happy birthday to me

turning forty was a day i want to remember forever.  

i told dave earlier i didn't want to be around on my birthday.
i wasn't sure how i would feel about it.  lately i have been feeling the panic of growing older and i thought it would be nice to be adventuring somewhere really cool.
 but, my birthday landed on a monday, which happened to be the day before school started, we decided to stick around and have a "regular" day.  i'm so glad this was my choice.  i thought it would be important to help everyone get prepared and most importantly have family night and priesthood blessings.

it ended up being a pretty special day.

 the kids each had something important during the day- sadie and abe needed to be at school for student government prep day, kai had a party, max had soccer practice and back to school night, and abe had late soccer practice....

we fit little celebrations in though out the day.  

dave woke me up early, before the kids, and we snuggled in our big chair where he read me the love poem he wrote.  i was really surprised, even though i requested something thoughtful and romantic for my birthday gift.  he came through!

the kids woke up and we all went to breakfast.

then everyone went their ways and dave and i took vivian to park city for a trip to the chocolate factory and some fast birthday shopping.   

we divided and conquered the rest of the night.  dave made a delicious dinner and we quickly ate, then i ran to back to school night while dave figured out soccer schedules.  

we met up around 8:30 for family night.   i had a really peaceful feeling around me all day.  maybe it was the way dave held my hand wherever we went or the way the kids treated me, or walking in on kai making me a present, or abe trying to scramble nonchalantly to figure out a gift, it was just all really loving.  i realized it was going to be a "regular" day AND that is how i wanted it.  i LOVED spending some quiet moments with dave, i LOVED sitting and reading to viv in the little book store we found,  i LOVED going to max's back to school night and coming home to a cute little cake with candles and all my kids surrounding it.   we lit the candles and i took my birthday wishing very seriously.  

even though my birthday wasn't something super adventurous or extremely cool, it was REAL and LOVING, and HAPPY and i re-realized i like my life and my life is this little family that dave and i have put so much effort into.  it is good!

the best part of the day was family night!

it started out rough!  it was late.  and whenever we are going to do priesthood blessings, it seems like things get a little crazy, just enough to make us feel like we should put it off, but we didn't.

i presented our family theme for this school year and we talked a little bit about it, then dave gave priesthood blessings to each child and to me.

it was a powerful experience.

here are a few things i remember from each blessing (without too much detail):

max:  people love to be around him and this is the first year of school that he has the gift of the Holy Ghost.  he was blessed to be able to feel it and recognize it.

kai-  he was blessed to feel courageous, but not only courageous, but comfortable as he is being courageous.  that he will be a good influence on his peers and that he will make friends that will lift him as well.  he was told his teacher will recognize quickly that he is special.  also, that this is the year for him to prepare to receive the priesthood.   he was told that he will have success and will be challenged and he will be up to the challenge as he works hard and relies on God and to recognize that we are more and stronger with Gods help and that these talents and strengths are gifts from God.

abe-  he was told a lot about reaching out and talking to people in all different groups, but that his close friends should be people that make strong, good, choices.  he was blessed to feel the joy of the atonement.  i thought that was interesting. 

vivian hurried and sat in the chair while abe was giving dave a hug, so she got to go next.

she folded her arms, bowed her head and had THE cutest, content smile on her face the WHOLE time dave had his hands on her head.

i can hardly remember what he blessed her with, i was so busy watching her face.  she loved dave's hands on her head and being blessed by her dad, whom she KNOWs loves her so much.  she felt the power of it, you could see it throughout her whole little self.

sadie-  was blessed to feel deep joy throughout the year.  she was blessed as she is making lots of decisions this year that she will end up on the right track for her and that she will also be able to enjoy the process, and through this process, she will learn new talents and skills that will help her throughout her entire life.  lots of good things.

then i got a blessing.

dave immediately blessed me to feel the deep love that he and my kids have for me...and i felt it.  powerfully.  though out my whole being. it was unexpected and real.  

he then blessed me to know that my efforts to save this little family are working and important.  that this is where i was meant to be, and that i would be able and have been able to feel prompted as to things my family needs.

i honestly couldn't have asked for a better blessing or birthday.