Sharing a Birthday with a Spouse

Zac and I have the same birthday and it just so happened to land this past week. 

Sharing a birthday with a spouse is pretty unique, in fact I would say there is only a 1/365 chance that it could go down this way.  Birthday sharing definitely has its advantages and disadvantages.  When we were first dating and I found out that Zac shared my birthday, I thought it was a sign and it convinced me that we were meant to be together.  Zac saw it as an excuse to keep me on the hook as it was only the Fall when we found this out and he made me promise we would celebrate our birthdays together at the end of May the following year (and by the time we did celebrate it we were engaged and a week and a half away from being married).  That is one of the sweet and tender parts of sharing our birthday. 

What I didn't anticipate at the time was what challenges would also come with birthday fest.  One, being shopping with the kids.  It becomes a marathon week/month of trying to take kids to the store to shop for each other... we usually only end up with one day to shop by the time we get to the end of May and we have already had the craziness of end of school, Memorial Day, and Ian's birthday.  By the time it gets to us, we are frazzled and we get whatever we came up with at Wal-Mart while we took turns with the kids.  This year however, now that our kids are getting bigger, we sent them on their own with some money and walkie talkies and told them to keep in touch with us and call us when they were done.  This was the first time that we had no preview or influence on the gifts that the kids got us... and though we gave them some ideas, they ran with them and surprised us.  The kids got Zac a bendy wire thing that he could use for a phone holder.  They also got him some shoelaces and Reece's Peanut Butter Cups.  They picked out some leaf earrings and a shirt for me along with some Twix.  It was very fun to have a surprise.

Another of the downsides of birthday sharing is birthday morning when the baby starts crying and Bronson needs to go potty and we are both looking at each other like... it's my birthday, sooooo maybe you should take care of that and while your up breakfast in bed would be nice!

Also- birthday cake?  Two cakes or one?  Who makes it, or do we just buy one?  Okay, so cake really isn't that big of a problem especially since we both decided that we really don't like cake that much.  This year I decided I wanted an ice cream cake and Zac wanted brownies, so while the kids were shopping for us, we were buying ingredients for our birthday desserts.

This is what 35 candles looks like (for Zac of course, I am much younger... like only 33).  It is starting to get downright dangerous!

I made myself a peanut butter cup ice cream cake.  It had a Nutter Butter Crust, Reeces PB Cup ice cream, Peanut butter cup cookies, chocolate fudge topping and whip cream.  YUM!

World's fasted photo as we were all but starting a house fire and dripping wax all over the cake.  Isn't he so cute?

Though the downsides of sharing a birthday are horrible (ha ha), the upsides far outweigh the downsides.  One being, we can guilt our mothers into watching the kids for us so that we can spend a whole weekend eating out and playing.  We did get our annual 9 holes of golf completed with a baby in the car seat on the golf cart.  The weather was perfect and my golfing was sublime, Zac's was only so-so ;)  Another upside is when we go out to eat and we tell the waitress it is both of our birthdays.  There is always that look of disbelief on her face, but they don't dare question us and we both get to enjoy our free birthday dessert.

And I truly do still believe that our birthday being on the same day is a sign that we are meant to be together.  Not only were we born on the same day, but we were born in the same hospital to mother's who grew up in the same neighborhood.  I do feel bad for my mom in all of this because I hung in there for 20 days past her due date just so I could come on Zac's birthday... but if you know me at all, you will believe with me that I had a hand in organizing our birthday arriving on the same day far before we ever made our debut on the earth.  And if that doesn't beat all, I will blow your minds when I tell you that we have the same anniversary too (which is coming right up)!  And I couldn't have a better friend in the world to celebrate it all with.  I love you Zac!  Happy Birthday!