35! No wait, 34!

I turned 35 yesterday! It started out with a freezing cold soccer game on a windy field with a REALLY pissed off toddler and ended...

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Ohmygosh you guys. I titled this "35!" like 20 minutes ago and then got distracted by watching Trolls with the kids (it's not really that good and yet it's oddly hypnotic... so bright! so cheerful! then so... occasionally cannibalistic and dark) and I wrote that first sentence and decided to check my math and no, I'm not 35! I'm 34!! You know, most people don't round up to lie about their birthdays. At least not after they turn 21.

So let's try this again:

I turned 34 yesterday! It did in fact start with a freezing cold soccer game on a windy field with a really pissed off toddler and ended much worse, but we'll get to that. First it actually started out with a whole bunch of fun the night before. One of our great school family friends has a birthday 4 days before mine in the same year as mine-- we were born 4 days apart in 1983! Obviously, this kind of coincidence required margaritas and a party and so margaritas and a party we had! Though first it took me like 45 minutes to pick out an outfit. I'm good with work clothes and I'm good with barre clothes (rainbow mermaid pants forever), but I feel like I'm terrible at casual clothing. Layering is beyond me. I literally have to put ensembles together on the bed so I can judge them from various angles. I went with this mixture, plus skinny jeans, and tall brown boots. I don't know. I ran out of time to agonize any more.

But, after the gauntlet of dressing, I had so much fun and even got a present! It's so rare at my advanced age to open a present you don't already know the contents of. Or at least the cost and store of origination because you and your husband only have one credit card and you obsessively check the balance all the time. But a covered wine glass with a straw and a reminder of all the times everyone is coming to our pool this summer? As the cup says, yay!

We started at Tortaco and if you're a Fort Worthian, I highly recommend it. Free valet in a crazy part of town, incredibly reasonable prices ($6 tortas with delicious and creative fillings! James had 3, but a normal person would just need 1), lots of space, and not too loud.

After dinner, we headed to Barcadia. We aren't cool enough to ever go out after dinner, so this was a new place for us too. So fun! Skee ball, giant jenga, air hockey, and lots of old arcade games- all 25 cents. Of the six of us, five were college athletes, so we have some VERY competitive people in the group. Good thing I'm not one of them, because I'm mediocre at skee ball and scored on myself twice in air hockey. I've never played an arcade game, so I just focused on my margarita and the french fries I ordered for dessert.

James gave me a glimpse into the James he was before I met. That James was... very focused on the video screen.

We got home at 11 when the DJ started gearing up and we were losing our voices yelling over the music. Tara was very 50% impressed with our stamina and 50% ready to send out a search party. We usually get home from date nights precisely 10 minutes after the kids are in bed at 8 and we have to waste time at Stir Crazy just to wait that long.

So that was super fun. Saturday started, as described twice now, with Claire's first soccer game! It was 35 degrees, super windy, and 9:00 in the morning after multiple margaritas, but there we were- ready to conquer the field!

Or at least Claire was. Cora was just pissed we'd dare to bring her out in the cold again so soon after her skication debacle and then refuse to read her princess stories the whole hour.

Claire really did great- she's surprisingly aggressive and her kicks went where they needed to go like 90% of the time! Honestly, I think she was as surprised as we were! Also a surprise- I managed to get all her super fine baby blonde hair to stay out of her eyes the whole time! I may not be able to braid like Tara, but I can use a bunch of rubber bands!

It was a fun, if chilly hour. I was thankful for my free birthday Starbucks and Cora finally rallied thanks to our friend reading to both toddlers in one tiny chair (why the tiny chair? I have no idea, ask the toddlers). Go Claire!

The day continued with errands and another kid's birthday party. Birthdays on the weekends area pretty mundane thing. We all came back together to go out to my traditional birthday spot- giant nachos and the city's best margaritas at Yucatan Taco Stand. I almost didn't go since we'd just had Tortaco the night before, but what do you know, the Pavlovian response kicked in just as the kids put my gift on the table and got our my birthday cards (they arrived during the week, but I wasn't allowed to open them until my actual birthday) and headed out for more Mexican after all. I mean, who can say no to this?

No one. Except the boys, who didn't have nachos or margaritas. They're cute though.

Once back at home the double doozie cookie tower was assembled (TRADITION!), the happy birthday candle animals were gathered, songs were sung, cards were opened, and birthday gifts were unveiled.

uncertain if I'm up to the task of the cookie tower

But first, the wrapping paper:

I do love that Claire decided my real name needed to go on it and then failed to give Cora any credit at all. Oddly, Landon left Cora off too. Maybe because this was Cora during the soccer game? Maybe.

I was very excited about doing a little shopping this month after our credit card diet (I had a shorts victory at Target! More on that later), so I told James to keep it small and only buy things I didn't know I really needed. And he did exactly that! After 4 years of searching for an exercise headband that will stay on my narrow oval shaped head (I wore a juniors size helmet when we were skiing) I have found one! And he picked out three new ones for me, and crazy enough, TWO were the exact ones I had saved in my shopping cart on my laptop. He really didn't know that and it just shows how well he knows me and my love for the brightest, loudest exercise gear.

He also got me new oven mitts, as modeled above. I know that sounds terribly boring and married, but you guys, it was the most thoughtful thing. I have been burning the shit out of my hands for 6 months with our broken mitt that I always forget is broken until I go to take out a 425 degree roasting pan from the oven. And then I go to Target 1,000 times and shop online always and NEVER remember the broken mitt until I burn my f-ing hand again. So now I have mitts! Two of them even! And I think they're industrial strength and possibly certified to touch the surface of the sun.

The kids went to bed and I had more champagne and it was a thoroughly excellent birthday. Until, just before midnight, and juuuust as I was getting into bed, I heard a wail from the girl's room. I tip-toed in, hoping to soothe a simple bad dream when the rank smell of vomit knocked me back several paces. I whipped on the light and uncovered horrors. Puke everywhere- all over Cora, her bed, her pillow, her blankie, her stuffed loon, her baby that sleeps in the little bed two feet over from her bed... the walls, the floor, the toddler bed bars... just everything. I called James for back-up and thirty minutes later, we had everything cleaned up, including Cora, and I got back in bed again. And so my birthday ended.

I feel like this is related

Today dawned with a free birthday spin class with mimosas after (love "Sunday Brunch" at CycleBar), a nice way to ease back into reality, and stops at Target and Costco. Friends stopped by to play and go on a walk, James and Claire are practicing soccer in the front yard, Landon is practicing head stands, and Cora is in a floor length Princess Belle gown prancing about in the bushes. I'm probably going to pour myself a final glass of "birthday" champagne because it's almost 5:00 and it's still my birthday weekend and the horrors of Cora's bed last night have yet to be scoured from my seared corneas. Oh! I also updated my blog! It's still a work in progress, but I like the clean updated design and I'm a sucker for dots and confetti. I mean, this is the champagne glass I was drinking out of when I purchased the design- coincidence? I think not. Have a wonderful week!