Birthdays and Macie eating

On Saturday, we spent the afternoon at my friend Lynn's house from college. There are 4 of us who try to get together every now and again. Since this past weekend was the Georgia Florida game, it was a perfect excuse for us to get together. When we got home, we left all the stuff in the car. Sunday after church, I brought the bags inside. One of them had a box of Gerber toddler crackers we had taken for Macie. The bag was on the coffee table, but Macie managed to pull the bag down, get the box of crackers out of the bag, and open the box. The pictures to the right are how we found her! This was after she had eaten lunch. Have I mentioned she likes to eat?

Yesterday was my birthday. On Sunday, I told Jeff what I want next year from my birthday. It is truly a sign that I am getting old. I would have loved this gift this year, but by the time I thought about it, it was too late. So, what is it that I want? I want Jeff to take the day off of work. He will get up and get Carson ready for school. If we send Macie next year he can get her ready too. I get to sleep in a little late. We will then all go to breakfast as a family. After we get the kids to school, Jeff and I will spend the day Christmas shopping. He thinks this sounds like a miserable way to spend your birthday, but for me, it will be wonderful. It isn't because I love to shop. It is because ALL of the holiday shopping falls on my shoulders. I have to come up with the ideas, purchase the gifts, wrap the gifts, and make sure they get to the correct place. In addition, we have 9 birthdays in the family this time of year. Somehow, this was in the fine print of our marriage liscense. A great deal for Jeff, but a really crappy one for me. For me to have all of his family taken care of and most of the kids gifts and my family before November will be the greatest gift. It will take away lots of stress and give me time to enjoy the fun of the holidays. Plus, if I can get Jeff to smile and not complain, we can get some quality time together. (Have I ever mentioned that quality time and acts of service are my love languages?) Maybe knowing that this year is the last time I have to do it alone will make it easier for me!
By the way, I really do enjoy trying to find gifts for people. It just gets to the point where it is too much all at once!