How I spent my birthday

So my birthday was last week.  The big 2-7.  I did not spend it going out for lunch, getting a pedi, or generally being child free.  In fact, I gained 3 kiddos!  My sister was 3 days past her due date at that point, and was in desperate need of a kiddo break.  So I volunteered to get them out of her house for the day so she could rest or you know, go into labor.

So I piled the 4 kids and car seats into the van, drove to my parents house to see Grandpa for a little bit and jump on the trampoline.  All well so far.

I had planned to take them to a park, so we headed out after jumping for a while and got to the park about 30 minutes before lunch time.  I figured we could still do it, since we had snacks packed, so I hauled them all out of the car, fought with the new stroller I didn't know how to work, and got them all to the picnic tables to eat snack before playing.  We skipped over two picnic tables due to yellow jackets and went for a third which I thought was bee free.

I thought.

We were all happily munching on snack when a yellow jacket started whizzing around our heads.  We all held still like statues and thought we were in the clear, when it made one last pass between Conal and Liam's heads, and apparently conducted a drive by sting to Conal's ear.  Oh, that was the end of that.  And pretty much the end of the world and everything.  Conal was madder than a hornet (ha.ha.ha.) and the poor thing kept clutching his ear.  No amount of snacks or holding or distracting was going to work.   We spent about 10 minutes wondering around the park trying to calm him before I decided No. Can. Do.

We packed up and headed home promptly.  After only 10 minutes at the park.  Oh well.

We got home and I started fixing lunch and THANKFULLY all of the new/different toys distracted Conal to the point where he apparently forgot his stung ear and happily started flinging toys about.

Whew.  Crisis averted.

While I was lunching about the kitchen, Liam the 5 year old, wondered in...

L: Did you hear what I was playing, Aunt Jamie?
Me: I did.  It was very nice.
L: I was playing music for you cause it's your birthday.
Me: Aw, really?
L: Yes and I was playing the hardest I could and concentrating really hard to do my best work cause it's your birthday.
Me: <melts>
L: Did you like it?
Me:  I loved it. :-D  Will you go play me some more music while I finish lunch?
L: YES!

So I snuck in and snapped this.

My birthday serenade. :)

Then we all sat down for lunch.  Wouldn't you want to sit down to lunch with these faces?

And yes, that is macaroni and cheese from a box.  I wanted so badly to be the cool aunt who fed them something super healthy and plant based, but I had little time, little food options, and little money.  So rather than feed them something I wasn't sure if they were going to eat and then be stuck if it turned out bad, I opted  for something I knew they would eat.   There's always next time....

Then the littles went down for a nap while the big kids watched X-Men 3 and played Legos.

And I know you are all wondering if my past-due sister had her baby on my birthday.  No.  We all were hoping and waiting and wishing.  I wanted a little birthday niece, but it didn't happen.  (Happened the next day actually after 2 more false labor attempts.)

But it was still a good birthday, filled with lots of chasing little kids and diapers. ;-)