It's all about me.

Today is my birthday.

I LOVE birthdays.

Usually I force everyone around me to celebrate "me" for the entire month of October.

Not this year.  I felt I was maturing.  I wanted to keep my birthday low-key.

I booked Friday and Monday off of work.  My plan was to run all sorts of errands on Friday, and maybe sneak in a mani-pedi if I had a spare hour.  Saturday mom was due to arrive, Andrew and I would be able to go out for a lovely dinner.  Sunday we would take Julian and Nora to a pumkin patch, and Monday would be "mom & me day".  We would shop from morning until night.  Nothing crazy.  No huge parties.  No drunken debacles.  Oh yes, I have matured...

Wednesday night my throat started to hurt.

Thursday struggled through work with a fever.

Friday Nora was sent home at noon with a fever.

Saturday, Sunday today... Nora and I sick, sick, sick.

Not quite the birthday weekend I had planned.  However, there were some nice little treats along the way.

On Friday I received the sweetest apple card from Tania in Belgium via snail mail.  She really is a little sweetheart.

Last night Andrew surprised me with some of my favourite wine and gifts from him and the children (including a card Julian selected that says:  "For a cool boy, a birthday race car VROOM VROOM!").

This morning Nanny arrived with lots of new jammies.

Today mom still came to visit for a few days, and she is cooking me my favourite meal for dinner (Sista is joining us as well, always a treat!).

Nora has wanted nothing more than for me to hold her for three days in a row.

Happy birthday to me!

jbxo

P.S.  Today I look nothing like this photo.  But it's my birthday - so I am allowed to use a photo from a time when my nose was not running profusely.

A rose by any other name...

Nora can say everyone's names, or at least make recognizable attempts at them:

"Mommy"

"Daddy"

"Ju-Ju" (Julian)

"Voviver" (Oliver)

"Mama" (Grandma)

"Pappa"

"Nanny"

"Pop"

"Ti-Ti" (Auntie Shari)

"Jenny"

"Kee" (Auntie Kari)

"In" (Uncle Ian)

"Benny"

"Rad" (Uncle Brad)

"Isa" (Auntie Lisa)

"Rordan" (Jordan)

"Bajco" (Jacob)

Up until now, she would not even attempt to say her own name.  It was actually becoming very frustrating.  You could go through the list of names above, and she would repeat every single one of them, then you would say:  "Nora"  silence...

That was until last night.  I was rhyming off the usual list, and I got to Nora... her response?

"Zsa Zsa"

Well, at least her Hungarian Poppa will be happy.

jbxo

Thank you to my dear friend Tara from Seven Spoons who surprised me by aging this photo.

Words.

Wordle pulls the most common words used in any document, and transforms it into, well - this.  It makes the most commonly used words the largest.  Tonight I decided to make my own wordle using a link to Clinka's Apples.  

It reminds me of our wedding cake.  It was white, and written in white icing were words that had special meaning for us as we fell in love.  

Little.  Powerful.  Words.

I like it.  I think it's a framer.

jbxo

Splish Splash.

Tonight Julian and Nora were sharing a bubble bath.  Nora spent 5 minutes washing Julian's back.  Julian just sat and played, unaware of her being a little mommy.  I couldn't help but think what a beautiful moment I was witnessing.  They have such a stunning innocence at their age.  No self awareness, no self consciousness, they just exist, they just are.

jbxo

All in the family...

When my Sista started blogging in 2006 I thought it was pure genious (that is her pictured above, poor girl had no idea Julian was quickly approaching her head with a tennis racket!).  If you have some time, have a read through her blog... I promise you will laugh out loud more than once.  I love how she writes.  In May 2007 she stopped writing, I keep trying to convince her to go back to it, but I have not been successful... YET.  I thank her for introducing me to the world of blogging.

I started my blog last year, and nanny started shortly after.  This past week my cousin-in-law started and now Jenny has as well!  I love it.  Now, we just have to get Sista back.

jbxo