Thirty-Something

Well, it is official.  I am thirty... and can now be called thirty something!  Amazing what that does to a person's mind.  I find myself mentally checking the inventory of my life to see if I have accomplished the things I should by this point in my life.

I'm married to my best friend.  Check
I have a BA and am partially finished with my MA degree.  Half Check
I have a great job at the University doing something I love to do.  Check
We have two kids who are amazing and our adoption is finalized.  Check
My credit is better than it was in my 20's.  Check
I pay all my bills on time.  Check
We have a cute little house we rent and I don't feel pressure to buy.  Check
I stay in closer contact with my extended family. Check

There are still many things on my to do list and I pray I live long enough to put a dent in it.  I want to take my kids to Africa.  I want to plant a huge garden (we have a small one).  I want to have enough money that I can fly to see my family anytime we want.  I want to see my kids be successful and see Kara find contentment.

All that aside, for my 30th birthday all I wanted was my little kitten.  Henry has been everything I hoped he would be.  I had recently been having heart pangs for a baby.  I couldn't make sense of feeling that way- especially after having two kiddos and them taking up all my extra time.  The yearning to cuddle and snuggle and have someone so dependent on me was still there.  I am thrilled that Henry has met those needs. He LOVES to snuggle and I love to have him close by.  He likes kisses and falls asleep in my arms as I rock him.  I know this sounds funny-- and yes, Henry is a kitten-- but it is true. He gets fussy and meows incessantly when he is sleepy and needs a nap.  I pick him up and cradle him and kinda swing him from side to side and slowly he falls asleep, but not before putting up a little protest.  He wakes me up in the middle of the night (I could do without this part!) and needs extra loving care and attention.  He is my sweetie pie.  In many ways he is like Apache.

The kids got the biggest pleasure out of surprising me with him.  We had an awesome Mothers' Day at home just resting, playing outside, hanging out with our furry critters and just being a family.

One year ago on the 13th I was making signs for my garden and this year I sat with my daughter on the ground and planted flowers.  Last year I ordered their beds as my gift and they arrived on my birthday and this year we got to tuck our kids safely and snugly into their covers.

It really is amazing what a year can bring.  I can't fathom what this next year will have in store, but I am just blessed to have lived the last 30 years with a God who loves me, a family who made me who I am, and now my sweet new little family who will make me who I will become.