So it's your birthday...

I passed yet another milestone on Monday, August 17. I turned 31. Blahhh, I hate to be cliche, but I also really hate to see that number after the words "I turned" in regards to myself. I cannot believe that I am SO old. And it doesn't help that two haircuts ago my 24 year old sister-in-law exclaimed in a somewhat dismayed voice as she was cutting my hair, "Oh, I found a gray hair". So there you have it. Pretty soon I'll be a mammogram gettin, colonoscopy havin, cholesterol testin, menopausal, gray-haired fool. The husband says I'll still be sexy, but I know that he is bound by the eternal covenants we made to each other to always find me sexy and desireable :). Yeah, that's what the temple sealer said....I swear! I feel the desire to bring another child into the world just to test that my aging ovaries and womb still function, that they haven't given up on new life yet. But maybe that's not a good reason to have another kid...I don't know, I'll have to give it some serious thought :).

My family did their absolute best to help me pass the day with at least some aspect of pleasantness. I didn't feel much like celebrating, but husband talked me into organizing an adults only dinner at a nice restaurant with ice cream cake afterwards. It turned out to be a good decision and a lot of fun. We were missing some of my favorite people (shout out to T and M, my parents, and friend L) but other than that, I was with most of my most loved peeps, and we had one heck of a great conversation that will stick with me for quite awhile. And yep, you know me well if you guessed that the words vagina, puke, and "all you can eat" were a part of that most illuminating conversation. My only regret was when sister-in-law L said "vagina" really loudly in the quiet restaurant and there were two young boys sitting right behind our table. I'm pretty sure their mom ushured them out of there overly quickly on our account. And I would have done the same, yessiree, I don't blame their Mother one little bit.

But back to reminiscing. I really can't believe that 31 years have passed since the day I came screaming into this world. My Mom was absolutely sure I was a boy and had a hard time believing that I was indeed a little girl even when she was presented with the evidence. She had lost a little girl before I was born and figured she would not get the chance to raise another gal. I can't believe it's been 7 1/2 years since I met and married husband. I can't believe that I had my first baby 5 1/2 years ago and that next week I will be taking Young Man to Kindergarten. I'm pretty sure he was born just yesterday. And on that note, wasn't Princess who just looked at me while drinking a glass of water and said "Water soooo good Mommy" in her breathless, sweet voice, just born yesterday as well? Wait a minute, how the heck did I end up with 2 kids already?? I was just turning 18 years old and getting dropped off at the college dorm for my freshman year of college, standing and waving goodbye to my parents while my Mom cried and I tried really hard not to. And seriously, how is it that college is long over, because I still feel like an awkward highschool girl trying hard to fit in.

I tell you, time passes. And the more milestones you cross, the faster it goes. It won't be long before Young Man and Princess are begging to use the car and arguing with me over the fact that I won't allow them to date until they are 30, and the days of hello kitty rain boots and transfomers will be long over. I try harder and harder to hold onto every single moment because I am starting to realize that they all pass so quickly. It's true(though an overused and slightly cheesy saying) that moments really are like sand and they just slip right through our fingers. It seriously brings tears to my eyes to think how far I've traveled from childhood and how it all passed as quickly as it did. Just the other day, I was swimming at the pool with my dad and I swore I could breathe under water. I was convinced, and I thought I had the coolest special ability ever. It was just the other day, and I was 7 years old.

Had to Share

My neice, baby I, was blessed this past Sunday and we had a lovely get together with all the various family members at Grandma R's house (she's nearly 100 and doesn't look a day over 80 :), but don't tell her I told you that!). My sister-in-law and her husband, we'll call them S and S, were taking pictures of everyone. They are both really good at taking pictures and have the bonus of having a really nice camera. They managed to get a shot of the princess swinging that I just had to share. Isn't it beautiful?

Oh, and by the way, my husband once swang on this very same swing as a youngling himself. Ya, it's that old. And nope, it didn't break :).