And More Birthday Girl!

The family party was on Sunday --- the REAL birthday. J*lia picked the menu --- barbecue! So we had ribs, pulled pork, BBQ chicken, corn, black beans.....YUMM! Phil Walcutt joined us, as well as Connie -- a friend of Frieda's from Dallas who was visiting for the weekend. (And of course, me, Phil, and the boys!)

The food was one major highlight of the party........favorite gifts were a microscope (from Dad), a magic kit (from Uncle Phil), the book "Brisingr" (from Mom), and a gift card to Claire's with the promise of a shopping trip (from Frieda).

Don't mind the dyed hair! :-) They tell me it is a phase.......

Birthday Girl!

Miss J turned 9 on Oct 12. Lots and lots of fun! (October is a big birthday month in our house --- Auntie Gretchen has a birthday on the 20th too!)

Friday night was the kids party at Fun & Games --- laser tag, video games, dancing, and a great Uno's dinner (courtesy of Auntie Gretchen). These are pics from that gathering.

Birthday Boy!! 14 years old

Tim laughs at a joke card
Julia joins in the laughter
Just what he asked for!!
Opening gifts
Uncle Phil!

Tim was 14 yesterday, and we had our traditional family party. The birthday person gets to choose the food (Tim chose Indian food!), and we all gather round for dinner, cake, ice cream, presents, and usually a lot of laughs. Last night was no exception! In addition to all three kids, me, Frieda, and Phil, we also had the pleasure of a visit from Uncle Phil who has not been able to make it to the last few parties (a long drive from Maine!) Notice that Tim is now taller than Uncle Phil!!

Tim wanted an electric guitar more than anything. I think I had pretty much convinced him that he was not getting one --- too expensive, too noisy, he doesn't practice enough, etc. But Phil and I collaborated and bought him a beautiful bright red Fender --- he is THRILLED. Now he has to save up for an amplifier -- let's hope it takes a while! :-)

Happy Birthday Bupka!

Notice the unusual "melon cake"..........
Julia was helping to blow out the candles --- very thoughtful........
Julia and Bupka don't look anything alike, do they? LOL

We made the trip down to RI to celebrate my mother's (aka "Bupka") birthday on Monday. It was a long trip for a work day, but we had a good time. The cakes were interesting --- regular cake for most of us, and a very creative "melon" cake for my mom and her friend Sarah, who are on a special diet.

Birthday Parties

Two birthday parties in two weeks! Wow!

Tim turned 13 on October 5th. We celebrated with usual family celebration at home. Tim chose to have Indian food for his party, and the cake was homemade by Phil and Tim. Yummy!

His "kid party" was on Sunday at the Davis Mega- Maze. What a great time!! We had 12 boys for the party --- had barbecue, cake, a pinata, time to navigate the MegaMaze (can take hours!!!), and finally a water balloon fight using very cool catapults. We lucked out on the weather -- was rainy in the AM, but cleared up just in time for the party.

The most interesting part of the party from my perspective was the ride there and back with 7 12 year old boys. As an adult female, I am completely invisible and irrelevant to them, so I get to listen to all the conversation. Hmmm. I was relieved to find out that all of them still think Wierd Al Yankovic is better music than Em in em. I was glad when the ride was over --- it was LOUD! Tim said it was the "best party ever"!! (he says that every year.....)

Julia had her birthday the following week. She turned 8 on October 12. We had the family party on her birthday ---- Bupka (my mom) drove up for both parties! Julia wanted ribs for her party, so we had a huge spread from Tennessee BBQ --- ribs, pulled pork, bbq chicken, coleslaw, bakes beans, mashed potatoes, corn bread........ And her cake was store bought -- marble cake with yellow flowers....

HER "kid party" was on Saturday,m and was an indoor gym party at The Longfellow Childrens Center. 18 kids --- all ages 6-9. 16 girls and two very brave boys! They had an absolute blast! Lots of time for free play, some organized games and play with a parachute, pizza, cake, and more free play. We had 18 very happy, very tired and sweaty kids at the end of two hours.

I had a wonderful time at all four parties, and I am VERY GLAD they are over. It made for quite a hectic couple of weeks.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TIM & JULIA!!! It is wonderful to be 13 and 8!