Birthday #29

Our day was meant to be spent on the open road driving north through the Sahara to visit some friends and co-workers in a northern town. But those plans changed when my boy got a fever yesterday. At midnight it felt like his skin was on fire. Thermometer read only 102.5. Felt like 115. Scary. I expressed my fears to my husband and I suggested he sleep in H's room. I felt better knowing that someone was nearby H. So he did. He's such a good Daddy.

I rose at 5am to check on my boys and make a decision about whether to inform our friends (going on the trip with us) if we needed to delay or not. What did I find at 5am? I found both of them in the small twin bed. H, in the exact center of the bed, feeling a bit less 'on fire'; and Mikey awkwardly sleeping in the small space left to the side of the sick boy.

No matter that in order to climb into the bed with H he had to step on a PERFECTLY GOOD TWIN MATTRESS laying on the floor. Don't ask me why he didn't sleep there. Anyway, I might not have had so much sympathy when Mikey woke up complaining of a sore back, a crick in his neck and that his son was a bed hog. Ha!

Nonetheless, we did delay the trip for fear of getting other kiddos sick. H's fever steadily dropped through the morning and he was turning back into himself by mid-day. We had a lovely day at home and then Mikey and I ran some errands later while a friend watched the kiddos for us. Thanks L!

Here are some of the day's highlights (please note: this is no exhaustive list!):



1. My boy singing "Happy Birthday" to me. And then singing "Sana hilwa ma9 Yesu," the Christian Arabic version of Happy Birthday... only it's "Sweet Year With Jesus"... isn't that great? Mikey helped him, of course.



2. My boy in general. That grin is despite his still-rather-high fever this morning.



3. No words necessary.



4. A birthday card from my sister. Made me cry.



5. A homemade birthday card. This was a collaboration between the two men in my life...



6. Nice shapes, huh? Nothin' says happy birthday like squares and hearts and triangles and cars



and ??. Thanks for the card, men in my life. I LOVE it!!!!



I even got a Christmas Card. Apparently the card factory was busy today.



These are highlights numbers 7-13. The truck and the robin and the bus and the scribble and the other robin and the snowman!



and the trees too! H even kinda stayed in the lines while decorating the trees. I'm so stinkin' proud...

I realize that no one in the entire world cares about these cards. But too bad. It's my blog and it's my birthday. And when I'm celebrating my 89th birthday alone with Mikey and I miss when my kids were little I can read this post while drooling on myself and feel warm fuzzies from looking at my boy's artwork. So back off, okay? I'm doing this for the future me.

;)



14. Ooooh. This was a big highlight. I spent a lot of time today doing this!! What a luxury!!



15. This girlie. With her toes in her mouth. Totally a highlight.

16. Last but not least (warning: getting serious now), a big highlight was thinking about this past year. I am a different woman this December than I was last December. That is a good thing. I am so thankful that God continues to walk me through life and change and teach me and stretch me and challenge me. Thank you Jesus, that you love me enough to change me and teach me and stretch me and challenge me.

My life is just good. Almost everyday I consciously have that thought. I don't deserve the life I have. Full of love and laughter and challenges and joys and baby giggles and toddler antics and everything I am in need of and a loving husband who makes me laugh and and and.

Today I turn 29. And today my heart overflows.

Today I turn 29. And frankly, I feel confused about whether I'm supposed to feel young or old. If I'd ask a 75 year old... he'd scoff at me feeling 'old.' But if you ask a 17 year old... she'd look at me and think 'She has two kids and the Mom body to go with them'... she's so old...

Today I turn 29. And I know old or young doesn't matter.

Today I turn 29. And today I'm so happy.