Birthday

I had a pretty low key birthday yesterday. At this point, low key and uneventful is always nice. We went out for Chinese food. Because the boys had so many chinese donuts and ice cream, we did not do birthday cake when we got home. Tonight the boys decorated the cake and we all dug in.
At the chinese restaurant, several times I walked across the restaurant to the buffet line with B. Both times I was amazed that I could hear J. When you are at the table with him you don't realize how loud he is but boy, his voice sure does carry.
Today we went to a second hand store. While there B saw all the ties. He decided he wanted to buy a tie so he could look sharp on Sunday. (That is the big thing on Sundays...who will look the sharpest.) Well, he really like this one clip on tie. I wanted to encourage him but I told him he did not have a shirt in his closet that would match it. He told me he did and I would see how sharp he looked on Sunday. I am a little nervous because of the tie. I gave him several opportunities to pick out another one, but he always came back to the brown, cream and orangey striped one (something right out of the 70s - but those are in style now, right). So, do I let him totally mismatch on Sunday, but thinking he looks sharp or do I try to find something in the meantime that would sort of match the tie??
The boys also found pairs of boxing gloves and were running around the store pretending to fight each other. I don't know how many times J fell down on the floor, pretending to be knocked out. Then at one point they both walked over to the lingerie rack and proceeded to take just about every bra off the rack and hold it up and say "Mom, do you like this, this is your favorite color." I am so thankful there was no one within ear shot of that!
We hit the cosmetology school for haircuts ($7 can't beat that). Both of the boys for the first time had their hair shampooed in one of the chairs. I wished I had a camera for J. He was really tired so the expression was one of glassy eyes but wide with speculation as to what was going on. He also looked so funny laying back with all of his hair falling back into the sink. All I ever see are curls. Both boys survived and J's hair has lots more curls now that some of the length is off. His hair was 4.5 inches up top.
We hit the mall and the boys loved running in the empty parts. They always get a big kick out of going into the arcade. Amazing how much time they can spend 'playing' games that have no quarters in them. At one point a lady commented on 'three boys'. I kind of sighed as to how exhausting it can be and she immediately said 'what a blessing'. Made me realize yet again, how much I love my boys and although they really frustrate, almost daily, they truly are a huge blessing! No greater job has a human being been given than that of raising children. I have gotten in the habit at nighttime of 'blessing' each of the boys from a passage out of Numbers. "The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord cause His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you. The Lord turn His face upon you and grant you His peace." It is neat to hear B remind me some nights if I forget.