Today I have eaten: a handful of chocolate chips (the only thing I fed myself, they tasted terrible,) a bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos, black coffee, handmade life birthday cake, and a Wendy's shake. I will not be held responsible for this. This is exactly and precisely how the people who love me have fed me today. I have not gotten out of bed, except to blow out the candle on my cake. I swear that candle was made from the horn of a unicorn.

In the gift of solitude I was given today, have seen my people anew. Riley is now defining her own style. She has completely shunned cute. She is forging a very capable strong rough sort of femininity to show the world. She is deliberately summoning a can of whoop ass inside herself. And she is finally comfortable being alone. Henry has moved into his own "growlery." He spends most of his days reading and drawing. He is very compelled by faces, abstract interconnected half circles, and character development. He is emerging as a deep thinker who prefers to keep a mini leatherman at hand. Joe is the deep green tree that holds this house.

What better birthday could a mother have?