Celebration

FIRST ~ I am so sorry I haven't been visiting your blogs, it's not from lack of trying, but Blogger just keeps giving me an error message. I will continue to try, and I know some of you connect your blogs to Facebook so I will try to visit that way too.



We had a few fun celebrations last month. Of course there was Jayden's Birthday, which we celebrated three days in a row!

Saturday ~ lots of family and fun!


Sunday ~ lunch out and games at Dave & Buster's Arcade!


Monday ~ smearing his name for luck before he cuts the first piece of cake at a smaller family celebration!




Also, our daughter Katie (Jayden's Mommy) celebrated her Birthday the week before that.
I was remembering during this snowy January we were having that the year Katie was born was another snowy January. In fact, Katie Elizabeth was born between two snow storms, a day or two before I went into labor with her there had been a snow storm, and I if I remember right I think it was snowing again as we drove to the hospital, and there was another storm before we brought her home from the hospital. Katie had to stay in the hospital after I was discharged because she was jaundiced due to an ABO blood incompatibility (all our children except for Ellie were born with this same blood problem), and Katie's blood count was so high that they were afraid of brain damage, and since the florescent lighting wasn't working to bring her blood count down, the doctors decided to do a blood exchange .
I was always so sad to come home without my newborn in my arms, and to have to go back and visit my babies as 'patients' in the hospital. But each time all turned out well!

And, thrity-three years later here sits Jayden, who was very excited about his Mommy's Birthday, and a few days ahead he was busy making a Birthday garland for her:

('So sorry all these pictures from Kate's Birthday are all so dark, I had the camera on the wrong setting)

The day of her Birthday we baked a cake after Jayden got home from school. I got out all the cooking utensils and measured everything for him, and then he got to work:

Greasing the pan:


Adding the ingredients:







And here is a photo of the pitcher that he dropped into the batter. He's a messy baker just like his grandmother! Lucky that I had him mix everything in the sink, that's something I should do too!




Once the cake was in the oven I told him he should do his homework while we wait for it to bake. I started to wash the dishes and asked him if he wanted to dry them and he said, "I'm sorry I can't. I have to start my homework right away!" I think he thought the sooner he finished his homework, the sooner the cake would bake!

Once the cake had cooled we iced it and Jayden got busy decorating:




Then Jayden put his gifts for his Mommy in a gift bag, made her a card, and sat waiting patiently for her to come home from work:



And she got a nice Birthday greeting!





And she loved her cake!




Also, last month I turned 57. Aging has never bothered me in the past, it doesn't bother me now, and I hope it never bothers me in the future! I've always liked whatever age I was, with the exception of when I was a preteen, I think I remember wanting to be older, I remember being anxious to turn thirteen. And I remember looking forward to my fourteenth Birthday because my grandmother said that would be my 'Golden Birthday' (turning 14 on the 14th!). But other than that I don't think I looked forward to any milestones nor did I dread them. I can't say for certain that I looked forward to turning 50, but I certainly didn't hate it, I was happy, I felt FREE, and comfortable, and contented.

My Dad told me that I was born between snow storms too. He said that most of the snow and ice had melted though, and he hadn't gotten a chance to take the chains off the tires on the car before my mother went into labor. He says all he remembers about the trip to the hospital was the sound of the chains on the tires hitting the cobblestones along the Boulevard.

Anyway, I had a really nice 57th Birthday, my Birthday fell on a Friday this year and Ray surprised me by taking the day off. We didn't do anything special, but it was special to have him home, and we walked Jayden to and from school together, and Ray brought me a Birthday cake so Jayden wouldn't be upset that I didn't have "Happy Birthday" sung to me on my actual Birthday (the family was coming over the next day to celebrate). And in the afternoon Ray and Jayden made me a cake for the next day, and they decorated it, and it was the nicest Birthday cake I've ever had!


We usually do half the sheet cake with chocolate icing, and half with white icing to please everyone, but Jayden had the bright idea to leave a little corner of the cake free of any icing just in case someone doesn't like frosting on their cake!


Ray wrote the "Happy Birthday" in script, but he said that Jayden did the rest of the decorating all by himself! I think he did another great job!


And the next day the rest of the kids came over, along with my sister Diane and her husband Steve, and my niece Rachel came over with my great-nephew James ("Jamesy-boy"!).
Jayden and James love getting together, Rachel said James is always asking her, "When am I going to see my cousin again?"

And, of course, Mia was there too!



You can see that I had lots of help opening gifts:

(The boys got the first gift unwrapped without taking off the ribbon!)

And once it was unwrapped Jamesy-boy said, "Oh, it's not a toy. You know how I know it's not a toy? Because of this writing on the box." (It said 'LOFT' on it!)

It was better than a toy! It was this beautiful Ann Taylor scarf from my sister Diane:


Even though you can't see my face through the 'crowd', I was VERY happy with all my cards and gifts!



And before anyone arrived Ray had put out a nice little spread for everyone:


(There was fruit and vegetables, and focaccia bread, and mozzarella in olive oil with basil & peppers, there were cheese & crackers, and pepperoni, and Swedish meatballs.)


Jayden and James chowed down lots of bread...

(Mia preferred Cheerios)

...and celery.





Later in the afternoon Ray ordered in pizza for us and then it was time for my best-ever cake!




And my brother-in-law Steve made us delicious pecan pie muffins for dessert! They were wonderful!

And my sister Diane made me these:

Spaghetti and Meatball Cupcakes!

They were yellow cupcakes and the 'spaghetti' string was white icing, and the 'meatballs' were chocolate donut holes and the 'sauce' was strawberry jelly. Yummy!

And I got lots of beautiful cards from friends and family near and far...



...along with lots of wonderful good wishes from friends and family on Facebook!

Birthday celebrations are fun!