Back-to-Back Kid Birthdays – A Pretty Happy Home

What’s it like for all you people out there whose kids’ birthdays are nice and evenly spaced out?

Is it amazing and stress-free?

It is, isn’t it?

I KNEW IT!!

I have to say, it was really smart of you to plan the births of your children that way.

And if it wasn’t exactly planned, ~~I don’t want to know the details~~ take that luck and enjoy the heck out of it!

My children’s birthdays are ONE. DAY. APART.

Let that sink in…

Whatever you are thinking about this life-long situation, yes, it’s probably like that.

My inner efficiency expert would prefer one small joint birthday celebration.

She’s a party pooper though and usually gets vetoed on this particular topic.

Just like the people who sometimes get short-changed because they were born on Christmas, I don’t want my kids to feel short-changed because back-to-back birthdays wear mommy out.

How we celebrate their birthdays has changed every year. This is mainly because my kids are different every year and life circumstances change. We’ve done joint parties, sleepovers and separate parties. We’ve foregone all parties and taken a trip.

I’ll let you guess which one of those options was my favorite.

This year, for the first time in several years, we were able to celebrate their birthdays with cousins. Lying in bed one night before his birthday, my son said, “so ALL my cousins are coming?”

I replied, “Yes, from my side of the family and from daddy’s side of the family.”

He thought about this for a moment.

Then in the darkened room he lifted up his little arms and cupped each of his hands in a half-circle shape and said, “so it’s like this half and the other half coming together.”

He looked at his hands, which now formed a circle and said, “Actually mom, it’s more like this…”

And he changed the shape of his hands so that the two sides formed a heart.

To which I ~~melted into a puddle of maternal goo~~ replied, “Yes, it’s exactly like that.”

I’m actually feeling at a loss for the right words, so I’ll just say I’m so grateful our family was able to love on the kids in person this year. These moments matter.

My kiddos were glowing with happiness ~~and a sugar high~~ at the end of the day.

And you know what? My heart was full too.

P.S. My kids (ages 8 and 11) are into science stuff right now, so this is what we gave them for their birthdays. My son got the microscope. It won some awards for best starter microscope, so that’s how I picked that one. My daughter has been asking about growing crystals and a kit seemed easier than the DIY version. Plus, this one can become a night light. I’ll let you know how it all goes!

National Geographic Mega Crystal Growing Lab and Night Light