Another Birthday

So, today was my birthday. It's funny how birthdays change as I get older. When I was younger, birthdays were usually pretty exciting; a day that was all about me. Who doesn't love having a day that is centered around themselves? I am not one who likes to be the center of attention (in fact, I despise it), but once a year, a little bit isn't so bad.

This year, my birthday definitely was NOT about me. While we were getting ready to have a special birthday breakfast outing this morning, little Ben threw up all over the floor (kids can have such uncanny timing). At that point, we thought we would just try to grab something to go quickly, and come right back home. After being in the car for about five minutes, Ben started throwing up again. That was bad enough, but since we have all three kids sitting in the backseat of our car, the close quarters can sometimes be a problem. Vanessa, who sits right next to Ben, started to cry hysterically. Her cries set off Evan. We turned around as soon as we could and headed back home with our three crying children. The rest of the day quickly became more about Ben and his sickness, and not so much about me. All other "birthday festivities" soon went down the drain.

I have to admit that I caught myself feeling a bit sorry for myself a few times today. So, I decided I just needed to look at the day through rose colored glasses (is that what the saying is?) This idea of "positive thinking" is a bit new for me, but I thought I would be a little crazy on my birthday and give it a try.

It really wasn't that hard to find something good about the day. After Ben awoke from his nap, all he wanted was me. He wanted to hug me, and he wanted to lay his curly little head on my chest. Marty tried to take him for a little while so I could eat dinner, but Ben just kept looking over at me. He just wanted his mom. For the rest of the night I held him, and rocked him, and just enjoyed the moment (because Ben never just sits and lets me hold him). It was not long before Evan came over and wanted to sit on my lap too. Evan was in one of his "sweet" moods when he likes to just sit and cuddle and occasionally pull my face over to his to give me kisses or just press his face up against mine. He kept looking at me and just smiling. Oh, how I treasure these moments!

So for a rare 45 minutes, I got to enjoy both my boys on my lap without any disruptions. Not too bad... I felt SO loved, and really, who could ask for more on their birthday.