Hello Thirty! I'm ready.

"Hello Thirty! I'm ready." I confidently typed these four words into my status box on Facebook at exactly 12:00 am on December 29th and posted it with a nod of my head. It was here. The day I'd been dreading counting down to for quite awhile. And I really did feel ready when I posted it. My confidence was only increased by the fact that I neither sprouted 40 gray hairs spontaneously nor combusted in the first few minutes of being thirty, both of which I had considered a possibility.

You see, I was eight when my mother turned thirty. I remember that she spent the day crying and bemoaning her advanced age, and I decided that thirty must certainly be when your life ended! I've held on to that irrational fear my entire life, and it just increased the closer I got to thirty. Now it was here, staring me in the face, and I didn't want to leave the same impression on my children that had been left on me. (I love you, Mom, but you scarred me about this whole thirty thing. ;) ) I decided that thirty was going to be wonderful. After all, the amazing Kate Winslet had inspired me with the grace that she had approached thirty several years ago. I remembered pouring over magazine interviews as her Big Birthday had approached, and she made it seem like an exciting new chapter instead of impending doom. I figured I could do that too, though probably not with as much awesomeness as Ms. Winslet usually possesses. (Not many people have that much awesomeness you know.) So I really did mean it when I typed that I was ready. Besides, it was coming, no matter if I was ready or wasn't.

This is the very last picture of me in my 20s, taken about 5 minutes before midnight. I didn't edit it at all, so please excuse my jammies and lack of make up. :) 

The next morning I had another moment of panic, staring at my thirty year old self in the mirror, momentarily sure that I could see the beginning of wrinkles and age spots that had not been there the night before. Then I gave myself a harsh mental shake, slapped on some kick ass red lipstick, and strode boldly out to take Thirty by the horns and show it exactly how much I could rock it. If I have to be Thirty, I'm going to own it!

And what better way to start my new decade than a day with some of my favorite people in the world?! Several years ago, I'd decided that I wanted to have a Build a Bear birthday party to celebrate entering a new decade. It seemed appropriate when I'd had the idea, and we decided to stick to the plan. Michael, Parker, Sebastian, and Alex made up my birthday party, and I couldn't have asked for a better group to celebrate with! Alex had never been before, and I think she had just as much fun as the rest of us. (And Michael, who truly hates the place, managed to avoid any comments about how he could feel his skin burning as we walked in. That is a huge step for him!)

Bears (and mouse) were selected and ready to stuff. Apparently, everyone else had the exact same idea that day, so we had to wait in a long line that stretched into the main part of the mall.

For anyone who hasn't been there before, they have an entire "stuffing" ceremony where you rub your furry friend's new heart on your muscles so they can be strong, your head so they can me smart, your cheek so they can be as cute as you are, etc. Then you put it on your nose and make a wish before placing the new heart inside your new fluffy friend. Then you give them a bath, clothes, and a name, and get a birth certificate in return.

We all played along with enthusiasm, and Michael followed us around taking pictures and trying to look cheerful to be there. :)

 You even get to step on the peddle that fills your animal with stuffing from the stuffing machine. Sebastian tried, but needed a little help from Big Brother.

Alex's turn to stuff her bear, Burt, and then check it's "fluffyness" before he got stitched up and washed.

 Parker's outfit choice should have been fairly predictable. :)

 Alex and her Bear in Uniform!

Parker, Ohio State the Bear, Mommy, Milo the Mouse, Burt the Bear, Alex, Sebastian, and Bear/Banana the Bear

After Build a Bear, we went to Half Price Books, because no birthday could be complete without a visit to the bookstore! We also went to Bell Book and Comic (if you live in the Dayton area and happen to be a nerd/geek you should check it out) where Michael bought me Firefly: The Board Game! (Firefly is a post of its own, but it's an awesome gift, I assure you!) Then we were off to Mom's house for cake.

The day before my birthday Michael and I went up to visit his mother, leaving the boys with Grandmama, Grandpapa, and Alex. They decided to make and decorate a cake for Mommy's birthday, and I have to say that I think it was beautiful! I don't know many other 4 and 2 year olds who could ice a cake so beautifully.

In case you were wondering, yes, there were 30 candles on my cake, and yes, I blew them all out. 

We hit up another book store, because no birthday would be complete without books, stopped in to visit with my siblings, SIL, and niece, and then decided on BDubs for dinner. It was a fabulous idea. The food was delicious. The company was better!

 Helllooooo Thirty!

 Notice Parker's photo bomb?

My big guy is always up for some silly faces!

My little ham.

Bear, who was left at Hootie's house on Christmas Eve, was finally reunited with the family while we visited with Mom on my birthday. Everyone was happy to have him back. (And he hasn't left Sebastian's side since their reunion, which would have been complete with some Chariots of Fire music and confetti.)

We might have duck faced. Don't judge. We were making silly faces, and it doesn't get much sillier than a duck face. ;)

We got home late and still didn't go to bed! This much party can't be contained in just a few hours. It can't even be contained in a single day. (Michael will be taking me out on a grown-up birthday date later in the week. I might even find a little black dress to wear. I've never had a little black dress.) It was an amazing day, and a wonderful way to start this new chapter of my life. My 20s are over and behind me. Some amazing things happened in my 20s, and sometime soon I will sit down and look through The Great Big Book of Twenties, laughing and crying over the memories. But this day was about my thirties! How they are here, and I survived the first day, and I plan on rocking Thirty! Truly, I am going to own this year. It is going to be the best year ever. Believe that!

My other was scared to death that I was going to catch my hair on fire. That would have made for quite a picture!

 

Deck The Halls!

Christmas is my all time favorite holiday. I know that is isn't very original. Almost everyone who celebrates will tell you that Christmas is one of their favorite times of the year, if not their favorite. However, when I tell you that Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year, I need you to understand. Christmas is magical. Not just the "it's a magical time of the year" type magic, but I sit here, at almost 30 years old, and am still 100% convinced that there is actual magic that happens this time of year. Most of it at the hands of my Grandmother, who has always added something indescribable to the holiday and decorates her house in a manner which rivals Hogwarts at it's finest. (I can compare most life situations to Harry Potter in some way or another.)

I can't express in words how much this woman does to make this holiday such a magical time in our lives, or how important it was to me that the boys had a chance to spend the holidays here at least once so that they too could experiences that magic. There are no words. Luckily, I can show it! When you hear "Deck the Halls" on the radio, I swear to you that it is my Grandmama they speak of and strive to emulate. Goodness knows that I hope, one day, to be able to proudly show off my 15 trees to anyone who wants to see them.

I love this tri-based tree! Grandmama has done a theme, with each tree representing one of the three: Land, water, and sky. She's had two of these adorable hedgehog ornaments for years. I have two of my own too, and they are some of my favorites!

It's very appropriate to have a food tree in the kitchen, don't you think?

 This live tree decorates teh kitchen year round, but at Christmas time it has "lights", ornaments and "snow".

Such a delightful centerpiece, and it's quite easy to peer through the branches to talk to someone sitting across from you. :)

Not everyone has a dainty, white feather tree in their large picture window. And if they do, it probably doesn't look this good!

One of the frog/toad trees, complete with a spectacular Father Christmas Frog tree topper! Even the little frog beneath it can not help but stare in wonder and admiration. 

 I have never thought that puffer fish were that cute, but OMGoodness, I am head over heels for this little guy!

And, in case you run out of room on the floor, a Christmas tree hanging from the ceiling is always a fun, festive option! 

Especially when it is hanging opposite the moon, which is on of my favorite ornaments of all time! 

This is the frog tree in the bathroom. Yes, the bathroom. There is a full sized Christmas tree in the bathroom, and it is soooo much fun to bathe by Christmas tree light! 

 We were all worried about broken ornaments this year with two little boys running around, but the only person who has broken anything so far *knock on wood* is me.  I broke the twin of this little frog above while getting ready one day, and was in tears about it, which I am sure Grandmama found quite amusing since she assures me that she has a box of these somewhere. 

Even the antlers are donned in festive baubles! 

(Edited to add that I realized, after editing and posting all these pictures, that I have failed to photograph the tree on top of the refrigerator and the one in our bedroom. I will have to make a mental note to get those trees properly documented as well, but take my word for it that they are just as amazing as the others!)

I hope that you are finding your Christmas/holidays as magical as we are finding ours! I just love this time of year!