The Cotta Family: Birthday Wishes.

Don't just count your years, make your years count.
[ernest meyers]

Such simple words, but words we should all live by. And if you asked me at the end of my birthday how the day went, I'd tell you we sure made every minute count.

Starting with a brunch with some girlfriends and the whole batch of little ones. And check out those little ones eating like big kids in real seats. We certainly aren't the most tidy group and yes, food must be ordered within the first three minutes of sitting down to keep everyone happy. But we sit and eat and laugh our heads off about the crazy stories we share of being a momma.

And really, how could you not love being a momma to one of these little ones?

And then? Then we feast on birthday cake. And we blow out pretend candles.

And later in the evening? We dined. Formal style, this time. Sans petits enfants. (How's that for remembering a little bit of a language I studied and knew so well for eight hours?)

To capture the whole evening? That was out of my hands. And Lindsay was quite proud of her work that evening....

And no, that was not my glass of wine. Momma has several more months without that...And that is more than okay with me.

I didn't need a big bash or lots of presents. But what I did need, I got. And then some. A little bit of fun, a lot of love, and the opportunity to be surrounded by those in my life I love so very much.

But....

What girl doesn't love that infamous blue Tiffany's box?

Yes, it was a perfect 29th.

And when the birthday fun was over, we returned to our everyday activities. Like continuing to document the days of our two year old and a seventeen week belly.

And a fourteen year old dog. (You see, Philip? I do take pictures of your puppy, too.)

Beyond the storms and never-ending rain and messes of tornadoes, it's impossible to not love this weather. And this new hat and sunglasses combination.

And itty bitty v-necks.

I couldn't resist taking a moment yesterday to think about this day, to think about a date that is now coming and going without anything as momentous as having a baby occurring. And while we haven't forgotten about what happened, we have certainly moved beyond that period of our lives. Perhaps this little one did just need a few more months of having his momma all to himself...

And so that's exactly what I'll give to him. Momma & Jacob time. And in twenty-two weeks, when we do welcome our new little one into this world, we will simply spread our love onto baby number two.

But on this afternoon, we decided it was the little one's time to learn how to operate the big camera.

Really it became more of me hopping around trying to place myself in the center of the lens, but the little one was proud of his work. And how could he not be? He took a picture of his Momma and his puppy.