My birthday this year was so amazing! It started out with some chocolate waffles the kids and I made...mmm! Then as I was taking the kids to school, I looked out and it was snowing, and it was so beautiful! Most of my birthdays, that has been the highlight...a birthday snow. And I've only been dissapointed a few times. I felt like that was a tender mercy from Heavenly Father. That week had been quite a crazy ride, so I was thankful for that and felt like it was a gift from Him.
Then, when we were pulling out of our house, this is what we saw! It was a "Happy Birthday" sign with a bunch of blue and yellow forget-me-nots with notes and pictures from my Primary kids, notes from my counselors, and a copy of the talk "Forget Me Not" by Elder Uchtdorf. It was so beautiful and I was moved to tears, feeling so grateful for friends who care!
Got to go help out at preschool, where it was the "Unbirthday" celebration for all, and Sarah made it a point to make it special for me to, aw! Many of the kids were sick, but these guys are such little cuties!
As the day went on, I got so many fun texts, surprises, happy birthday singing and hugs from my family, Facebook messages, calls, visits, gifts, and cards in the mail. I felt so loved! I'm so thankful to have my life to share with these amazing people! And the cards kept coming in the mail the next several days after I took this picture.
That night, Dave got pizza for dinner and we had the Smiths and the Millers come over for cheesecake (made by my friend Sarah) and ice cream. We talked a ton and just hung out while the kids played and stuffed our selves with deliciousness. Dave put on the candles and lit them and everyone sang. It was fun being with these friends. We forgot to take any pictures while they were here, but after when we were cleaning up, Cov got on the counter and was trying to eat the cheesecake with his fingers...haha!
Our big outing for my birthday was a trip to Fort Collins. We were going to go the weekend right after my birthday, but the weather and road conditions were bad. So we traveled down there the following weekend. We read and sang in the car on the way there, I finished Cov's cross-stitch stocking (finally!). When we arrived and checked into our hotel room, the kids were excited and we all relaxed, watching Harry Potter and jumped on the beds. Then we went out for dinner at Carabbas, a really delicious place. We were close to Costco, so we picked up a few things we needed. Then we went back to our hotel room and got ready to go swimming. The kids had a blast, the pool was a little cool, but we had fun racing and working on swimming strokes and splashing each other. And soaking in the hot tub. Then we watched a magic show on TV for a bit and the news and went to bed.
The next morning, we woke up, went to the continental breakfast (oh wow, most people in Colorado only have 2 kids if that, so we got lots of stares and comments), got ready and then went to the Fort Collins Museum of Discovery. We bought some half off tickets on Groupon so it was pretty affordable. It was a great place! We stayed there most of the day! It was a neat museum for kids and for us parents. So much to discover! The hands-on exhibits and displays focused on art, science, environment, math, music and more. We got to see a dome theatre movie about the flight, which the kids all enjoyed (except Cov who fell asleep). The kids definitely discovered new things and their minds were opened to new possibilities and ideas that day. We got lunch at Chick-fil-A, one of my favorites, and let the kids play there for a while. Then we went to Old Navy, JoAnns, and a few other of my favorite places to go shopping (Cal thought we said "Shotting" and was afraid he was going to get a shot from the doctor). We checked out the new Fort Collins Colorado temple, which will be opening this summer! It is a unique design and very beautiful. We also drove around the reservoirs and other scenic places. Cov and Daddy started singing "Mommy babes, oh mommy babes!" It was too funny! We really enjoyed our weekend there. Fort Collins is a beautiful place!
On the way back, we wanted to stop by and see the Schaef family in Laramie, some of our friends who used to live here but moved there last summer. So we dropped by, and they invited us to dinner. The Smiths were also there, coming back from a swim meet for Evie in Cheyenne. We found out the roads were closed indefinitely, so the Schaefs said we'd all just have a big pajama party. The kids loved it! Cal and Jett had a blast together (mostly playing games on the tablet and telling jokes to each other and playing with the Ninja and super hero toys), and Emma, Evie and Noah were excited to be together again. Cov was happy to be with his friends Ben and Toby, who he adores. And Lucy couldn't wait to see Pepper, their big mastiff dog. "We're going to Pepper's house! I'm so excited to see Pepper, she's a good doggy!" Lol. Emma said "Yay! This is like a friends reunion!" We had turkey tacos for dinner, talked a ton and caught up, the men played a loooong game of Risk, and then after the kids were in bed, the women all played Sequence in teams with the men until 1:30 a.m. We had a great time and I love these friends! We went to bed, so tired! Sunday morning, we woke up and went to church for Sacrament. Poor Shelly! She was making bacon for us and as she was pulling it out, some grease spilled in the oven, starting a fire. She went to grab some flour to put it out, but she also spilled some grease on her foot, giving her a second-degree burn! It was bad! She's so sweet though and always a great hostess! She still fed us lunch after church and we visited a little longer and finished help cleaning up. On the way back, Mariah sent a message and this picture of us all saying "Sometimes the roads are meant to closed." :) So true! And then Shelly sent a message that said "Priceless memories! Unforgettable weekend! Love all ya'all! So thankful God brought us all together for our paths to cross. We all may leave our lives there behind but I know our friendships will not end." We are so thankful to have them as friends! I am with them, when the roads close, take it as an opportunity and true friendship never ends.
Thanks to all who made my birthday a happy, unforgettable one!
