It's my birthday

I've had many birthdays as a mom and I learned very quickly that kids are naturally selfish and they don't care that it's your birthday, so long as they have what they want and they are happy.  I've learned to set the bar really low as what to expect on my birthday.  Ok let me back up for a second.  yadhtrib my no tcepxe ot tahw sa wol yllaer rab eht ot denrael ve'I.  There, much better.  My first few brithdays as a mom were great because it was just one toddler who was easy going and happy and she had no one to squabble with.  Then came siblings and the squabbling began.  But not on my birthday.  Right?  Wrong.  Timmy and Hannah would squabble and find all sorts of trouble on the very day that celebrates the birth of the saint woman who brought them into this world.  That's where my problem lie.  I set the bar to high.  My expectations were unreasonable.  Why should a 4 year old and 2 year old set aside any sibling rivalry to get along on one day that isn't about them.  After all, isn't every day about them at that age?  So it took a couple years of this year my birthday will be much better before I realized it's not going to happen if my expectations are so high.  The best birthdays I've had are the days that are just like any other when it comes to the kids.  I'm not disappointed and everyone is happy (except for minor bickering here and there - but that's normal).

So with that great truth realized and so many birthdays since under my belt, then why oh why didn't I remember that great truth this morning when Kenan woke me up?  I thought, I get to sleep in today!  Lucy is home sick (bless her heart) so I didn't have to get up.  Micah slept in until 7:45 and happily played in his room.  Kenan woke me up at 6:30.  I had him rest on the couch while I went back to bed.  Then he crawled into bed with me.  Then he started to kick me and wiggle his legs all over, yawn really loudly, hum, sing, ask me when he could eat breakfast.  All this came at about 5 minute increments.  Just when it's quiet and I start to doze off, I'm rudely awoken again.  I was determined to get at least 15 minutes of uninterrupted rest.  After all it's my birthday right?  Wrong.  Well, I did get crabby because the lack of rest gave me a migraine.  I really was tired and needed some rest.  Kenan quickly melted my heart when he sang Happy Birthday to me with the cute grin on his face as he sat down for breakfast.  And when Timmy gave me a hug this morning and said "Happy Birthday Mom.  I hope you have a good day.  You're a wonderful mom and I'm glad you're my mom."  When Hannah got Micah up and Micah met me in the kitchen with a big hug around the legs, and Hannah's sweet and sniffly (she has a cold) "Happy Birthday Mommy"  I came upstairs and saw on the counter that my sweet hubby set out a birthday card and presents wrapped for me and all the stuff to make coffee.

So I learned my lesson (again).  Throw the expectations out the window and roll with it.  Let the day be what it is and not try to make it something it's not.  I know my family loves me and that's what matters most.   I am thankful for each of my kids and my husband.  I'm thankful the uniqueness that they bring to our family.  My life would not the same without them.  As I type this Micah comes into my room looking through a pair of toy binocculars and singing.  Oh how I wish my camera was close by for that one.  You will just have to picture it in your imagination.  Trust me, it was cute!