My 30th Birthday

One week ago today, I officially turned thirty in a hotel room in Palo Alto, California.  My celebration amounted to some birthday cake M and Ms in the airport and a free downloaded season of Parenthood to my iPad.  My work trip wasn't ideal timing with the end of summer, the start of a new semester, lots of preschool transitions for the Cruz Man, and the start of a new decade for me, but it was a great opportunity professionally and I couldn't pass it up.  It's just not every day you get the chance to co-author curriculum with Stanford University.  Beau's mom graciously came to stay with Beau while I was gone and the kiddos loved their time with Grandma.  And as I rolled into the driveway a few minutes past my birthday early Thursday morning, Beau was waiting up with a single lit candle in a Scratch cupcake to welcome me home.  I was exhausted, a little sad, but above all, so thankful to be home to my three most precious gifts.

We did celebrate this weekend, though, with one last getaway before a new semester starts up.  After getting surprised with not one, but two flower bouquets from my hubby and my parents and the sweetest homemade succulent gift from a friend, we left around lunch time on Friday for a little staycation in our state's capitol.  We had lots of outdoor plans for our weekend - an Iowa Cubs game, a morning at the Farmer's Market, and some shopping in the East Village, but when it poured the entire two hours there, I began to think otherwise.  Cruz would have been happy to be stuck in our hotel room the entire stay - all weekend he kept asking when we could go back to our hotel!  We unpacked our swimsuits and checked out the showtimes for the Ninja Turtle movie just in case, but decided to take our chances and hope for the better half of the 50 percent rain chances that loomed over us for the weekend ahead.

Beau's motto when buying flowers for me...go big or go home.  This time, with lilies that are bigger than my head!  Lots of them!  

We had dinner at the Flying Mango on Hickman Road, and by the time we had reached Principal Park, the sky was beginning to clear up. It ended up getting pretty nice outside and the previous forecast had scared many people away, so we enjoyed an open row to ourselves just three rows up from the first baseline.  We had ample room to spread our family out and our first baseball game as a family of four went off without a hitch.  We made it the entire nine innings and even stayed for the fireworks show, thanks to a bounce house intermission, a plastic helmet full of blue ice cream, and lots of attention from a super nice father son duo in front of us.  Mila wore Cubbie blue and looked exactly like her brother when he was a baby.  And everyone thought she was a boy, white rubble butt and all. :)

After a late night Friday, the kids slept until 8:00 on Saturday morning, a new record for Mila girl.  It was overcast, but the rain chances for the day had fizzled and we headed to the Des Moines Farmer's Market for a burrito bowl, some croissants from La Mie, and a fresh flower bouquet to add to my collection at home.  When in Rome, I figured, even though now my kitchen table shows signs of a new baby, a funeral, or a birthday girl feeling a little self-pity for being four states away on her thirtieth.  

We had sushi at Miyabi 9 in the East Village and I snooped in a few stores before the kids started getting tired and we decided to head home.  Sunday, we met my family at Pfeiffer Park for a pizza picnic, some playground fun for the cousins, and a frog ice cream cake picked out just for me from my little love.  Turns out an ice cream cake isn't the only thing Cruz purchased for me while I was gone.  Beau took Cruz shopping to the Dollar Tree and he picked out some special gifts he just knew I would love.  A Captain America coloring book, a camouflaged water bottle, a sparkly baton, and some sour patch kids.  He knows me well. :)

Here's to thirty.  To a decade filled with celebrating these little blessings that make every day feel special.