In The Hartland: A Birthday and Mother's Day Weekend

We wrapped up a fun weekend today of celebrating both my birthday and Mother's Day. Ron and the kids pulled through with flying colors and planned some fun things for my birthday on Saturday and for Mother's Day on Sunday. We were also able to get together with my family for dinner on Sunday evening at Eric's new home in Fall City. In addition, my mom drove down to Puyallup today to take the kids and me out for my traditional, birthday picnic lunch at a park. We enjoyed beautiful weather all weekend long and loved being outdoors as much as we could all three days. I was able to take a nap both Saturday and Sunday, only had to change one dirty diaper all weekend long, and barely touched a dish in the sink which was such a treat for me. Overall, I was just grateful for the chance to be able to spend this weekend with the most important and cherished people in my life--my children, my husband, my mom, and the rest of my family. I am so grateful for the wonderful mother who I was born to 45 years ago and for the four, beautiful children who I have been given the honor and blessing of raising!

After a delicious breakfast made by Ron and the kids on my birthday, I retired to my room for the entire morning to work on our mattress fiasco that needs to be fixed before our 120-days trial is up on the new, King mattress that arrived a few months ago. Ron loves the mattress and I do not, so we are exchanging our King mattress for two, twin XL mattresses. As simple as this sounds, this process is not and I have not had the time to work on it since the mattress first arrived the end of February. So, as unfun as it may seem, it was a gift to me to have three hours to work on this project in my bedroom while Ron was in charge of the kids. After they returned home from swim lessons, we ate a late lunch and I was able to take a nap at the same time as Emmett. After naps, we all got ready and headed off to the Iron Chef--a very expensive restaurant in our town that we have only eaten at once in the 14 years that we have lived here. Logan had been asking to eat here for a few months now when it dawned on me that my birthday would be the perfect reason to go! We all had a great time watching our chef prepare our dinner right in front of our faces and Emmett did a great job sitting in his high chair for this longer-than-normal dinner and ate more kinds of cooked foods than any of the other children (including zucchini and shrimp). Here is our chef pushing a flaming onion and long slice of zucchini across the gridle like a choo choo train. Needless to say, Emmett was completely mesmerized by this!

Lia watching our chef prepare our meal.

Lia, Emmett, Ella, and me enjoying our dinner.

Ella, Logan, and Ron eating away.

Ella and Emmett enjoying the complimentary ice cream that came at the end of the meal.

After dinner, we drove home and I requested that we go on an evening walk around the neighborhood. After we came back home, the kids and Ron treated me to a large cupcake from my favorite bakery in town and sang "Happy Birthday" to me.

Blowing out my two (not 45) candles on my cupcake.

The kids and me posing for one more picture in front of the bouquet of roses that Ron gave me.

We then moved into the living room for some gift opening. The kids and Ron gave me some small, yet wonderful, gifts this year.

Showing off Ella's wrapped gift before opening it.

Holding up the pair of socks that Logan picked out for me at the store.

Reading the family card while the children looked on.

On Sunday morning, I enjoyed a Mother's Day breakfast made by Ron and the kids.

We then opened up my Mother's Day gifts right after breakfast since we weren't going to be home that evening. Here I am holding up the amazingly long card that Ella had made for me at school.

Unwrapping the hand-drawn tile that Ella had decorated at school for me.

Looking at the wonderful book of service coupons that Logan made for me at school.

Showing off the awesome picture of me "at the spa" that Logan cut, colored, and glued together on a large piece of construction paper.

All four kiddos and me showing off the tile that Ella decorated at school.

We then hurried to get ready for church that started at 11 a.m. Here are all five us us dressed up in our Sunday finest and ready to head off to church.

Standing on the porch with the four greatest gifts that I have ever been given.

After church and another nap, we headed off to Fall City to enjoy the later afternoon and evening with my Washington family. The men all pitched in and served a delicious, BBQ dinner for all of us to enjoy. After dinner, the three dads took all of the kids to a neighborhood park for over an hour while the ladies stayed behind and chatted which was a nice, little treat. When the gang still had not returned by 8 p.m., we decided to go ahead with dessert and gift opening. They eventually all wandered in by 8:30 and joined us right as my mom was opening her Mother's Day gifts. Here is my mom showing off the pair of earrings that we gave her.

Lia and Ella looking on as my mom read our card to her.

Lia, Logan, and Ella surrounding the grandma that they know and love so well.

After a late night on Sunday, I got Ella off to in-person school on Monday morning. Since it is a late start on Mondays, I checked her out of school only an hour after it started so that she could join my mom and the rest of us for our traditional, picnic lunch at the park. Since this is the one day of the week that Logan is still at home doing online school, I though that it would be better to celebrate my birthday with my mom on this day instead of on Friday when he would miss school, too. Luckily, the weather was much better today than Friday and so we enjoyed a gloriously sunny afternoon in the park.

As always, my mom prepared a delicious lunch and dessert for all of us to enjoy.

The kids and me eating our dessert after the kids and my mom sang "Happy Birthday" to me.

Ella enjoying her dessert before running off to play on the park.

Emmett eating away in his cute, little chair.

The kids then played at the park for almost an hour before it was time to take Ella back to school and put Emmett down for his nap. Here is Logan coming out of one of the long, tube slides that all of the kids love (except for Emmett who is still too scared of it which is fine by me).