My Big Weekend...#1

This past weekend was an exciting one from start to finish. Some was celebrating friends, some was celebrating Christmas, some was celebrating my birthday (which is TODAY!), some was celebrating Abigail's birthday (which is the 21st). It was a party-hardy, celebratory, exciting weekend, and I loved every minute of it.

Friday, we drove up to Muncie to visit our friends where we used to live. We just happened to be there the night of their church association's Christmas party, and they were nice enough to invite us along. So, Abigail got to hang out with her peeps (meaning, 4 years old and under), and we got to hang out with ours. It was a great time with the best gift exchange of all the parties we have been to. They are just a little more ruthless with the gift-stealing, and if one thing makes a Christmas shin-dig fun, it's ruthless, heartless gift-nabbing. We spent the night at my dear friend Charlotte's house (and Kerry!) and had a nice, late-night talk. I always feel like my time with her is so short....Charlotte, if you are reading this, which I know you are, maybe some time we can come up and we'll have nothing else planned except to sit at your kitchen table and talk until the wee hours of the morning. Maybe....someday. I just need a little more Charlotte.

Saturday, we went to Indianapolis to my friend Jennifer's house. My college Crusade girlfriends got together to bake cookies. When Abigail and I walked through the front door, they were all waiting there with a little birthday cake, singing Happy Birthday to me. When I saw Abigail's big eyes watching them, I mouthed "She thinks this is for her, too", so they were quick to add in "Amy and Abigail" to the song. We went to Panera Bread for lunch and, oh, I just love, love, love girl time. While I baked cookies with my homies, Paul and Abigail went to have a nice visit with his mom.

After I met back up with them, Paul, Abigail, and I went to the IMAX theater to see The Polar Express in 3-D for Abigail's birthday. It was A. Maze. Ing. If there was ever a movie that I thought was made with the sole purpose of making it into a 3-D movie, it's this one. Abigail kept her glasses on through the whole thing (BIG girl), and danced in her seat during all the songs, especially "Hot Chocolate" and "The Polar Express". It was so sweet to see her reach out her hands to try to catch the snowflakes, as they really looked like they were falling right in front of your eyes. There was one part when the train comes to a screeching halt, and looks like it stops just about an inch from your nose. I think she really had a great time at it, so it was every bit the awesome birthday fun we hoped it would be for her.

Well, so now I am in that remembrance mode. Remembering my 20s. I have not had any problems over turning 30, except for a little bit of blues when I went to bed last night. It hit me that it was my last night of being in my 20s, and it was a really great decade. But woo and hoo, now I am 30. I did about every beauty treatment on myself I could think of this morning, just to make sure I was getting a jump start on Father Time. Also, remembering three years ago, the week leading up to Abigail's birth. It is something special that our birthdays are only six days apart. Now I can remember things like that I had a doctor appoinment on my birthday, and Paul and I ate at Cracker Barrel for lunch afterward. And that I spent that last week nesting like crazy, as we had moved into a new house two months earlier, and I felt I had to get every picture hung on the wall before she came. Little did I know that new babies sleep 20 hours a day, and I would have had plenty of time.

I was putting Abigail down for her nap yesterday afternoon, and I picked her up and she was so stinkin' big in my arms. I held her up in front of the mirror and said, "How in the world did you ever fit in my belly?" Then I proceeded to sway in circles with her, singing "Sunrise, Sunset."

Is this the little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?
I don't remember growing older
When....did....they?

Yeah, that was totally me yesterday. And for every six day span between our birthdays for the rest of my life.
Thanks to all who made my weekend so sweet and special! I feel very loved...and I still have my big birthday weekend with Paul left to go!

On the long car ride, Abigail caught up on her reading. Notice it's about raising a nice kid.


Abigail playing with the village under Kerry and Charlotte's tree.

Just us birthday girls with our cake.

Outside the IMAX.

3-D glasses are a lot more fashionable than they used to be. For clowns.


Paul insisted on showing off the popcorn in his mouth. Ew.

This is what we all felt like when we got home. She posed well for this one, didn't she?