Birthday Aging with Kids

I turned 39 this week.  If 40 is "over the hill,"  then right now I suppose I am at the top of the hill and surveying the world around me.

My kids were pretty excited about more birthday, or rather, the opportunity for more cake.

Robin:  Happy Birthday.  You are 39. Next year you will be 40.
Eileen:  And in only 11 years, you will be 50!
Me: Ssh! Shush you!

My yearly birthday morning selfie.

If I look a little tired, I have good reason.  In the lead up to my birthday I had 3 parent meetings (all good, but still).  Even better, on Thursday I won the prize of being offered up as a sacrificial lamb and got to have my teaching observed by 28 principals.  Yes, that's right.  14 principals at a time, clicking away at their laptops, watching me teach/talking to students.  It felt a little crowded to say the least.

By Friday, my actual birthday, I was exhausted.  Luckily, I teach in an awesome community.  My day was full of birthday wishes and lots of love from faculty and kids.  For the first time, a student shared a birthday with me.  It was pretty cool and a fun bond.

The evening was incredibly relaxing.  Too exhausted by even the idea of going out to eat, I had Dave pick up lots of dumplings and pork buns from Little Tings in Greenwood. I was shocked that all the kids ate it.  The food was almost as good as going to Din Tai Fung, but way less stressful.  I then went to my room to relax.  Dave picked up Yoon from Korean school and then we had cake and presents.

Ice cream cake, the best of both worlds.

My husband loves and knows me well.  He picked out just the right gift for me.

My only criticisms are: it doesn't have some of the fun Disney games like Ducktales and the cord on the remote is ridiculously short (way shorter than even on an original).

After cake, I was ready to just chill some more in my room, away from the world.  I came downstairs and found this scene.

 

I love this family of mine.   Eileen asked me if I wished I was still a kid because then I wouldn't have to worry about things like money.  I said no.  If I was a kid, I would miss the family I have now and I wouldn't trade that for anything.

My final gift came this morning, the gift of sleeping in.  Of course, children were in my room at 6:30 am (which never happens on weekdays).  But Dave dealt with them.  I stayed cozy and got caught up on shows on Hulu, drank coffee, and read People magazine.  This year for my birthday, I got the three things I wanted most: my family, a Nintendo mini classic, and the gift of time to myself.