May Birthday's

May is a busy month for our family. First there is my birthday, then Tristan's, then me and Daniel's wedding anniversary, then Mother's Day, then we top off the month with Alicia's birthday. Basically...we eat A LOT of cake. 

I hadn't expected a lot out of my birthday this year...31...big whoop. I had a really nice lunch date with some friends in the afternoon, but other than that I had planned for it to be business as usual! Tristan had a soccer game that night, so I told Daniel that for my birthday, I didn't want to have to split the game with him...I wanted to stay for the WHOLE thing. It was a great game, and the team won, so Happy Birthday to me!! I knew Daniel had wanted to do a little something after the game, but I had assumed it was just with the kids. I was surprised to find yummy appetizers on the counter (which I thought was just a nice dinner for Tristan and I since we had missed dinner earlier), and a big bouquet of balloons when Tristan and I got home from the game. When I saw the front door open, I asked if Daniel was expecting someone...he said, "No," so I shut and locked the door. I was trying to get things moved along so the kids could go to bed, and Adelaide was disappointed my party was so lame...I really should have picked up on things...but I'm apparently very thick. Finally the doorbell started ringing and people just kept flowing in. He had invited a bunch of my friends over for a little party with some appetizers and cake. What a guy! Somehow he still manages to surprise me!!

Have you ever had Costco chocolate cake? YUMMM!!!

My balloons...I love the "another year of fabulous" one.

Avery wrote me a very special birthday message in her own card. So cute!

Have I ever told you about my long lost 3rd cousin that lives here?? We met at church, and quickly realized we were related. When we both knew where Fort Macleod, Alberta was, we knew it had to be true. Her name is Lana...and she's fabulous! She made me this cupcake pin cushion.

As I've gone back and looked at pictures, I noticed that I'm always wearing my glasses. This pregnancy threw my eyeballs for a whirl! I'd never had that happen before!! Pretty much during my whole 2nd trimester I couldn't wear my contacts at all. I'm able to wear my contacts now, but my vision isn't quite right. I read somewhere to not bother going to the doctor until after having the baby, because it could return to normal...so I'm hopeful!!

Daniel is extremely good at picking out gifts for me. This year he picked me out these beauties...as I was opening the gift, I saw the side of the box said "Gringoes." It took only but a second for me to realize what was inside and I was tearing through that wrapping paper squealing with delight!!

Next up: Tristan's 16th Birthday!!! Tristan hadn't gotten his driver's permit until April, and in Tennessee you have to have your permit for at least 6 months before you can get your license, so it wasn't like we were going to surprise him with a new car. I was kind of stressing about how we would make his birthday fabulous. When we asked him if there was anything super exciting he wanted to do or wanted to get, he replied, "no, not really." Typical teenage boy.... I had gotten him his mango nike soccer cleats a few weeks earlier, so I wrapped them up to give to him. Lame. I went crazy decorating the house with blue balloons. I had Daniel help me and he couldn't believe I blew up so many balloons...I let him think I was totally awesome for a little while until I explained that I had a little hand pump that did most of the work. He helped me string the balloons and hang them up...the rest we left scattering the floor. He had wanted to just dump the lot of them all over Tristan's floor, but Tristan is a pretty light sleeper and would have woken up, so I nixed the idea. Daniel thought it would be so funny for Tristan to wake up surrounded by balloons. Still feeling a bit lame, Daniel and I went to the bank and opened up a checking account for Tristan with a nice starting balance. I'm not sure he was super excited about it at first, but I think he's warmed up to it.

Apparently the day after Tristan turned 16, he was asked out by a girl from church. Apparently a big group of the youth were going on a day date to the zoo that Saturday. The girl got down on one knee and asked Tristan out. The story I got from another girl (who witnessed the whole thing and even took pictures on her phone to text me with) was that Tristan responded with, "I gotta mow the lawn." He says he said he already had, "something to do." Crack me up either way!!! He was actually helping our friend Dever (who owns a landscaping business) mow about 15 acres on Saturday morning. Anyway...the girl got mad at him for turning him down and immediately got up and punched him in the arm. Hilarious!

After his birthday, I put his balloon bouquet in his room...it lasted quite a while!

How do you not feel special when you know all these balloons are for YOU!!!

I love the progression of Tristan and then Avery's reactions in these photos...

 YAY!!!

We topped off our birthday celebrations with Alicia's 12th birthday. I had thrown her a big party last year for her 11th, so this year was more low key. She has made the transition into Young Women's at church quite well. All the other girls in there have been super nice and friendly, so she is feeling comfortable. She enjoyed going to girls camp with them this summer. She literally walked in the door...dropped her stuff...and stumbled upstairs to take a good long nap. 

We are normally so caked out by the time Alicia's birthday rolls around, so I try to make it a little different. Last year I had attempted chocolate cupcakes with strawberry frosting, but I didn't make the frosting thick enough, and it was falling off the cupcakes. I decided to try again...this time doing a chocolate CAKE with the strawberry frosting...turned out much better! Alicia had given me a whole big long list of all sorts of things she wanted for her birthday. I decided to give her a gift card to Forever 21 instead and she could decide what she REALLY wanted. She smartly saved the gift card until right before school, and we went and got her some really nice new school clothes. I'd also gotten her some new bedding...more adolescent-ish. Adelaide bought her a new headband, and Tristan got her some new shades. She was a happy girl!!

Sporting her new headband and shades...

Grandma Norma got her this cool jewelry box shaped as a shoe...Avery thought it was fabulous!!

 Not only did the cake look good...but it tasted delicious!!

I thought the polka dots and stripes were more age appropriate than the light purple gingham with butterflies. I also got her the green/white polka dot curtains to go with it. I think she appreciated my thoughts. Everyone is growing up so fast, though!!