt my heart till I get a special chance to chat on the phone.
8. Birthdays start with a brand new life. A day becomes important because it celebrates someone’s existence. And new babies are so captivating. My friend is having her baby today and I can’t wait to see her new little one. As I think back on the birth day for both my girls, I am amazed at how much they’ve grown and how much my love for them has grown.
9. Birthdays are a time for new beginnings. Just as the initial birthday marks the beginning of a new life, each birthday is a new beginning. The coming year holds untold possibilities and potential waiting to be reached. Any chance to start over at goals is welcome to me. I think it also has something to do with my birthday being in the spring, the symbol of new life. It’s great to reflect on the year past and plan for the year to come.
10. Birthdays are about love. Birthdays provide a good excuse for such an outpouring of love that we don’t get on a daily basis. My hope is that everyone feels how much they are loved, especially on their birthday. That our lives matter to somebody else. Whether it should or not, that feeling {of mattering to someone else} keeps us going. We never know when someone is struggling. It’s hard to acknowledge that those close to us could be having a hard time. I hope we jump on any opportunity to show love and appreciation for those in our lives.
I think this birthday has given me a new perspective on birthdays. I’m looking forward to the girls’ birthdays this summer and the chance to shower them with love. We’re linked up with OhAmanda‘s Top Ten {Tuesday} which is being hosted-today only- at it’s come 2 this.
