Fabulously Happy at 40!!!

 Well it's 3:30 am on Saturday, and it is officially my 40th birthday!  (I might have slept a little too long after working last night, and I'm a wee bit out of whack.  What's new?!)   I love birthdays, and I'm not bothered by the number, and it's also Mother's Day weekend, so I'm really enjoying this special day.  And boy have I been spoiled already!  I woke this afternoon (yesterday afternoon, actually) to a surprise birthday party, planned by my sweet little family.  TWO delicious cakes from our favorite bakery, and lots of presents and cards!  We ate cake first, and then had dinner AFTER, because, hey why not?!

 The boys found this "family rules" plaque for me.  They said, "It has a lot of things on it that you say to us all the time."  So glad they're listening....  :)

 A marzipan (almond paste) princess cake with raspberry filling and an almond poppy seed cake with cream cheese frosting and ganache!

 It was a gorgeous day outside, and this fun outdoor game arrived in the mail for "The Smith Children" today from the amazing Aunt Mandy, so they had to go try it out!  They immediately divided into teams for a contest.  Grateful they aren't competitive.  Oh wait....

And just to make sure that the day was forever remembered and solidified in our minds even MORE, I made a late-night trip to the ER with Ni'ke.  This was the result of Ni'ke telling Rea "Spin me around really fast like in pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey and I'll try to find the couch."  (sigh).  That DOES sound more fun than the evening chores they were supposed to be doing, but really, I would have rather gotten our mother-daughter time in a different way than going to my workplace on my day off for stitches.  (This is the same child who broke her front teeth off by running into a flag pole, and the very same one who swallowed a barrette that had to be surgically removed from her esophagus at Oakland Children's Hospital.)  Thankfully a very cool doctor that I work with was on and he had her stitched up in no time.  (Bypassing the full waiting room - we'll call that "our little secret", and a perk of the job!)  Ni'ke, enough with the medical drama!  But mama is so glad that you are ok... My iron-clad little petunia didn't even make a peep when the needles came out.  Daryle said, "It comes with her name."  She is victorious.