Rose Knows: HIPY PAPY BTHUTHDTH THUTHDA BTHUTHDY to Me (as Owl from the Hundred Acre Wood would spell it).

Today has been a happy day. It's my 32nd birthday. It started last night, when I decided to watch a movie (African Queen, from 1951). Matt was at the gym and I sent the kids out of the room and told them to go play. After about 45 minutes of movie time and only about 4 interruptions (I sure do like those headphones we have! I could almost ignore the loud playing in the next room.)I put kids to bed. It's been a while since they've been in bed before 9 and it felt great to have a quiet house to finish my movie. After is was over and Matt was home he played X-box and I read a while. We slept in till 8:40, and I decided to make it a care-free morning for myself. Matt hadn't slept well becuase it was hot in the house. We've had two days in a row of 70+ degree weather, which was a great birthday present in itself. So breakfast this morning was whatever anybody wanted. I had (too many) Peanut Butter Bars I'd made last night and the kids fixed themselves a picnic of potato chips and ice water to dine on in the playhouse. I spent the morning browsing store sites for maternity dressses, reading facebook, checking email. After Matt got up we watched some motorcycle videos on youtube, then I found some Tim Hawkins videos that made us laugh till we were red-faced and short of breath.

My birthday breakfast

My one request for my birthday was to have a good meal that I didn't have to cook or clean up after. With the weather being so gorgeous today I suggested we go to the Greenway, a local nature-trail place and just enjoy being outside. Matt decided we'd get lunch to-go in town and eat at the big pavilion at the Greenway. He chose McDonald's for the kids and himself and told me to choose where I wanted my food from. I got a big meal from the Japanese Steakhouse, and off we went to the pavilion, with sprinkling rain starting. By the time we got out of the van and under shelter, it was pouring rain. We ate and then the kids took off with the two umbrellas we'd brought and played in the rain. Matt and I got to visit a little and laugh at Cassie, who hung out with us out of the rain. It was so relaxing and fun. Everybody was happy. Even when Camie took a pretty bad fall on the concrete drainage ditch they were running through she didn't make a fuss about it. It's a day I think I'll remember for a long time.

Oh, and on the way to town we checked the mail and there were two packages for me! Granted, they were things I'd ordered, but I hadn't expected to have them so soon, nor on my birthday. One was the next volume teacher's manual for the kids' unit studies we're doing, and the other was a pregnancy support belt that I am really hoping will bring relief from the constant pelvic and back pain I have. Each step hurts/burns and shifting positions in bed or on the sofa is painful and has to be done in stages so I don't yell out in pain. This belt had good reviews and the homepage describing it talked about it relieving the very same pains I experience. I'm excited about the possibility of walking fairly normally rather than waddling to avoid pulling my pelvic muscles, and just not hurting so much. I have so much more energy when I feel good.

The kids gave me cards and presents the other day. This is the first year they've really done anything like that, except last year when Camie wrapped a bunch of our movies up in tissue paper for me to choose what I wanted to watch. Oh, and they colored a basket of Felicity's with chalk and put picnic cups and snacks in it.

But this year, they went all out. I'd told Camie about how my brother Neil gave me a present when I was about 9. It was wrapped in layer after layer of newspaper spray-painted silver, and he put an inflated latex glove on top for a bow. For those of you who don't know my family, you may not have heard of the Ugliest Wrapping Contest begun by my brothers years ago. They disliked wrapping presents and making them look nice anyway, so decided to have fun with it.That year I began to wonder as I pulled layers of paper away if there was going to be anything I wanted in the middle. There was. It was a Mickey Mouse watch I'd been

wanting. And I still have it in my keepsake box.

Gift-giver #1. Some friends were over one day and the kids took turns doing puppet shows. Camie thought her friend Coleman's shows were hilarious.

Uncle Neil was an inspiration to Camie. She brought me a ball-shaped present taped up in many layers of silver duct tape, with the warning that it was a trick. I struggled with the tape a bit (that stuff is pretty strong) and finally made it to the middle, where there was a wadded up colorfully scribbled on paper. I laughed and told her it was a good joke. She was very pleased.

Gift-giver #2. Lissy was cuddling with Simon the cat one evening and fell sleep. Simon fell asleep on top of her.

Then Felicity appeared with a grocery bag and told me Happy Birthday. I opened it and found a clipboard that has been buried in a corner of the laundry room, complete with my list still on it of what foods were in the freezer back when I was using the clipboard about a year ago. She also included a blue marker ("With a top on it! It can even still write!"), a flat stick with her initials written on it (with my new marker, probably) and a wallet that used to be Camie's (even has her name written in permanent marker). She had made me a card earlier that day on a bright yellow sheet of paper.

Later Camie gave me another gift: two necklaces (which I had helped her knot--they were originally hers). One had three pretty stickers wrapped around the yarn at the base and another has a plastic pendant from one of her dolls.

Micah got into the gift-giving spirit and was inspired by Camie's wrapping. He gave me a wad of paper and napkins held together with duct tape. Inside was a pretty silverish-blue bead. As I oohed and ahhed over how pretty it was he told me Camie had given it to him from one of her dress-up necklaces. Then he added, "I really wanted to keep it and pretend it is a grenade." I told him he could have it, but he wouldn't take it, adding, "It's your present." So I told him I'd keep it but if he wanted to play with it and pretend it was his grenade that would be fine.

Gift-Giver #3. He brought me this playdough cake hidden behind his back and said, "I made you one more thing." He showed me the hearts on top and asked, "Do you know why I put hearts on top? To show you that I wuv you. And maybe because it's your birthday."
My goodness I love these kids.

And Cassie, ever wanting to be a part of what the big kids are doing brought me a basketball and said, "Dis is urr's Birtday Peasant. Open it."

Gift -Giver #4. Cassie, playing with her baby dolls outside one day all by herself. I took the picture from inside so she wouldn' t see me.

I can't help but think of the Winnie the Pooh story where he and Piglet give Eeyore birthday presents. Pooh's was going to be a pot of honey, but as he walked along on his way to give it to Eeyore, he was hungry and began eating it.

"Now let me see," he thought, as he took his last lick of the inside of the jar, "Where was I going? Ah, yes, Eeyore." He got up slowly. And then, suddenly, he remembered. He had eaten Eeyore's birthday present! "Bother!" said Pooh. "What shall I do? I must give him something."
For a little while he couldn't think of anything. Then he thought: "Well, it's a very nice pot, even if there's no honey in it, and if I washed it clean, and got somebody to write 'A Happy Birthday' on it, Eeyore could keep things in it, which might be Useful." So, as he was just passing the Hundred Acre Wood, he went inside to call on Owl, who lived there.

Pooh's Useful Pot with HIPY PAPY BTHUTHDTH THUTHDA BTHUTHDY written on it by the knowledgeable Owl reminds me very much of my children's gifts. And I loved them just as much as Eeyore did his popped balloon from Piglet and empty honey jar/Useful Pot from Pooh.

"I'm very glad," said Pooh happily, "that I thought of giving you a Useful Pot to put things in."
"I'm very glad," said Piglet happily, "that I thought of giving you something to put in a Useful Pot."
But Eeyore wasn't listening. He was taking the balloon out, and putting it back again, as happy as could be....

And for those like my sister Sara and me, who grew up watching the classic Winnie the Pooh movies, here's a link to this episode for you to enjoy.

This has been one of the most fun birthdays I've had since having kids. Normally it's not much of a day off, but the kids are old enough now to somewhat take care of their own needs. It's been fun just to hang out together and see the kids get along. That was a lovely present. :)

My collection of birthday presents. Micah's grenade/bead is beside the stick and the wad of papers above it is what it was wrapped in.

The Playhouse. This was all the kids' Christmas and birthday presents....for a year or two. ;) All four kids are in this picture, and on the playhouse....can you find them? (Click on it to see it bigger.) The little roof over the porch area wasn't done when this was taken but is now, and there is a wavy slide coming off the right side of the playhouse now. You can kind of see the curly tubeslide on the back.It is THE FAVORITE place to play and we love watching them enjoy our many hours of hard work.

Felicity's birthday cake, December 14. Yes, that says, "Happy Birthday Gerbil and Felicity" at her request. Daddy let her pick out the cake and what she wanted on it.

Micah's nightly uniform to match Daddy. Matt has to wear black compression socks to help with varicose vein pain in his legs, so Micah copies that as best he can with his own black socks and regular socks over the top. Daddy's lounge-wear are his blue shorts (just like Micah's) and white tee shirt. These two guys are so cute together. The other day Matt had on jogging pants, so Micah went upstairs and put his on too. That boy loves his Daddy.

Helping Daddy. He is a quiet boy which works out well for watching Daddy work. He helped Matt carry paving stones and brought him other things he needed.

The two big girls enjoying Lissy's birthday cake.

We were throwing out this torn up babybed mattress, but Matt found another use for it before it headed to the trash: Stair sledding. Matt tried it, and I did too. It was very fast and very fun! (The spots on the camera are either from a dirty lense or dust flying up as they zoomed past me each time.)