That's a special day in the neighborhood.

Today I turned 21...again. Usually I try to force everyone to celebrate my birthday for a whole week. Think Hanukkah with a a gift every day leading up to December 20th. This time I settled for just a few days. Although short, my birthday week has been great!

Proof of my age on a card from Evelyn.

On Saturday the family got together at my parent's house and my mom made my favorite dinner - sauerkraut and pork. Don't knock it untill you've tried it! Among the gifts were a bread machine, a pretty scarf, and some things from Pampered Chef. The most interesting gifts though, were the $25 gift card to McDonalds that said, "Can I get some fries with that shake?" and the size XL pajama pants. Combine the gift card and the bread machine and I think in a couple of weeks, I'll be able to fit into those pants quit nicely :)

But so far, today has probably been the best. It started with homemade bread (it has begun people!), "Happy Birthday" wishes from Jonathan and the kids, and this video sent from my friend. *Not as bad as it looks*

Good times...Good times...

Best of all, my gang threw me a "surprise party" in the boy's bedroom. They even cleaned it up for the occasion! It was complete with an invitation ("Mom, meet us upstairs in  5 min."), a song, and a pretend ice cream cone. I'm telling you people, it does not get any better then that. Really! Knowing that they did their very best to make me feel special on my birthday was the best gift I could have received.