The 2010 Birthday Week Extravaganza!!!

Pant pant pant... wheeze... wheeze... Phew, okay, we made it. Everyone successfully turned one year older, and had fun doing it. My job is done for another year. (phew)

Seriously though, this is my latest excuse for not blogging -- preparations for, celebrating of, and recovery from what we call around here "Birthday Week." As all you faithful reader (hi, Mom!) know, we've got 3 immediately family members who celebrate birthdays within 4 days of each other, let alone various nieces, nephews, (whose presents are coming! I promise!) and in-laws. It's a challenge for the Chief Party Planner (ahem) to prepare for each celebration separately and make sure each one gets its own focus, gifts, requisite sugarfest, and theme. This year was an especial challenge as I was smack-dab in the middle of my turn teaching for the homeschool co-op, in addition to prepping for a monthly Little Flowers meeting. Oh, and I'm pregnant, so everything's a little hazy these days anyway. (short term memory? what's that again?) And we all know how well I prepare for things (like friends-and-relations' birthdays) in advance. ("Oh, it was your birthday yesterday? That's right -- I had it on the calendar... hope it was happy!")

But we muddled through, and (I hope) everyone enjoyed his respective day of celebration.

First came our big girl! Miriam turned 8 on March 19. We keep telling her how smart she was to be born on the Solemnity of St. Joseph. She will never have to fast on her birthday. This year, her birthday being on a Friday, she really lived it up by requesting for her birthday dinner... tomato soup... with grilled... cheese.... Talk about wasted opportunity!! If Mr. Pickles had his birthday on this day, he would have requested steak fried with bacon served on ham.


Earlier that day we hosted a Little Flowers meeting at our house, so Miriam got to have a bunch of girls over even though technically it was still a school day (although we would have taken it off). We served them strawberry cupcakes with chocolate icing for snack, and sent everybody home all full of sugar just before lunch. :) In the afternoon Miriam really wanted to go swimming, but her boring, tired, pregnant, slow Mommy balked at that idea, and suggested she go outside and enjoy the lovely, beautiful, warm, sunny day and for PITY's sake please stop requiring me to entertain you!! (okay, maybe not that last part) So she went out and picked wildflowers growing in neighbors' lawns (aka weeds -- so I didn't think they would mind), and skipped and frolicked. At one point as she was skipping down the sidewalk I heard her singing to herself, "This is the best birthday ever!!" Considering she says that every year, it's good to know I'm 8 for 8. :)

In honor of the spring weather, we opened the season by sitting on the front steps and painting our toes. (So it's officially spring now.) After 2 o'clock her neighborhood friends came home from school, and they had fun outside. Miriam wanted to paint. Sure! Let's keep the mess outside!

Joseph awoke from his nap by this point, and he wanted to join in on the action. By the time they were all done, I think everyone's picture was brown, the sidewalk was purple, and Joseph had blue and green feet. (The paintings that were decorated with grass found their way into the trashcan quickly, I'm afraid to say. I'm not much of a one for modern art.)

For our gift to Miriam we gave her her own set of dishes, since the last set I'd bought for her when she grew out of baby dishes had all been destroyed in various ways. I wish I'd taken a picture of her new ones -- they're very pretty. She also got tons of books which are sitting in a stack in her room and through which she is rapidly progressing; some Littlest Pet Shop toys; princess Polly Pockets; cash monies; and sundry other items, all of which she was delighted to receive. Thank you notes are forthcoming... right after we finish the 1st Communion invitations (which are also forthcoming)...

Anyway, a week after her birthday the Ringling Bros. circus opened near us, and opening night is half price, so OF COURSE she wanted to go and bring two of her friends!

Because I'm insane, I took all 4 girls by myself. (Joseph is really too young, so Mr. Pickles stayed home with him.) They did really well -- I laid down the law on the way about The Buddy System, Staying Together, and Listening to Directions. We all had a great time, the animals were wonderful, the acrobats were amazing, the magic tricks were spectacular (I'm still trying to figure one out!), and the cotton candy was outrageously expensive. (but it came with a magician hat!) The only hitch was that I backed into a county-owned truck driven by a police detective as we were trying to leave the parking lot. Doh. Fortunately the damage on the truck's bumper was so invisible that the driver said he didn't think his supervisor would make a big deal of it. Our bumper however... well, now we know what we're going to be spending this year's tax return on. AND we missed the magic window of leaving the parking lot earlier than the mob, so we had to sit for another 20 mins. waiting for everyone else to file out first. But that just gave the big girls more time together telling silly jokes and teaching each other silly songs in the back seat. (Katie fell asleep almost as soon as I had her buckled in.)

So, one down, two to go!

Next was Joseph, who also got to live it up, his birthday falling on Sunday this year. We had a small brunch-time party for him, with donuts in lieu of cake. Whenever someone says "birthday," he will think for a moment, then come out with "Birday, donut, candow!" I guess he was amused by the fact that his birthday cake was a donut. ("shlockit" of course)

For him we also got his own set of dishes. (seems to be becoming a theme for our family) We also got him one of those playroom rugs with roads on it, which is good because for other presents he totally made out in the trucks department, and he couldn't be more delighted! At one point I commented on this fact, just as he was opening a present which was a book -- about trucks! One truck in particular we called his Wife, because he wouldn't be parted from it. He refused to go to bed without it, and fell asleep with his arm curled around it.

His party was well attended by princess fairies and Little Red Riding Hood. (and some other boys to bring up the testosterone levels a bit)

The next day was Mr. Pickles' birthday, the Big XXXIV!

Kind of sadly kind of not, he wasn't feeling that great. So he took the day off work, took it easy, got a nap, played video games -- so, all in all, not too bad a birthday! For dinner he requested lobster-stuffed ravioli (it's seafood, so it's penitential, right?) with tiramisu for dessert, yummity yum. I got him a grilling cookbook to have fun with this summer.

There aren't as many pictures of his birthday -- well, that's not true, there are a couple choice ones, but let's give the man a chance to keep his dignity intact, in his old age. :)

So there we have it, birthday week 2010! Now whenever Joseph sees a candle (especially at church), he gasps and shouts out, "Birday! Birday!" Poor little Katie was feeling a bit neglected among all the attention everyone else was getting, so I'm thinking of throwing her a half-birthday party next month. (which will basically be a playdate with cupcakes -- just my planning energy level) :) As challenging as all this was, I'm so glad I get to be the one who plans the parties! It's fun thinking about all the little ways to make each beloved family member feel treasured. And it's so satisfying when I see that they are pleased. Just one of the privileges of being Queen Mother -- getting to dedicate holidays and commission feasts. Can there be anything more fun than that?