Lordy, Lordy...

  I am well loved!  (And 40, too!)

Last night, Brent and I were talking about my birthday and he said that he and the boys had "big plans...BIG PLANS!"  I inquired if it was big plans like the guy in the AT&T iPhone commercial or truly big plans.  And we laughed.

But indeed, he did have big plans, and the day has been fabulous!  Brent and Jack left the house this morning with much fanfare under the guise of  "going to the office to work."  Before they left, Brent came back into the bedroom and said for me not to get out of bed until he came back into the room.  Now I am the mother of 2 young children...you don't have to tell me twice to spend the morning lounging in bed!  Will was left behind to keep me company, and we said goodbye to Daddy and Jack as they left for work.  Will climbed up into bed to snuggle with me and promptly proceeded to spill all of the birthday secrets.  Hahaha.

And about an hour later....

  Breakfast in Bed!

Cheesy scrambled eggs, boudin, fresh mango, sectioned grapefruit, and a pumpkin spice latte.  To show how much I am loved, Pumpkin Spice Lattes are a seasonal drink and aren't currently on Starbuck's menu, but because Jack & Brent know it is my favorite, they asked Starbucks to make one especially for me!  So sweet.

I LOVE tulips!  The yellow ones just make me smile.

While we were all enjoying breakfast together, Brent and I were reminiscing about how long we have known each other, and all of the life changes that have happened this last decade.  Brent commented that he remembered when his daddy turned forty and that he was about Jack's age at the time.  Will, out of the blue said, "Yeah, first you're one, then two, then three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten and then-- BAM!-- FORTY!"  Brent and I fell out laughing because our 4 year old had so precisely (and unknowingly!) captured our thoughts and emotions.  It was the first of many STOP!!  DROP!! and ROLL on the floor laughing out loud moments today with Will.  He is such a mess.

After brunch, we all got ready to go on a quest to find my birthday present...a new bed for our bedroom.  Back when Brent and I were in graduate school, I fell in love with this beautiful plantation bed by Bernhardt.  At the time, we were as poor as church mice and there was no way we could afford the bed nor would it have fit into our little apartment.  But all these years later, I still love that bed and haven't seen anything else that I love more.  So when Brent asked what I wanted for my fortieth birthday...a trip, a party, jewelry...I said I would love to find the Plantation Bed (king size, of course!).   

We spent the afternoon "test driving"  mattresses.  We have spent the last few years sleeping on a pitiful, pitiful mattress, so it was very important to spend the money and get a good quality mattress.  My back appreciates it very much.  We found the perfect mattress and I'll order the bed this week.  And then, of course, we'll need new nightstands, new bedding, a new paint color on the walls, probably new carpet.....  Y'all see where all of this is heading?!?!?  I'll have a new master bedroom by the time it's all over!  Poor Brent, please keep him in your prayers.

After we bought the mattress, we headed over to the Home section of the store to pick up a mattress cover at a reasonable price (Ha, the mattress salesman let us in on  little secret that virtually the same cover sold in the mattress section is sold over in the Home section for half the price.  Nice to know!!!).  While we were looking at the selections, an elderly couple was waiting patiently behind us for their turn.  Will, being Will, turned around and said to them completely out of the blue:  "My Mommy has a secret..."  Of course, at this point, both Brent and I turned around very quickly to hear exactly what "Mommy secret" was about to come out of our precious four year-old's mouth.  As petrified as we were, you should have seen the look on this sweet old couple's face.  In fact, I think both of them were already starting to blush before Will blurted out:  "She's FORTY!!!!"  Without missing a beat, the little old lady said "Well, I would love to be as young as your Mommy."

All afternoon, my email has been flooded with birthday wishes--thank you, thank you, thank you!  I have felt the birthday love!  We closed out the birthday celebration with sushi and dessert, and I'm so full I am about to pop.

I feel so blessed to have 3 boys who have spent the entire day not only telling me, but showing me, how much I am loved.  

Happy 40th Birthday to me!  As my 88 year old grandmother reminded me, it sure beats the alternative!!