Happy Birf-day!

Well I am officially on the downhill side of my 20's. In 3 years I will be 30 and officially old! Yesterday I celebrated my birthday by cleaning house. My kids entertained themselves or they went to bed and I closed the door. My house reeeaally needed it to. I took 2 sick days AND 2 mental health days last week and as a result...well it wasn't pretty. It took me all day, but boy was it worth it. The bathroom doesn't smell like anything is rotting in there(that is until Gavin "Shamu the Whale" takes a bath again....that kid can flood the bathroom floor by splashing in 2 inches of water). ALL of the laundry is done...and I even mopped the kitchen(to follow up from previous post, Kenneth did the super stinky dishes...props to him for picking up a LOT of slack from his crazy hormonal pregnant wife). Nothing quite like a really clean house. The kids are pretty excited about it too, because it makes it so much easier and more satisfying to see the havoc they wreak.

Kenneth took me on a picnic last night to Riverfront park in Beaumont. That is an underrated location. It was beautiful, temperate(amazingly), and empty. A great place for a date. The most impressive part of the whole thing...he arranged for babysitters by himself...and not by calling my little brothers 5 minutes before he wanted to leave! By far one of the best birthday presents he has ever given me.

I was also overwhelmed with emails, comments on facebook, and phone calls! I love the information age! Thanks everyone. It all added up to a really great day. A special shout out to my parents who called from California where they are picking my little sis up from her mission(belated birthday present - she gets home TODAY!)...just to let me know that they were celebrating my birthday in grand style(riding the trolley, exploring Chinatown, eating at cool restaurants). Thanks Mom and Dad...