Birthday report

My birthday began yesterday at school when 2 of my kids showed up with gifts.  What sweet mommies & kiddos I have!  I came home with a scented oil/candle diffuser thingy (what do you call that?) and a really cute picture frame.

This morning was a little crazy...my kids woke up (all of 'em!) on the wrong side of the bed & prior to school hours, they were all grouchy & fussy.  Ugh...

When I got to work, my secret pal had left me a birthday treat---the new Karen Kingsbury book!  YAHOO!  I can't wait to get started on it b/c the current K.K. book I'm working on is kinda dry & I am having a hard time getting into it.  Time to toss it & move on I think!

As if that wasn't enough, my Mon/Wed/Fri class proceeded to give me a card & a sizable Target gift card which I have been encouraged to go & use entirely on myself---nothing for the kids or my house.  Hmm...that may be harder than I think!

One of the kids also brought me a card that she had 'signed'.  I loved her "handwriting" in the card.  Too sweet!

After I left work & picked up the kids at school, I decided that....by golly....I want a birthday cake!  So we went to Brookshire's & I bought myself one.  It's not a 'true' birthday cake---not the pretty decorated thing w/ flowers on the top & such.  It's a 2 layer red velvet cake--yum!  They also had the cheesecake slices dipped in white fudge that I love....so I got one of those, too.  I ate it this afternoon but saved the red velvet cake for us to all enjoy together tonight.  (hello sugar coma!)

Tonight, Samuel was a "Tunnel Cat" at the HS football game.  You see, in our little hometown, we're the Wildcats.  Every home game, all of the 2nd-4th grade teachers pick 2 children from each class to be a "Tunnel Cat".  They line up right before the football game & they get to run onto the field through the football players' tunnel.  They run shrieking & squealing down the full length of the football field and have a blast doing it.  Being a Tunnel Cat is quite an honor that must be earned through good citizenship, good conduct, etc.  We're proud of our little Tunnel Cat.  Here are the pics I took.

In this one, they were just lining the kids up before their "big moment".  Samuel is sitting behind a crowd of teachers, but you get the idea of how many little Tunnel Cats there were.

This is right after the tunnel came open on the end & they started running out.  I know it's probably close to impossible, but there are 2 white 'stick' things sticking up in the air above the crowd of kids' heads, way in the back of the crowd.  See them?  That's Samuel!  Those white sticks are these inflatable noise maker things.  He ran with those banging them together while hooting & hollering.

This last one is when they were walking the crowd of kids back down to where they started so the parents could pick them up.  Now you can see the white noise maker stick things better.  He loved being out on the field like that!

We came home for showers & to eat a piece of my birthday cake after half time.  It was nearly 9:30!  Yikes...the poor kids who played that game won't be home til wayyy late.  Thankfully we still have a few more years til our kids are at the high school!

All in all, the day was great.  Tomorrow is my nephew's graduation party (Way to go, Curtis!!!).  Sunday morning is church, but Sunday night Larry is taking me out to dinner.  Yahoo....grown up people food!  No kids meal choices!  I'm excited.

Thank you to all of you who sent me birthday wishes today!