Birthday weekend

Thanks everyone for all the great birthday comments at my virtual birthday party.  Checking my e-mail every so often was so fun.  And it helped keep my mind off of missing Brandon.  I'm so flattered that so many of you enjoy this blog.  I tell myself that I blog for me, but in reality I wouldn't blog so much if I didn't know that it entertained so many of you.  I also discovered that I had a few stalkers that I didn't know about. I'm glad you are here too.  Keep reading.  

I love that many of you mentioned you think I am a good writer.  Did you know I failed an English class in high school - and then again in college?  I didn't fail because I couldn't write.  I failed because I had absolutely no motivation to go to class.  And that is why I majored in Economics.  

But I've always loved writing.  I wrote my first book when I was in first grade.  It was about the planets.  I took it to school and showed my teacher.  She was so impressed she took me around to the other first grade classes and had me read it to everyone.  I loved sharing what I'd created.  And I still do.  

And thank you all for your support for my newest pregnancy.  I'm honored that so many of you think that I will be able to handle 4 kids.  Maybe if we say it enough it will come true.  

I joked with Brandon that we had to have another baby to keep the blog ratings up.  And WOW you guys did not disappoint in that department.  My fantasy for a viral blog was almost fulfilled this weekend.  "For the record, I know how it happens" is now the most viewed post on my blog.  The former champ was the post where I announced that I'm an idiot and the twins did not miscarry after all.  I thought the number of page-views on that post would never be topped.     

So anyway, thanks for helping me feel special, appreciated, and loved.  I'm so glad that I have friends.  Even if we can only interact on the internet.  

Let's talk about my birthday!

It did not start out well.  Charlotte woke up around 5:30.  While we were looking for her binkie a school bus drove by the house.  Charlotte ran to the window and shouted, "BUSSSSSSS."  Lydia woke up and chimed in with "BUSSSSSSS!!!!!!"  After an event like that there was no way they were going back to sleep.  So I got them up and we had breakfast.  Derrick thankfully stayed asleep.  

After Breakfast the girls played quietly while I took a nap on the couch.  I got up again when Derrick - the ever considerate baby - woke up around 9:00.  Then we had a real breakfast of German Pancakes.  Everyone loved them.

Thanks to waking up obscenely early the girls went down for naps around 11:00.  Charlotte likes to sleep in her bed.

 But Lydia takes over mine.  That's okay with me, because naptime seems to go better when they are in separate rooms.

Derrick went to sleep soon after the girls and so I was able to take a shower! Yay!

 When the kids woke up we went on a walk to the park.  I wish I brought the camera.  We had such a fun time.  We played on the playground and then sat at some picnic benches.  The girls "made pancays" and served them to me and Derrick.  We played there forever.

When we came home we watched my traditional birthday movie, Miracle. That movie inspires me to try harder at the things I do.  Then I put the kids to bed.  I had hoped that the girls would go to bed easily and early, but they didn't.  Charlotte was still awake as I tried to talk to Brandon on the phone.

The next day Brandon made it home around 4:00.  There was actually some miscommunication between us. I was with the kids on base running an errand, and I planned on just picking him up.  He never got my text letting him know that so he assumed I was still taking a nap.  He got a ride home to surprise me.  Instead he came home to an empty house.  In a way that was kind of better because then he could take a shower and change into clothes that he hadn't been wearing for 4 weeks.  (Expect a blog post about his adventures soon)

I came home to a clean husband.  He surprised me with roses for my birthday.  He'd ordered them and they were supposed to be delivered the day before, but for some reason they didn't show up until right when he got home.  

It was so nice to have him home.  The girls wouldn't let him go.  Even Derrick was excited to see him.  We went out to eat at Wendy's to celebrate his homecoming/ my birthday/ the new baby.  

On Saturday Brandon gave me what I really wanted which was to sleep in!  Then at 10:00 he watched the kids to I could go to a gardening class that the housing office provided.  I learned what veggietables grow in our area, and more importantly how to grow them.  Can you believe that now it the time to plant peas?  

It was a great class.  They gave out free seeds.  And I signed up for a plot at our community garden.  Happy birthday for me.  

On Sunday we went to church as a family for the first time since December.  Our church starts at 8:30 which makes me want to take back everything bad I ever said about 1:00 church.  However, it's over at 11:30 which is incredible.  We have so much time after church!  So much in fact, that Brandon made my birthday cake. while I took a nap.  

It was a Devil's food cake with German Chocolate cake frosting.  So I guess it was a German Devil or maybe even a "Hitler Cake."  Anyway it tasted really good. 

Here is a video of the family singing to me.  (We have watched this about 30 times and the girls sing along everytime)

Here we all are enjoying the cake in our dinning room.  As you can see Brandon and I are on stools.  Now that we have a real dinning room getting enough chairs for our family is next on our list of furniture to acquire   

 Here is a picture of something that the girls have started doing after bedtime.  Saturday night I went in to check on them after they fell asleep and I couldn't find Charlotte in her bed.  I found her with Lydia.  I didn't know where the camera was so I just told Brandon to come look.

Then the next night I found them like that again.

 And again the next night.  I guess they like each other.

 And here is my not so little boy.  He turned 10 months old on the 8th.  He's crawling and standing with help.  He is into everything!  He points at everything that he can't reach.  He loves to say Dadadadadad and Mamamamamama.  He laughs  and screams when he's happy.  And he's consistently sleeping through the night.  I love this little guy.