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December 3rd was my 41st birthday.  A year ago, I was at the Botanic Gardens in Canberra with our Aussie friends celebrating my 40th.  Most of the time was spent watching all of our children attempt to fall into the pond nearby.  Raffe was the only one who succeeded.  It was a beautiful day and a fun time and I even spotted a fairy wren flying in the bushes.  This year, I had my cake a week early when my family was here for Thanksgiving.  Abby made me eggs for breakfast and I opened my gifts in the morning.  Dale wasn’t here to take the kids shopping at Walmart for my gifts.  Dale believes all good things come from Walmart.  I, however, do not believe in that mantra when it comes to my birthday presents.  Not wanting to veer too far from their pattern of gift shopping, the kids shopped for my birthday gifts at the home improvement store.  Last week, we had to stop there to get rakes and gloves for Abby and Josiah’s rake-a-thon and it seemed as good a place as any.  When we walked in, they were caught up momentarily in the over the top Holly Jolly Winter Wonderland.  Eventually, after pushing the buttons of every obnoxious Christmas decoration in the store, they chose my gifts.  They kept them hidden from me and paid for them with their allowance (pocket money).  We made it out of the store and into the car without my seeing the gifts.  However, Gabe made the mistake of placing his gift next to Zeke.  While we were loading up I heard Zeke say, “What’s this?  Oh a pretty plant!  Nice and green leaves!”  Keeping gifts a secret is near impossible in this family.  Dale sent me a lovely silver necklace with matching earrings from Iraq.  He told me that the cost of it was determined by the shop owner weighing the jewelry on a scale and calculating the cost based on the current price of silver.  The shop owner used a calculator to show the price of the jewelry just like they do in Korea.  Here’s hoping my necklace is actually silver, just like I hope my bracelets really are jade.  I spent part of my birthday at the bookstore with Zeke.  The entire time there, he tried to convice me that it was not about me.  “Not your books, Mommy.  Zeke’s books!”  Then off he’d walk towards the children’s section.  For dinner,  the kids and I went out to a Japanese steakhouse.  I figured that flames and knives would keep Zeke occupied long enough for me to eat a hot meal.  I had forgotten to warn the kids that the hostess would seat strangers at our table.  Five guys who looked like they had just gotten off the job site came and joined us.  What do you do in that situation?  Other than a polite hello and goodbye, are you supposed to talk to the other people at the table?  With Dale deployed and me alone with four kids, it didn’t seem like a good group to chit chat with.  Every time I go into one of those restarants, I don’t know what to do.  When the waitress came out banging a drum and carrying a small cake, we were all forced to interact.  The construction crew got to sing Happy Birthday to me.  After dinner, the kids and I had planned to stop at a good dessert place, but were sad to discover that it was not open on Mondays.  Gabe was extremely disappointed, so I agreed to try and find somewhere else to go.  I made the decision to go to Bob Evans.  This was a bad decision.  The only good thing to say about the place was that the kids got cool bendy straws with their water.  Dale claims he’ll be here for my next birthday.  I hope he is.  It will make me thankful for gifts from Walmart and dessert at Bob Evans.  Well, maybe not the dessert at Bob Evans.