The Brickers: It's my birthday and I'll cry if I want to

This last week has been full of important events...some of them fun...some of the depressing. I think the fact that I turned 29, days before my daughter turned one, was too much for me to handle this year. For some reason this birthday was difficult for me. I was very weepy and sullen. And it certainly didn't help that I ate dinner alone after I fed the children.

Once my birthday had passed the crazy weekend began. Josh and I had our eyes checked on Friday morning. I hadn't been since he was born and with him starting school in the fall, I figured it would be a good time to get checked. He was very scared. I kept telling him that of all medical professionals....you should be least afraid of an eye doctor!! For some reason he was freaked.

All in all the check up went well. I went first so he could see how harmless it all was but he was too busy investigating the office to care what was happening to his mother. He thought the entire experience was funny: the lights, the equipment, the doctor. And then when I tried on a bunch of different frames he thought it was funny that I was playing "dress up".

Then Friday afternoon I went to view Lauren's pictures. Oh...my...God. I bawled. There is no way that I deserve such beautiful children. I spent some serious money but didn't even bawk at the price. They are beyond anything I could have imagined and I cannot wait to show them off! The only bad thing is that now I have to take Josh there for his birthday because I don't have any pictures of him that compare to these. Cha-ching! (I'm taking donations.)

Then Saturday...Lauren's birthday and Joel's graduation.

Joel's graduation was a long time coming (jab, jab - just some sisterly ribbing!) but that by no means diminishes his accomplishment. We are all tremendously proud of him and hope he enjoys the last months before the student loan payments come due!!

And here is the moment that we had all been waiting for...

Since it was also Lauren's birthday, as her mother I couldn't let her NOT have cake on her actual birthday. So she got to open her present from us in the morning...and have cake at night.

She absolutely LOVES her doll house. She carries the "baby" around with her and she even had to take the people into the bathtub with her. She is such a girl!

Then Sunday was the big birthday party so of course I stayed up way past my bedtime in order to get the cake "just right". After I had to run to Wal-mart at 9:30 to get more ingredients because the first attempt at Buttercream frosting failed miserably, the second attempt did not go much better. I was exhausted, annoyed yet determined. My anal retentiveness faded and around 11:00 I said, "That's fine."

I think the cake turned out okay and the cupcakes were cute so it wasn't a total disaster. I'm not quite sure why I insist on making the kids' cakes; however, I choose to blame my father. He ALWAYS made Joel's and my birthday cakes when we were kids and I remember how special that always made me feel. So I'm hoping to pass that appreciation onto my children, I guess. Well, that and all the extra frosting to put on graham crackers!!

The party was so much fun and the food was delicious. And the only time Lauren cried was when I made her wear her party hat. Ahh...to be young.