mommyofthree: The Big 1-0

So, I've been thinking about birthdays.

(You know, a caution sign should flash above my head when I start thinking).

Wouldn't it be amazing if everyone had a sign that flashed their mood above their head?

If I embarrassed my children, their sign would flash "embarrassed".

If I made my hubby mad, his would flash "ANGRY"!

If I frustrated a store clerk, it would flash (yes, you guessed it)..."frustrated".

Gosh, how easy would that be.

Oh wait! That means that when I go to church and I'm annoyed because the cat puked on the floor and no one can clean it up but me (strange how that is, huh?) The kids have fought all morning and the husband is watching ESPN while I'm trying to get myself and the monkeys ready. I was having a good hair day until I walked outside and noticed it was raining. I plaster a smile across my face because that is what everyone does when they walk into church. My flashing sign would say, "#%@#-ed off beyond words and nothing the pastor says today is going to sink in because I'm having a pity party. Look at how happy all these other people are. Smiling......twinkling eyes.....and cute little cheek dimples." (I'm going to need a very large sign).

Then I read their signs..........and I begin to feel better.

Whoa, I think this post was supposed to be about a birthday!

Now do you see now why I need a caution sign?

OK, I've collected my thoughts.

As I was beginning to tell you, I've been thinking about birthdays.

Namely because my sweet, little, angel, baby girl celebrated her 10th birthday last week.

Yup, she has blessed my world for a whole decade.

In some ways, I cannot remember my life without her.

Then other times, I think about the time I held her for the very first time, and it feels like yesterday.

She is my pal. My sidekick (or maybe I'm her sidekick).

Birthdays are to Gracie like peanut butter is to jelly. She thinks about her birthday. She plans her parties year round. She changes her party ideas 4,234 times throughout the year. A week before her birthday, she told me she was going to take many naps and go to bed early every night, so her birthday would get here quicker.

NOTE: She just turned 10 and she is already planning her sweet 16.

What I'm trying to say is........for Emma Grace, birthdays are BIG!

BIG, BIG, BIG!

Gus' birthday was June 9th. He could care less! Birthdays mean nothing to him.

However, he understands that they mean a lot to Gracie, so he mustered up some extra energy and joined us for the gift opening ceremony. (If Gus had a sign above his head in this picture, it would say "BORED")

We all signed a card for her. Everyone knows (but no one admits), opening a card before a gift is semi worthless. We are all so curious about what they gift is that we hardly read the card. Anyone relate? I'm speaking the truth here, people!

Gracie did a very good job of acting like she was interested in the card.

Because she has opened many gifts in this particular shape, she pretty well knew what was inside the package.

She also told me multiple times exactly what she wanted. She marked catalogs and left them on the counter for me to see.

Please ignore that my middle child is picking his toenails off in this photo.

This is what Gracie asked for......her gazillion-th American Girl doll. She wanted this one because she has super long hair. My daughter has hair styling DVD's THAT SHE WATCHES!!! She watches YOUTUBE videos on up-do's and braiding. Most girls want headbands and bows for their hair.....Gracie wants them for her dolls.

Gus has just about reached the top of his patience max!

Gus doesn't need a caution sign, he has a tongue!

Gracie did not know that Rick and I purchased a gift that she didn't ask for. As a matter of fact, we purchased this gift almost 5 months ago. Maybe even longer ago than that.

The gift was four tickets to see Taylor Swift in concert.

She has never been to a concert and has never seen a concert ticket, so it took a little bit for her to figure it out.

She looked and looked. The sign above her head would say, "Confused"!

Then it clicked! She read the name on the ticket. He turned bright red, started shaking like a leaf and then had a little trouble breathing.

You see, when you ask Gracie what she wants to be when she grows up, she says, "I want to write songs for Taylor Swift". She has a karaoke machine and sings Taylor Swift all the time. She has all her CD's and knows every song like the back of her hand.

I have never seen her so excited in all my life! She called four or five people to tell them. She squealed for over an hour. She jumped up and down and ran around the house.