a belated birthday recap

I was about to post a recap of last weekend until I looked at the calendar and realized what I was going to write about actually happened two weekends ago. What's the source of my lapse? Well, recently I've been exploring a new interest. I hesitate to qualify it as a hobby because knowing me I could drop it like a hot potato at any given point. Here's a picture hint at my latest infatuation that's eaten into my blogging time in a major way:

(Indeed I have lost my ever loving mind.)

Moving on with my two week old post that's possibly irrelevant and probably breaks all kinds of blog laws.

The first weekend in March we celebrated my birthday. I woke up to a huge box of donuts, some with sprinkles! We stuck some candles on top and ate them too fast to bother with plates.
It would have been a pretty low key weekend, but look who came all the way from Oklahoma to help us celebrate! Poor Mr. Justin went through the ringer on his first trip to the Hinton home. It didn't help that Chica continued to call him "Aunt Jess." (?)Like anyone else who comes to visit, Chica showed no mercy on our guests. There were epic triumphs and defeats over Candy Land, Sequence and Cootie Bug. One night it was warm enough to play outside, so Chica loaded up four bags worth of stuff she "needed" to survive the three feet trek down the sidewalk to the lawn. (Makes her mama proud.) Mr. Justin threw pitches to our (as of now) little switch hitter. (Makes her daddy proud.) About ten minutes later the baseball game turned into a shopping trip up and down the sidewalk.
Meanwhile I forced our other guest to make me a birthday cake. Actually, she bossed me to sit in my seat while she did all the work. She's a firstborn you know. :)

The night I turned the big 2-6, Dan got a babysitter and we met some friends for dinner. I've grown so accustomed to wrangling a toddler wherever we go that relaxing during an entire meal is a bit foreign. In a way it's almost like I've forgotten how to be completely present and carry on one continual conversation without being interrupted every few minutes. Think the onset of old age is to blame? :)

Thank you Debs and Mr. Justin for coming to see us. It made this birthday extra special!
Daniel, thank you that during such a heavy work week you took time off to bless your wife with extra of you. Thank you for your patience and mercy as I continue to grow up. I'm so grateful I can harass you to "be nice" to me on my birthday because the truth is you lavish me with kindness all the other 364 days too.

My hope for my 26th year of life is this:

"You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance."

Psalm 65:11 NKJV