It's Time To Celebrate! Happy Birthday to Me and Happy Mother's Day!

May is flying by and I'm slacking on the blogging front.  I have so much to document and so little time!  My birthday was celebrated for a solid 7 days only to be followed by some serious spoiling on Mother's Day.  If I have one word to describe my 33rd year it's grateful.  I truly am.  I have so much to be thankful for so instead of dwelling on the fact I'm another year older, I will focus on the abundance of love I feel surrounding me.  With each passing year I feel even more grateful for the things I took for granted in my earlier years.  For example, my health.  At 33, I'm proud to say I'm in the best shape of my life.  I have to be to keep up with Randy and my 3 boys.  I am so grateful for a healthy body and mind.

I am eternally grateful to my mom and dad.  There constant love, support, and acceptance my entire life has made me the woman I am today.

My mom provided a beautiful birthday lunch, like only she can.  Sarah, Kate, and my dad joined us.

Max, Jack, Sam and Tucker also joined us.

The evening of my birthday was spent at the ballpark watching Hank.  My mom watched Max and Sam and my dad and I braved the cold temps.  It was so fun hanging out with my dad.

My sisters are my best friends and I am grateful for that.  I am grateful for the example they are to me.  We enjoyed an afternoon of shopping and a delicious dinner the Saturday following my birthday.  

Randy spoiled me as usual.  He planned a much needed night away.  Jeri very kindly watched the kids so I had nothing to worry about.  Randy and I spent the afternoon shopping at City Creek and I must say Randy was the perfect shopping companion.  The ladies at Nordstrom were amazed by him.  He truly is the best.  We checked into Hotel Monaco and had a delicious dinner at one of my favorite restaurants in Salt Lake, Eva. We spent the rest of the night hanging out with some of our favorite friends, Michele and Elizabeth.  

The day following my birthday we celebrated my dad's 60th birthday.  Another party...yes please, especially if it includes these amazing people.  I really hope and pray when I turn 60, I still have both of my parents at my side.  I come from a pretty amazing gene pool.  My dad is one in a million.  He is hilarious, irreverent, kind, sensitive, hard working, contemplative, passionate, and I know he would do anything for me.  I just love his mug so much. 

With each passing year I becoming increasingly aware of just how short our time on earth is.  I feel such a sense of urgency to make the most of every day.  I've set some goals for myself, most of them are repeats from years past.  I really want to push myself physically to a level I've never reached.  I want to get out of my comfort zone and try things that make me uncomfortable.  For example, riding a road bike in a race.

I reconnected with Michele and Mindy a few months ago and we picked up right where we left off.  Michele persuaded me to bike the Salt Lake Marathon a few weeks ago.  Biking has always been something I've been interested in, but I've never had the courage to try.  

I'm proud to say I did it!  We met at 4:30 a.m., and rode Trax to the starting line.  We pushed through the freezing rain and wind and ending up having a great time.  Experiences like that need to happen more.  

Maintaining and nurturing new and old friendships is also something I'm really working on.  I have some incredible people surrounding me.  My neighbor and friend Natalie is one of those new friendships I really cherish.  She is expecting her first baby in July, so I threw her a baby shower last weekend.

It was perfect timing for a baby shower since it came the day before Mother's Day.  Natalie is going to be an amazing mom, I just know it.  I'm so excited for her and Issac. 

Randy and the boys surprised me with cute golfing clothes for Mother's Day.  My mom hosted a Mother's Day breakfast that morning.  

Randy, Brett, Dan, and my dad took their cooking tasks seriously.  Randy really didn't want to get his new white shirt dirty.  That's how a man wears an apron!

The fact that these 3 boys are mine still blows my mind.  It's my greatest accomplishment.  I know these boys have my back, and that is a pretty awesome thing.  I love them so much.

How gorgeous are my mom and sisters?  I know any failures I have as a mom will be balanced out by these incredible women.  They do so much for me and my children, I just couldn't survive without them.

The only thing missing from this picture is my Grandma Joanne.  I think about her every day.  I'm so grateful to still have Grandma Yvonna in my life. Our monthly Bunco parties are something I look forward to all month.  After a relaxing morning at my mom's we came home and Randy played with the boys while I took a two hour nap.  That may have been my favorite gift ever!  Later that night we had dinner at Jeri's.

Here is yet another example of how to be a fantastic mom.  Jeri is like a second mom to me. I am forever grateful to her for raising such an outstanding son. I'm so grateful she is nearing the end of her breast cancer treatments.

This picture captures the chaos that is my life right now.  Most days I would kill for some peace and quiet or a nap but I know these are the years I'm going to cherish the most.  I constantly remind myself to be present and in the moment.  I try not to get bogged down by things that don't really matter, like my pillows constantly on the floor, the kids jumping on the couch or leaving their shoes and socks everywhere.  I'm not very good at it but I'm trying.  I have an amazing life and I don't want a day to go by where I don't express my gratitude.  I felt so much love over the course of my birthday and mother's day.  I need to make sure I give out that much love or more in return.