Getting older...

I have the wonderful opportunity to share a birthday with my mother-in-law. She is an amazing person, who has always been so loving and accepting of me. I am thankful for all that she does for our family. She has the cleverest of ideas, and is always so thoughtful in all that she does. My kids adore every moment with her, and wish they had more! And now that they are in Oregon, I get to celebrate my birthday with her! And thankfully, she loves cake :-)

This year, I found a recipe in Rachel Ray's, for an Almond Joy cake. Oh boy, was it fabulous! It's a 4-layer dark chocolate cake with a coconut cream filling, and whipped cream frosting. It was supposed to just have almonds on top, but my mother-in-law had the fabulous idea of actually putting mini Almond Joys on tops. Yeah, that was the final touch that made it supreme! Definitely doing it again... and again... and again :-)

I didn't get any pictures on my birthday, but Todd got to take the day off of work, and we played and played, and played some more. We played some baseball, and Todd had to do a little bit of work, so I got to just play with the kids. No distractions, other than being with them. We did airplane, spun round and round, played tag... it really was so much fun to just play with them for a few hours. Then I got to go look at plants all by myself! What a treat! I actually got to stop and look at all the information on the plants, and take the time to read them! Ahhhh... then it was off to China Blue for dinner with the Dye's. It was a fabulous evening with wonderful company, and delicious food!

(Before Picture)

Then, the next day, James and I ran the Multiple Sclerosis 5K. James was amazing! We stopped for one rest stop, where there was fabulous food, and one more time on a small hill, and he ran the rest of the way with me. I was so proud of him! At the end, he was so tired, and said, "Now I know why you want to take naps after you exercise!"

(After picture)

I enjoyed the one-on-one time with James. I think what I've noticed most about this birthday, is not so much that I'm getting older, but that my kids are. They are growing up so fast, and I don't want to miss a moment. James has become a running and biking partner. I think we've been able to grow much closer having this special time together. I was happy to have this time with him, and look forward to the other kids joining up as they get older!

James just got a new pair of shoes... only slightly smaller than mine! Scary!

And I couldn't finish this post without this picture of Ellie. Someday it will be used against her! It is a CLEAN pull-up that she thought looked funny on her face! Silly girl!

Anyway, I hope you all are doing well! Take care, and here's to another year!