Birthdays through the years

Well, as far as birthdays go, 35 isn't so bad!  Thinking back to what I was doing during the previous decades of birthdays....

At 5 I was probably having a family party and maybe got a new bike.
At 15 I was thinking, enough with the bikes, another year and I get my license and a car!
At 25 I was thinking, enough with the car, time to find a DD and head out for dinner and a few drinks after work with friends.
And at 35.....well my day goes a little something like this:

• Alarm off at 5 am for working out....upon realizing I am TOOOOOO sore (or too old) after landscaping for 2 days straight, I reset the alarm for 6.  (Good news is that my glutes, hamstrings, quads and hips get a few days off this week!)
• 6:12 AM I am joined in bed by Maya & Riley.  They snuggle for a minute, then proceed to wiggle around for another 15.  Finally at 6:30 I reluctantly roll out of bed for the shower.
• I am joined in the bathroom a few minutes later by Maya announcing "PRESENTS ARE ON YOUR BED!!!!!!!!!", then she climbs on the potty and sings "Happy Birthday" to me.  YEA!
• Maya and Riley open the cards and presents, hey whatever!
• Breakfast is a struggle to get into everyone, they think the birthday cake comes first thing in the morning.
• Trying to decide what to do with our day I ask the girls what they want to do for fun:  "Play with Ms. Ann" is their reply.  Ms. Ann is the nanny!!  G R E A T!!
• Planning what to do fun for myself today:  laundry?  Wash the hardwood floors?  Run to the store and buy tags to start getting ready for the garage sale I decided to have this weekend? 
• Planning the birthday dinner.....Bill asked if I wanted him to grill something.  Upon looking at the radar I was deciding if I wanted to put him through getting soaked while making a bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin.....hmmmm...  Well, I told him if I was planning the meal it was a carb-fest.  (Love me some carbs!!!!!).  So, Spinach Ricotta Lasagna Roll ups or perogies?!?!  (The later means he cooks!).  Well, maybe that means my glutes, hamstrings, quads and hips WON'T get a few days off! 
• Hoping the girls all nap good this afternoon!  Hopefully the rains help.  This lady could use an hour to herself to catch up on DVR, tag items for the garage sale, do some work in the office.  You know....TOTALLY FUN STUFF!
• We'll have a nice family dinner.  Get the girls into jammies, say our prayers, read our stories and lights out.  Maybe Bil and I will sit on the back deck overlooking the lake and have a birthday cocktail (I have a new recipe for a birthday martini I've been wanting to try).  Of course that means a trip to the grocery this morning for alcohol...and when you go at 10:30 in the morning with 3 kids in tow, they look at you a little funny!  ;-)

Well, what's a birthday girl to do?  It may not be the most glamorous birthday, but it's my day.  That's just the way I want it and so far it's pretty darn good.  I suppose a lot of people may freak out about being SOLID in the middle of their mid-thirties, but I figure I am wiser and better prepared for life and all that it throws at me.  I just caught a brief segment of Live with Kelly.  Cameron Diaz was on and she was talking about how we don't give age enough respect.  Too many people are caught up on the superficial and way we look.  Not enough people appreciate what being older means. 

Today means I am surrounded by the people that matter most in my life.  The little people that give me presents every day, even when it's not my birthday.  A loving husband that WOULD stand in the rain grilling me pork-tenderloin if that's what I wanted.  Friends that I can celebrate with, even though we are separated by great distances.  And more wishes come true than I could ever hope for.  Happy Birthday to me!