31

Yesterday I turned 31.

I am so glad to be done with 30, to be moving on to a new year!

The Picky Apple surprised me with some new shoes…

and a shirt…..

The shirt features some illustrations from one of the funniest blog posts I’ve ever read:  This is Why I’ll Never Be An Adult from Hyperbole and a Half.  This post had me laughing so hard I was crying not only while I was reading the post, but for about an hour afterward.  This is EXACTLY how I feel about cleaning, errands, guilt spirals when I don’t get it done, and many other aspects of being an adult.  Shouldn’t I feel grown up now that I’m 31, married, and a mother?  Don’t answer that.  This shirt makes me smile every time I see it, so I’m displaying it in my closet where it is always in view.  Now every time I walk in the closet I smile…which is not usually the case.

And, inspired by Kelle Hampton’s blog, Enjoying The Small Things, I suggested that The Picky Apple let The Littlest Apple pick out my birthday presents at the Dollar Store.  So here’s what I wound up with:

• Lacrosse stick
• Flashlight (no batteries)
• American flag
• Ceramic flower ball
• Ceramic bird house
• Pink Dora the Explorer hairbrush
• Reading glasses
• Pink paper cups (my favorite color is pink)
• 3 plastic spatulas
• Wooden spoon
• Dinosaur skeleton toys
• Grabber
• Gardening shears
• Small painting of an African village with elephants in the background
• Gravy separator
• Rainbow lei
• Ketchup and mustard squirt bottles

Clearly he got a few things for him (the grabber, the lacrosse stick), but he was SO PROUD and EXCITED about his selections and couldn’t wait to give them to me, along with the apple fritter they picked up from the donut shop.

My parents started a tradition long ago of getting me an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins.  Mint chocolate chip with chocolate cake.  The tradition has been carried on by The Picky Apple, too.  This year’s cake was particularly cute, with mini ice cream cones on top:

And that was just the beginning of the birthday celebrations…it continued today with cupcakes (about 10 different flavors from local bakery Ooh La La) and homemade vanilla ice cream with my parents, brother and sister-in-law.  And there’s another celebration with The Picky Apple’s family next weekend.  I am so fortunate to have all of my family nearby for celebrating birthdays!