Today is my little Stella girl's birthday!!

She turns five today.

Holy Cow. Five.

And what's harder to believe than my oldest will be starting school full-time next year, is that I, me who cannot even arrive anywhere near the correct time, forget mostly everything important in life and still think Vampire Diaries is one of the best shows on television, yes, I have been a parent for FIVE years.

What???

I know. Crazy.

But, yet, here we are.

She is the perfect kind of first born. You know, the one who makes you feel like you're the best parent in the world, and haven't made any mistakes....?

Yep, she's that child.

She listens. She obeys. She is sweet. And sensitive. And adorable. She has a great sense of humor. And the sound of her laughter makes me cry with my own.

Now. Her sister is a different story. But her birthday is not for a week so I'll wait to give my glowing motherly praise for that day.

:)

Yesterday we had our family birthday party, where all of the aunts and uncles and grandparents came over to celebrate. We actually have three birthdays this week, so things get kind of crazy around here and by the 28th or 29th depending on the year... we are so tired of birthday cake the sight of it makes us puke.

Well, ok, maybe that's an exaggeration.

But still, the fact remains that Stella's birthday is on the 20th. Mine is on the 24th. And Scarlett's is on the 27th.

Yikes.

For a while I was convinced that I could only get pregnant on one day of the year.....

Until Stryker. But we planned him a month earlier just to avoid ANOTHER February birthday.

And then what happened with the new bun in the oven, I have no idea! Because this little nugget is going to be stranded way out in the middle of August all by his or her self.

Although... Maybe it's for the best. Not only will the punkin be my only child to have a birthday not surrounded by a parent or sibling, but they will get their very own coveted Summer Birthday!!!!!

Winter Birthdays are just the worst.

As far as parties go.

So anyway, yesterday was the big birthday party and the girls were showered with gifts of every kind! Polly Pockets. Which, are WAYYYY bigger than when I was a kid. Ok, who remembers the little clam shells that opened with the teeny tiny little dolls in them??

Of course, I never had one.... But that's a different blog for a different time. :)

I mean, they are still small, but nothing like they used to be! The girls love them.

And tons of movies and puzzles and books and play-do. They were spoiled. Oh, Zach picked out their presents this year. Mainly because the things they were asking for were literally an iPad or an iTouch.

Don't even get me started.

And if I could afford to shower them with the newest and best electronics I would. Well, maybe I would. But, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Especially when we already have an iTouch for them to share, and I got the Kindle Fire for my birthday.

We don't need anymore electronics in this house!!!

But do not give me the argument that kids these days don't need all that stuff and how terrible I am of a parent I am because I let my kid play with the iTouch. To you I would say, obviously you don't have children because you have no idea how amazing they are. And how much they can learn on them.

Not that I've had this argument before... Or lots of times.... Or every time one of our single or child-less friends or relatives comes over....

And not that I've heard the declaration at least 100 times that "My children will never play with those things! I'm going to read to them instead!!"

Ok, you read to them, and then when they go to school they will get to be the only children who still use regular books instead of eReaders. Which sounds wonderful in theory... But not so wonderful when you realize they will be behind.

I digress... And I should say, I do read to my children....

Whew, I forgot I'm not in the middle of an argument with my brother.

:)

So anyway. Zach bought them like smart-kid things. Like blocks supposed to help with their motor skills and games that are for their age but intended to turn them into little geniuses. Whatev.

They already are. Haha!

But the girls were not the only ones celebrated this year. Nope. It was my birthday party too! And unlike last year, I am really hoping to remember my birthday this time around.

Not that I enjoy celebrating turning a year older. In fact, I kind of hate it.... Ok, I more than hate it. I loathe it....

It's the Peter Pan Complex.

I can't help it.

At the Bridal Shower I threw a few weeks ago, we were sitting around talking about turning 28, because we are all the same age. And most of the girls were discussing things they wanted to accomplish before they turned the big-only-two-years-closer-to-thirty and they were seriously big things. Like really big things. Like get married and have kids. YES, BEFORE 30! Two years away. Or. Climb Mount Kilimanjaro. Say what????

Lol, my goal of getting for-real-published by the time I'm thirty feels small compared to those aspirations.

Just kidding. I pretty much feel like its right up there with climbing a ginormous mountain. Without oxygen. Or the correct gear. Or training.

Anyway, while they are talking on and on about growing older, I start to panic! Um, can we PLEASE stop talking about this!!! And nobody say the T word ever again!!! (Thirty.)

They of course look at me like I'm crazy. And I explain to them, I'm sorry, it's my Peter Pan Complex, I can't handle this.

And then Charis, the Bride, says, What's a Peter Pan Complex?

And I reply with: The Fear of Growing Up.

And Charis laughs at me and says I have noticed that about you!!!!

Oh dear.

And it's just not thirty. It's ALL ages. I cried when I turned twenty because I wasn't a teenager anymore. I freaked out when I turned sixteen because even though it was awesome to drive, it was not so not awesome to be given responsibility.

This isn't a I'm-wrinkled-and-gray-now-and-my-boobs-should-be-featured-in-National-Geographic-thing. This is a disease I live with. Where it's less about the number and more about the idea of leaving childhood behind.

Where was I going with all this....? Hmmmm....

Oh anyway. Even if I don't like to turn a year older. I DO like to be celebrated!!! :)

Who doesn't??

Actually, I like to be celebrated discretely and quietly. I do not like to open presents in front of people... But that's a whole different set of issues that we don't have time for right now.

Yikes.

Is anyone else starting to wonder what Zach saw in me???? I am a hot mess. For sure.

Just kidding. I mean not kidding to the hot mess part. Just kidding to the part about what did Zach see in me. I think it's obvious! :)

So. For my birthday. My family takes care of me. Mostly because I do a TERRIBLE job of taking care of myself.

I get presents like Make-Up, which I actually asked for this year, because I ran out. And I need something to cover up these crows feet, are you kidding me? And I ADORE Bare Minerals. Adore it. It's heaven pretty much. And since I don't wash my face generally with anything but water, I need a foundation that I can sleep in. That I'm actually encouraged to sleep in and not take off.

Why don't I wash my face? I'm allergic to everything. I swear. And my face is worse off if I wash it then if I don't.

Plus, I have this whole theory on our natural oils and putting product constantly on our skin trains it to behave a certain way... blah blah blah.

But mostly, I'm allergic.

Also. This year. I got Hair Product!!!!!! Hooray!!!!

People around me, my family, my sisters-in-law, my dearest friends, they are all very concerned with my hair. Very. Very. Concerned.

And I appreciate it, because let's face it, somebody has to be!

For some reason, when I tell them what hair product I use, (That being the cheapest gel I can find. LA Looks. Heard of it? It's like $2.75 at Walmart.) they gasp. And I gasp when they tell me how much they spend on shampoo and conditioner!!!

I freaked out when I spent four dollars on gel last purchase. And don't even get me going on the $12 curl tone-up I bought recently.

$12 on ONE product???? I didn't even have a coupon!!!!

So, part of my present was like Expensive Shampoo and Conditioner. And Curl Product. I am very worried for the amount spent on them.... Especially because they are such tiny bottles and I am convinced will only last me four, maybe five showers at the most....

But I'm also VERY excited to see the difference in curls. Hopefully it will work a miracle with this mop and I can have something not quite so scary on top of my head.

Maybe I'm expecting too much.....?

Anyway! Happy Birthday to my dearest Stelly Bells.

And I'm sure this weeks blog posts will be filled with Freak-Outs and Panic Attacks. So. Get. Ready.