Happy! Happy! Birthday to E!

E's birthday is today!  Happy!  Happy!  E!

This is actually one of the "BIG" birthdays for E.  As she put it, yesterday was the last day of her 20's.  So yep, today E is "The Big 3-0" as some like to put it.

Which, if you're me, still sounds young and beautiful and great!  And E is definitely young and beautiful and great!

In fact, here are the Top 5 Things I love about E...

# 5 - She is a care giver extraordinaire.  Young or old, rich or poor, animal or person, if E knows you, E is going to care about you and prove that out by doing.  E takes her boys' safety very seriously.  She can strap in a car seat like the best of 'em, because she knows those seats are carrying the most precious cargo in her life.  E doesn't just care in word, she cares in action.  E has a heart bigger than the ocean.  Before I ever came into the family, R&E took care of two cats that were in such poor health, most people would have simply put them down and never looked back.  But not E.  I cannot do the story justice to describe the various physical ailments these two cats endured, but suffice it to say that they were unable to do very much at all for themselves.  So E stepped in.  And cared for these two cats for a number of years - or essentially their entire lives.  E cares not expecting any reward in return.  E's heart is all about caring for others and meeting their needs.

# 4 - E notices.  E is a listener and observer.  She notices the details, the little things about people that most folks miss.  And then she remembers what she has observed and loves on people with the very things that they love the most.  I remember one time when R&E and G&I were playing a game, and a question about me came up.  Poor G.  It was so stinkin' cute, because he just KNEW that he SHOULD know the right answer, but he couldn't think of it.  But E remembered.  And quietly answered the question right and gained the points.  Cause she notices and remembers as part of loving people.

# 3 - E is resourceful.  E is great at being able to make the most of a given situation.  I remember one time when we were visiting, little O-man woke up in the night throwing up.  O-man was about 4 - 5 months old at the time, so still quite the little man.  Since G&I sleep in O-man's room, he was with R&E in their bedroom, so you can imagine the "fun and excitement" that the 3 of them endured in the middle of the night.  And rather than wake G&I up to get O-man some new clothes, E went to the linen closet and pulled out a pillow case to put O-man in.  We assured E that she most definitely could have and should have waken us up, but she just smiled her beautiful smile (despite very little sleep the night before) and say that a pillow case was just fine for O-man.  Resourceful?  You bet.

# 2 - E is wise.  She thinks deeply about subjects and people and reaches wise conclusions.  E is a seeker of advice, a trait of wise people.  E is always learning, wanting to know more and hear various viewpoints and perspectives along with prayer to make the best decisions for her family.One subject that is of particular importance to E is feeding her family wisely.  From the first moments of life and the nurture only E could have given to her boys to all of their growing up years, E watches out for the most healthy food she can find and will pay extra or travel farther for the items that are the absolute healthiest for her boys.  But she balances that with everyone's "need" for ice cream every now and then!

# 1 - E's smile.  The pic below doesn't do her smile justice, but you can catch a glimpse of just why I love her smile.  She has just about the most winning, most welcoming, most loving smiles of anyone I know.  E's smile can literally light up a room.  Her beautiful heart comes through in her smile, and you know that you are safe around her...that you matter to her...that she wants you to be happy...and if you're not, she is going to do her best to at least make you feel loved while she is around.  That is an amazing gift.

And speaking of gifts, here are The Top 5 Things I would give E if money and time and resources were no object...

# 5 - A totally intuitive Pintrest search engine.  I don't Pin, but E loves to Pin.  But E is also a mother of two energetic, fun, young boys!  So for those times when she knows that she wants to search Pintrest for a fresh idea but doesn't really have the time to search, E could simply think about it, and this intuitive search engine would start to find all of the Pinned ideas that would fit her thought, prioritize them to fit E's style and offer her the top 3 choices - all done while she is still chasing down laundry and work and shoes (when do boys ever LIKE to put on shoes???) and shopping and T-ball and church and homework and naps.  And for those times when all of those other things are "done" and E feels like losing herself in a good Pintrest search, this intuitive engine would turn off and let her browse to her heart's content.

# 4 - A garden large enough to feed her family for a full year without E having to do anything but pick the produce.  She could, of course, weed and feed and trim and dig and do all of those things that gardeners love to do, but because of all of the other things that E has to do, she wouldn't have to tend this garden; she could simply enjoy the harvest, and know that she was feeding her family the absolute healthiest and freshest fruits and vegetables.

# 3 - A way to be in 3 places at one time so she could be at work to help with the family budget plus at home with O-man plus at school with A-man so  she could see everything each of her boys is learning and doing everyday and never miss a moment.

# 2 - Pampering of her choice as often as she needed it - but this pampering would happen in an alternate universe where time in this universe stood still, so that she didn't have to steal time away from all of the things that she is responsible for and taking care of everyday that need to be seen about but still get the energy and refreshment that a good pampering gives.

And the # 1 thing that I would give E for her 30th birthday if money and time and resources were no object..

...An invisible room that would suddenly appear at the push of a button for those times when E wants to "feel Christmas" for a while OR for those times when G&I are coming to visit.  I guess there would really be two buttons - one for Christmas and one for guests.  E would never have to clean this room or move any furniture or boys to make Christmas or guests sleeping arrangements happen.  She would just push the desired button and "POOF!"  The room was ready to go!

Happy!  Happy!  30th birthday, Miss E!  Thank you for sharing your life and home and boys with us.  We love you so very much - and need to get down to see you all again very soon!!!

Enjoy today!  May it be as wonderful and special as you are!