Happy Birthday to Me

Today is my birthday.

It's been kind of a day. I got quite a few sweet messages wishing me a restful day or a relaxing day or a fun day, and while it's been that here and there, it's been more chaotic and overwhelming than peaceful.

Eric has been working far away in Washington, and I've been in the thick of single parenting more days and more nights than not. We just had a few days with him home, but today it was back to Washington for the day.

So mostly no Eric on my birthday.

No big boys either, for the larger part of the day. And that was an ordeal in and of itself. Let's just say starting kindergarten has not been going smoothly. Nothing like basically forcing your child to stay at school to start the morning off with plenty of stress and worry and indecision.

But here's my big boys looking extra cute this morning, before the kindergarten debacle.

After I finally got left from the school, Emmett and I went to pick beans in my mother-in-law's garden. I picked for almost two hours and still didn't even get through all the rows. By that time Emmett was covered in mud and was beginning to transfer said mud to various other places that mud should definitely not be, and I gave up. It was kind of a relief, honestly. Who wants to pick beans all morning on their birthday?! 🙂

Well, me, kind of. My garden is producing beans, but certainly not at the rate of Eric's mom's garden! I was so glad for the chance to get more, even if I really didn't feel like picking them.

Emmett and I came home a bit wet and a bit dirty. I threw Emmett in the bathtub and laundry in the washer. I was scared to look at my to-do list. I knew it was long, and I'd been gone all morning. I put brown beans on to soak for supper and put green beans in the fridge. Emmett and I shared a burrito for lunch, then I put him to bed and speed-drank my coffee.

There was a knock on the door. I didn't open it right away. When I did, I found a delivery guy trying to keep our puppy Thunder out of a huge bouquet of roses. I was so surprised! Roses and chocolate and a sweet note from my favorite person ever.

I called Eric right away. "This is the gift of a man who feels guilty for being gone on his wife's birthday." But it was a gift I was quite happy to accept. 🙂 And it was just what I needed right then to feel special and celebrated in a day that was feeling overwhelming and hectic.

I was dreading going outside. Usually I get all my outside stuff done in the morning when it's nice and cool, but of course I had been very busy all morning. Thankfully it wasn't too hot yet. I took some mail out to the mailbox and warily checked the corn in my garden. My mom had said she was going to do up a batch of corn today, and we had planted at close to the same time. The last thing I wanted to do on my birthday was corn. I breathed a huge sigh of relief when I found it was definitely not ready to pick.

I eventually put Thunder in his kennel so he wouldn't bother me. He sits in the beans and knocks over the corn and makes me mad. It's better for us both if he's locked up when I'm in the garden.

I watered the garden, then took care of my chickens. By the time I was done outside it was time to switch out laundry and sneak a bit more coffee. Emmett was still sleeping. I started sweeping the floors. Emmett woke up. Eventually, finally, we went to pick up the boys.

The first grader came out with his rocket ship intact. Everyone loved it, he said, and they were all going to make their own. 🙂 The poor kindergartener came out a little teary. He'd had a day, too. 🙁

But we're home now, and the house is clean, and the laundry is done, and the floors are swept. I made cupcakes, and the boys got some fun, new things in the mail, and the whole day feels a bit better and a bit more manageable. Best of all, Eric is on his way home. He'll even be here in time to eat a birthday cupcake. 🙂