Today I celebrate my 36th birthday with a full heart and a whole lot of hope for what this year holds. 35 was a great year — new friendships, new writing opportunities, a lot of joy in watching my children bloom and grow, and feeling more solidified in community both in our neighborhood and friendships as well as the Montessori community. I feel so optimistic about what these connections mean for us as a family moving forward, and feel incredibly lucky and grateful for how things seem to fall into place at just the right time when we keep open hearts and minds. Doing so is not always easy. I have been finding out a lot about what it means to be whole and happy, and keeping a healthy balance in our lives, which sometimes means saying no, sometimes having to move on from unhealthy circumstances and make new connections, and to always allow oneself to be pleasantly surprised and open to life and all its joy. 
Thank you to an amazing group of women who took me out for brunch yesterday, made me feel special and celebrated and lucky to be alive. I thank you for stopping by today, thank you for reading, thank you for sharing this journey with me! Here’s to 36!
Feliz cumple!
Happiest of Birthdays Lauren! Wishing you a wonderful day and year!! And, can I just say…you look amazing for 36 girl!
Happy day to you Lauren! May 36 treat you well!
Happy Birthday!
Love,
NBK
Happy Birthday, Lauren!
Happy, happy birthday! 36 looks good on you.
Happy birthday lovely lady!
Happy birthday, Lauren. You look great, as always! Hope that you are enjoying your special day.
Happy Birthday, Lauren! I hope the year ahead brings even more happiness, joy, and laughter to you and your crumb bum crew!
Thank you for all the well wishes! Feeling the love today!
Happy birthday, Lauren! And thanks for bringing a little pocket of intelligence, creativity, style, and beauty to the internet. It’s always a pleasure to peek in on you guys and see what you’re up to. xoxo
Thank you, Allison! That is so kind!
Happy (belated) birthday Lauren! And wow, you look super hot to welcome a new year. It’s amazing to see how much you and your family have grown. I never miss one of your posts… and it seems like you all have really hit your stride. It’s an inspiration!
Happy happy birthday, Lauren!
Happy birthday to you! Even though I don’t comment a lot, I read your blog almost everyday and LOVE every bit of it! Thank you for all of your inspiration! Love that wine colored top too 🙂
Thank you, Jessica! I’m so glad you commented!
Happy Birthday, Lauren! Thank you for sharing your life, as lived, with us. I look forward to your blog posts every day, so it’s been good to read about how connected you have been feeling lately. Saw this interview on the Anthology Magazine blog – http://anthologymag.com/blog3/2016/01/15/one-on-one-masha-nordbye/ – and thought of you!
Thank you, Sarah! That makes me very happy. And wow, that Marsha Nordbye is one amazing, inspiring lady. So glad you passed that along! I aspire to have that much joy and energy for life for… the rest of my life!
Happy Belated, Aquarius Friend <3