Happy Birthday Little B!
That’s right, today is Little B’s Birthday! And it is not just any birthday, it is his 5th birthday!
We celebrated his special day over the weekend with a party at Pump It Up! Nothing says Happy Birthday like bouncing and sliding with the people who mean the most to you, right? We had so MUCH fun!
Little B and I on the slide!
Little B tackling the obstacle course!
Most of the party people!
After wearing ourselves out in the bounce house room we moved to the party room where we devoured pizza, a giant cookie and ice cream.
He’s about to make a wish!
I have to pat myself on the back because I MADE the giant birthday cookie! From SCRATCH! It was so tasty and now I feel all domestic-like! Click here for the recipe, you will love it!
You know you wanted a close up of the giant cookie!
Little B got a lot of great gifts. Most of them were some sort of Power Ranger type toy as that is his current obsession. He will be getting his present from me later today so that one will still have to remain a secret. Maybe I will post the present as the tomorrow’s Wordless Wednesday post!
The best part of Little B’s Birthday Party? He hasn’t stopped talking about how much fun he had! 
Birthday Week Recap
I am sad to say that my birthday week is over. 
But on the bright side it was as amazingly awesome week filled with everything I wanted and more!
I am lucky to have great people in my life who went out of their way to ensure that I felt special each and every day. Most especially my friend Stacey and Mr. Sarcastic (Who btw would like to be known as my super fantastic sarcastic all knowing boyfriend but for blog purposes I am standing firm with the abbreviated title).
Here are some highlights from my week. (Well, the ones I am willing to share here anyways.)
1. Candlelight dinners.
2. This card.
3. A trip to the Detroit Zoo.
Seeing the animals in person is overrated. Brennen liked the plaques and anything with buttons.
4. Brennen saying “Happy Birthday Mommy.”
5. Not one but TWO ice cream cakes from Cold Stone.
6. Quality time with Brennen, Mr. Sarcastic and friends.
7. Fireworks
Not a firework. But this was Brennen’s first experience with sparklers!
8. This present.
9. Dinner at Carrabba’s, my favorite restaurant!
10. Brennen getting a haircut!
I’m 33 and Loving It!
Yesterday I turned 33 and I couldn’t be more happy about it!
32 was a tumultuous year for me. Not only did I make some large life changing decisions while I was 32 but I was also the same age that my Dad was when he passed away. I can’t even begin to describe how strange that was for me.
I like how 33 feels. I feel like for the first time in a long time I am doing the things that make me happy and that I am surrounding myself with people who support and encourage me. I recognize that some people don’t understand the new direction that my life has taken but I am okay with that. I don’t need others to approve the life path that I have chosen. My happiness alone is all the approval that I need.
My plan for the next year is to laugh more, worry less and enjoy every minute that I am given with those that I love.
I am looking forward to seeing what the next year and beyond holds for me!
It’s MY Birthday Week!
I am hoping that I will blogging more regularly now that my internet problem has finally been resolved!! Geez I missed having internet!
And it was fixed just in time for my Birthday week! Yep, that’s right. I want a whole week dedicated to my Birthday not just one day! Why a whole week? Well for starters, having a Birthday on a holiday is a rip off. Click here to read my post about being Born on the 4th of July. And secondly, I have a few friends that celebrate their birthdays for a whole month! So I don’t think I am out of line to want to celebrate my birthday for a whole week!
My ideal birthday week would include all of these things. (In no particular order.)
1. Ice Cream!!! – What’s not to love about ice cream? No birthday week or even a regular week is complete without it.
2. Birthday cards! – I love cards. I’m partial to the funny and sappy variety but any card makes me smile.
3. Time with family & friends – Who better to spend my birthday week with other than with the ones I love. Especially this guy…
He had a ton of fun at the fireworks this past weekend!
4. Great runs / workouts – Running is a part of who I am and it keeps me balanced. So of course I will be getting in my workouts during my birthday week!
5. Time with Mr. Sarcastic- He makes me happy. (And that is all the info you are getting about him…for now.)
6. Fireworks - It’s kind of a birthday tradition of mine.
7. Surprises – Only good ones of course.
I might even do something crazy and ONLY blog about my birthday this week! Stay tuned. 
And then he turned 4!
On Wednesday I posted this picture of Brennen for my Wordless Wednesday post.
Brennen's 4th Birthday party at McDonald's!
And if you guessed that he recently turned 4 you are right! He actually turned 4 about a month ago but it has taken me this long to come to terms with it. I just can’t believe he is 4 now! Where did the time go??? I remember the year he was born and thinking that he would never get older. But when you are not sleeping and barely functioning, a whole year can feel like 5. I seriously didn’t think I would survive. But I did! Now that he is older and more self-sufficient AND sleeping through the night, I just want to stop time because I love him so much as this age!!!
In celebration of Brennen turning 4, I thought I would share the top 4 things that I love about him the most!
1. He is SO loving! He still loves to cuddle and dish out hugs & kisses. I hope that never changes. Nothing compares to cuddling with my son!
2. He is full of energy! He. Never. Stops. Moving. Seriously!!! Taking him to see a movie at the theatre is a lost cause. He just can not sit still for that long. As exhausted is he makes me at the end of the day, it still makes me happy to see him so active and full of life!
3. He is stubborn. Surprised to hear that I like this about him? Well, I happen to be pretty stubborn myself. In some ways it works for me. It makes me motivated to achieve my goals and not to settle for anything less. If he channels it properly it could be a beneficial trait for him too.
4. He is very friendly! When we go grocery shopping he says hello to everyone we walk by. Luckily we usually go early in the morning when the grandparent type shoppers are out, so they eat up all of his attention! But heaven forbid if you don’t say hello back. He will say, “I said HELLO!” Until they respond. I know eventually I will have to instill some “stranger danger” in him but he is a far cry from the shy little boy who would hide behind me if a stranger came close.
Here are some more pics of Brennen from this past year! I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do!
At the Detroit Zoo!
Happy Birthday Brennen! You are loved more than you will ever know and you have taught me more than I could ever teach you!
Born on the 4th of July
That’s right, today is my birthday! Being born on Independence Day makes me pretty special, right? I mean, who else can say that they were born on the 4th of July? Oh yeah . . . I almost forgot, my brother was born on my third birthday which resulted in me having to share my special day with him ever since. (I’m not bitter or anything.) My next door neighbor also has her birthday today, she is turning 14. In addition, I am sure that there are probably a gazillion other people who I don’t know who were also born on the 4th of July.
Being a firecracker baby definitely has its perks. As a kid, I used to think that the fireworks were just for me. (And my brother.) Where I grew up, the fireworks were always ON July 4th, unlike where I live now, where the fireworks are held a week or two before the 4th. If you ask me, not having fireworks on the 4th makes the holiday and my birthday a little less special.
But being born on Independence Day has its downfalls. Planning my birthday party on my birthday is nearly impossible as everyone always has plans for the 4th of July. And to some extent, I feel like I got ripped off by being born on a holiday. I have to celebrate both in one day instead of getting one day just for my birthday and one day just for Independence Day.
Probably the most surprising downfall of being born on Independence Day is that people (even relatives) have such a difficult time remembering that it is also my birthday. I think it should be pretty easy to remember, but it seems that people are so caught up in the festivities of the holiday that it doesn’t cross their mind untill after the fact.
Despite these downfalls, I wouldn’t change my birthday for anything. I am a firecracker baby and I am proud to share my special day honoring the Red, White & Blue. Happy Birthday America! And Happy Birthday to my brother, my neighbor and to everyone else who gets to blow out some candles on this historic day!
