Little surprises.

They say if life hands you lemons, make lemonade, right?! Well, yesterday I did just that. While I couldn't go get a pedicure or go out to eat or go shopping or spend time with friends like I had hoped, I did make the most of the day yesterday.

When both my kids were sleeping, which rarely ever happens anymore, I made myself a big bowl of chocolate frozen yogurt, piled on top of two broken up Girl Scout Thin Mints (my fave!) topped with Hershey's chocolate syrup and dark chocolate Easter M&M's. Mmmmm . . . it was yummy, and here is that treat, now gone gone in my tummy tummy tum.

Then at the end of that pleasant mommy time with no children throwing up or needing me, my mom called, asked if she could come by and brought me a hot much-needed Vanilla Latte (non-fat of course to compliment the dessert I had right before that) from Starbucks. She had also brought me a wonderfully smelling tangerine candle and some treats for my kids. (Thanks so much, mom! You're the best!) By the end of the afternoon, I had had 3 of my favorite tasty treats - ice cream, Starbucks coffee, and Diet Dr. Pepper. I was happy. Who could honestly ask for more?!

I also got a great treat in my tulips that have been sitting not bloomed for a week now on my table. Well, yesterday they began to open (see pic above) and wow they are beautiful!! Added another smile to my day. Nothing much more exciting (to me) than flowers blooming with a surprise of color and freshness. I so love flowers.

And then, I had a couple phone calls or text messages from friends wishing me a happy birthday - Kristin, Katie, Heather, Jamie & Alexis, and birthday cards and emails from a handful of people as well (Thanks, everyone, for remembering me!) And when Neil got home from picking up Noah's prescription last night, he also brought home two bouquets of flowers for me and a bottle of wine. What a great hubby. I'm so incredibly lucky.

So, in the mist of mommyhood trials and set backs, there are happy endings. So, Happy Birthday to me, and Happy St. Patty's Day to everyone!

I think we are on the mend. Everyone is sleeping (yes, it's 1:00 in the afternoon - we didn't get much sleep last night!) and so I'm enjoying another peaceful quiet moment. Sure, I wish I were in Columbus shopping with Alexis, but hey, it could be worse. I'm just thankful we didn't have a hospital visit last night or this moring. It really started to look like we were heading that route. We still have to cross our fingers where Maia is concerned, but so far, so good. Phew.

One of the secrets of life is to make stepping-stones out of stumbling blocks.
-Jack Penn

Adversity is another way to measure the greatness of individuals. I never had a crisis that didn't make me stronger.
-Lou Holtz