First off, let me say THANK YOU

1) For all of your sweet, kind, and encouraging comments/emails since the twins were born. Just knowing that so many of you were journeying with me during this entire pregnancy and delivery has truly made it a special one.

2) For helping me out with yesterday’s bag dilemma. The overwhelming majority chose BAG A…

So, now I’ve got a decision to make. Thanks for giving me your feedback! I love that I can ask, and you guys always deliver!

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So, Saturday is my birthday.

My 30th birthday.

You could say that I’ve been looking forward to/dreading this one for a while now.

On the one hand, I was planning what I wanted to be doing and where I wanted to be for it (location-wise) two years ago right after my 28th birthday.

I wanted to go to Europe.

I’ve been before, but I’ve never walked the streets of Paris hand-in-hand with my husband, and my life just might never be complete without that stroll. (insert deep, dramatic sigh).

The main potential impediment was being too far along in a pregnancy that I couldn’t fly or, “worse yet,” having just delivered a baby…which would obviously cramp our traveling style a bit.

(Can you hear God chuckling right now? Because I can).

I don’t know why, but 30 has always seemed so momentous to me.

I know I’ve talked about this before, and those of you who have already achieved or long since passed the 30 mark are probably quite sick of hearing about it, but it’s the age, unlike any other for me, that has seemed like the ultimate rite of passage—the one that officially makes me an adult, with a legitimate opinion, worldview, life of my own, etc., etc.

Because being allowed to have/raise 5 children doesn’t accomplish any of that.

Right.

Again, I don’t honestly know how this concept became so thoroughly ingrained in my subconscious. But it did.

Which is why it seems strange to me that this, of all birthdays of mine, is likely to be one of the most simultaneously ordinary and extraordinary I’ve ever experienced.

And for one and the same reason: I have twins.

Which means no trips to Europe, no solo dates with my husband, no girls’ night out (unless, of course, Evy and Nola are two of the girls in question).

Breastfeeding every 2 hours kind of curtails one’s ability to be footloose, fancy-free, spontaneous, or any of that other birthday-ish business.

But right about the point that I start to have a mini pity-party about my “ruined” 30 expectations, I look at the flipside of this whole twin business.

I, out of all of the women in this world who can bear children, was chosen by God to have identical twin girls named Evangeline and Magnolia.

I was given the charge of changing their diapers, giving them baths, and making sure that they get enough sun to ward off jaundice.

I alone am capable of stopping the crying of two tiny little creatures with the mere smell of my skin.

And that, folks, is far from ordinary.

Which is why I thought I’d celebrate this not-so-momentous birthday of mine with a list of things that are better in groups of 30.

Because it’s just a number, after all. So why not embrace it?

Feel free to chime in with your own list (and your own number) in the comments!

1.

Shoes

This is a shot of the shoe shelf in my own master closet, but a quick search on Pinterest reveals that I’m not the only one who thinks that shoes are best owned by the 30’s.

Source: google.com.au via Abbie on Pinterest

 

Or MORE. *Ahem* Jessica Alba.

Source: houzz.com via Abbie on Pinterest

 

Can you even fathom such an organized closet in real life?

 

{drool}

2.

Ice Cream Flavors

Source: weheartit.com via Abbie on Pinterest

 

If I’m completely honest, there’s a pretty decent possibility that my favorite flavor of ice cream at the moment is Blue Bell’s Homemade Vanilla because it’s just so amazing by itself and paired with so many different things.

But I can’t even imagine a world where it isn’t even possible to get a big ol’ scoop of Rocky Road or Mint Chocolate Chip or Peaches and Cream or Turtle Sundae or…must have ice cream NOW.

Yup. Ice cream definitely deserves at least the 30-flavor treatment.

3.

Infant Socks.

Source: amazon.com via Abbie on Pinterest

 

PUH-LEASE tell me I’m not the only one who can buy a pack of these puppies and, by the end of the week, wonder why I can only find 3 mismatched pairs.

They should definitely come in packs of 30, minimum.

4.

Shades of blue-green

Source: svenskttenn.se via Abbie on Pinterest

 

{How fun/crazy is this couch?}

If you’ve been reading for a while now, then you know that I love all things turquoise, aqua, teal, robin’s egg, seafoam, ocean, and so on (and on and on).

Practically every shade of blue-green sucks me in every single time I see it, and I probably have no fewer than 30 shades of it in my house alone.

Viva la aqua!

5.

Dead flies

IMG_5442

Yes, that is an actual picture from my actual house.

And yes, that disgusting fly-killing contraption has been hanging over the primary eating location in our house for over a week now.

But there are at least 28 (and counting) deceased houseflies on that yellow wand of death, which means 28 (and counting) fewer houseflies to buzz around my or my children’s faces.

And, yes, I realize that I’ve already told you that we were battling a moth infestation. I promise we don’t live in the city dump. Quite the opposite—we live in the the highly insect-populated countryside.

With two little boys who have the hardest time remembering to shut doors behind them.

Hence our “issues.”

Grossed out much?

Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

P.S. Lest you feel sorry for me or think I’m truly complaining about this whole 30th birthday business, let me inform you that I’m spending the day with the same man who spoiled me rotten for my 29th.

It’ll be a good day. : )

I love hearing from you guys!