Let The Celebrating Begin

So my birthday is coming up. It's on Monday. I love, love, love my birthday! This is the first year I've actually not looked forward to the aging part, though. But oh well. What ya gonna do, right? So I've always felt that since my birthday is the first day of the shortest month I really should be allowed to start celebrating in January and go all through the month of February. Tonight kicked off my month-long celebration!

Vanessa (whose adorable baby girl turns 3 on Monday, too) insisted we get together for my birthday (thanks, girlie!) and who am I to disappoint a friend? So we got together at Goodwood. The place where I met 6 out of 8 of these awesome, awesome women. I met them almost a year ago at Kristina P.'s blog lunch. I can't believe what a strong bond and friendship has grown from that day. Blogging has brought to me friendships that I never thought possible. If I never blog another word it will be ok because I truly feel like I've gotten out of blogging what I wanted. Although, when I started blogging I didn't know I wanted this. Anyway, I just really, really want to tell you girls how much you mean to me. I'm so blessed to call you "friend". Thank you so much for making my birthday so special. I am the luckiest girl in the world. I feel bad, though, that I'm in a fight with all of you because I told you, "no gifts or we're in a fight". And every last, stinkin', darling one of you brought me a gift. NAUGHTIES!!!!!

OK, we're made up. Let's never fight again. Until my birthday next year.

It's times like tonight that I really miss my sister, DeNae. She's my bestest blogging buddy. My biggest cheerleader. And seriously in the top three funniest people I know (numbers 1 and 2 being me and, well, me). I wish she lived closer so she could join me at all my bloggy outings. If you don't read her Backordered Life, you're totally missing out. Love you, sister!

So here we are: going from front left, clockwise around the table: Veronica, Melissa, Me, Sherrie, (half of) Kristina, Motherboard, Annie, Tiberon, Vanessa. I apologize for the devil eyes! I really did do the "red eye fix". My computer must know things about some of you that I don't....HA!

Again, thanks so much for making me feel so special and so loved. And I hope that you all know just how loved and special you are to me.

That's what I'm celebrating this year. Not that I'm turning 34. But that I have such great, great friends.

19:00-20:00

Avery comes home from dance last night and we all eat dinner.
She asks if we wanna see her dance. Tavis says, no. (Kidding)
She falls apart (I jump Tav. Tell him that wasn't funny. He apologizes, saying he was kidding.) and goes downstairs.
Harley follows her.
He climbs up on the computer desk and gets stuck.
Avery runs upstairs and tell us he's stuck.
We tell her to get him down.
She says, "he's down. Here he comes."
He comes in the room holding two pens and a pencil.
Tav tells her to get them from him.
She starts toward him and of course he runs.
She tackles him.
Hayden jumps in to "help."
Harley hits his head on Hayden's knee. Freaks.
Avery takes the pens from him. More freaking.
I console Harley.
Avery goes into the kitchen and comes back in with a Ring Pop.
Asks if she can have it.
Tavis says, no. (Thought she'd already had one.)
She freaks again.
Runs into the kitchen, slips and falls rounding the corner.
REALLY freaks.
I accidentally let Hayden see me laughing at Avery's demise.
He starts laughing.
Avery takes it well.
She goes in the bathroom and says she hates her life. Wants to "go to bed, get a new life and hope she dies in her sleep." (I know, right?)
I console Avery.
Still holding Harley.
Her outburst has caused him to cry even more.
I tell Hayden he might as well get in here and bawl, too.
He does. (Pretend)
I tell Avery to get her dance CD and go with me to my room to show me her dance.
She and I and Harley go up there.
She flops on my bed, flailing. Says, "I'm too upset to dance."
I tell her I can't listen to her bawling anymore so she should go to bed.
Harley and I go back downstairs.
Avery screams, "I DON'T WANT TO GO TO BED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Harley and I and Tavis watch TV for a few.
Avery yells down asking if she can come out.
I tell her only if she's done freaking.
She is.
She comes down and sits by me.
I tell her to grab her spelling words and we'll go over them.
She freaks.
"I CAN'T DO SPELLING IN THE LIVING ROOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I tell her she has two choices: do spelling or go to bed.
More freaking.
I tell her if she keeps it up she'll only have one choice. Bed.
She gets her spelling.
Spells all the words correctly.
Harley has stopped bawling.
Hayden's watching TV.
She's done freaking.
It's 8:00 PM.
Tavis needs a glass of wine.