What a weird year and a weird time to be celebrating a birthday, don’t you think? But, other than D’s 6th birthday and Hubby’s 35th, both of which happened at the beginning of the year, every single family and friend birthday we have celebrated this year has been in a unique COVID-esque way.
Because my birthday fell on a Monday this year (ugh, the WORST) and it was also the Monday that Hubby would be starting his new job, I did the majority of my celebrating over the prior weekend.
Saturday started with bacon, which … what is there really to say about bacon. It’s awesome in its own right. I like mine extra crispy which is how Hubby served it up to me.
There was lots of time spent cuddling this little doodle. He was dogsat by some of our friends over Labor Day weekend and I swear, he came back a changed dog (for the better!). We used to only allow him to roam free for short bursts of time and kept him tethered close to us or in a pen nearby as default because he’d just pee everywhere/tear into everything but after spending the weekend away, we’ve totally been letting him spend more time loose like a normal doggy AND HE’S BEEN FINE. Whose dog is he!?
A small group of my closest girlfriends had offered to take me out to eat dinner on Saturday night but because of the bad air, we had to pivot and ended up bringing takeout to my place. It was actually so much fun being at home with my friends. There was a bit of musical chairs shuffling happening – Hubby took our kids to the home of one of my girlfriends who was coming to my house to dinner so that we could be alone without interruptions. Half the group had to leave a few hours after dinner but the other half stayed until past midnight … and it was SO much fun! I haven’t had a late night girl talk session like that in forever so it was worth the headaches and yawning the next day.
Speaking of the next day … it was Sunday and we had planned to go to our church’s outdoor service for in-person worship that Sunday. We don’t consistently go to in-person services at our church right now. Hubby would prefer that masks be required and they’re not right now but I loooove worshiping together in person at church so we compromise and mainly stream at home with an in-person service sprinkled in here and there. Anyway, we were going to go in-person because it was my birthday weekend BUT the air in the Bay Area has been so terrible that it was actually deemed unhealthy and outdoor services were canceled. I guess it worked out because I was feeling reallllly rough after the late night with my friends. After church, we Doordashed my favorite jjolmyun (spicy, chewy Korean noodles) and it was exactly what I was craving.
The majority of Sunday was just chill. I spent some time playing board games with this little dude … and I ended up winning which he didn’t take to very well. LOL.
And then we had some more of my favorite food delivered for dinner (I’m really sensing a theme here for how I celebrated my birthday all weekend ..) and called it a day after that.
On Monday, which was my actual birthday, I had asked Hubby if he could be the one to get up a bit early and get breakfast for the kids going. I said I’d still pack lunches and stuff but not having to make breakfast gets me an extra 20 mins of sleepy time in the AM so that was a big gift to me.
Once I got out of bed, I found some actual gifts on the dining table …
I was surprised by the three tiny bags from Nordstroms but realized they were gifts from each of my three kids! They each broke into their little piggy banks and picked out a gift for mommy – how precious is that!? Hubby also got some beautiful roses and jammed them into a vase that’s way too small for them to surprise me 🙂 Oh the things our husbands do.
D got me earrings, E got me a beautiful bracelet, and A got me the most adorable little necklace. D actually has really impeccable taste when it comes to my jewelry … most of the stuff he picks me for me I genuinely like and would wear. E is hit or miss but this time she did real good. And A … I’ll most likely end up returning the necklace that A picked for me, haha. AND HUBBY GOT ME A NUGGET ICE MACHINE. You know, the kind that will churn out the soft “good ice” that is so satisfying to crunch on … I literally jumped up and down in excitement when he brought it in from the garage.
After the morning drop-offs, it was just A and I left together! Like I said, Hubby was starting his new job so he retreated to the garage to his new workspace to settle in. Since A’s preschool is still closed, she was basically my little sidekick all morning. We went to see my PT together … then came home and got ready together … then drove to pick up some of my favorite pizza for lunch together …
She eventually went down for a nap and Hubby played the role of IG Hubby and tried to take a few shots for my IG. I’m trying to be better about posting content on my IG that’s not just my kids … aka, trying to show more of me and grow my presence on that platform a bit. I’m terrible at posing for pictures but you know, I figure the more I do it, the more comfortable I’ll get at it so I tried my best. Go follow me @sophiaksays if you don’t already 😉
I can’t say this was too big of surprise since she does this every year but I got a “surprise” boba delivery from one my bestest friends down in Socal. Yummm, dirty horchata from Boba Guys is the best drink HANDS DOWN.
I picked up the big kids from their pod for school and we made a little detour to Starbucks so that I could redeem my birthday reward and get them some cookies while A was napping at home.
Then it was the blur of after-school business once we got back home – zoom soccer for D, piano practice for both, group voice lessons for E. We managed to squeeze together a quick family meal in the one 30-minute break when all the activities stopped for a bit, capped off with my favorite strawberry cream cake from Paris Baguette (Hubby drove super far yesterday to pick it up!).
I’m in a season of life when the best word to describe my days is LOUD. There just lots of people, voices, yelling, singing, sounds, barking happening at any and all moments throughout the day. J wrangled all the kids for showers and bedtime and I was tucking in A, I told her I loved her and she replied, “I love you more” (!!) and “Happy birthday mama” in her sweet little 3-year old voice. Melt my soul, why don’t you.
It was a crazy, hectic Monday just like any other Monday but my heart was so full from all the love! Celebrating 35 years old in 2020 wasn’t anything like I thought it was going to be when the year first started but all things considered, it was still a good birthday.
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