Gage turned 3

April 4, 2012 - Birthday Boy

My little Boy is growing up – we rarely even call him the Blobster any more. It doesn’t seem an appropriate nickname for such a big boy. Mostly we call him Gage-a-rooni; don’t ask me how we came up with that, I’m sure it had something to do with making up a song to make him laugh. I will keep you informed of any new nicknames that come up, which is inevitable.

We had a family party for Gage this year. I wanted to do a vintage rocket theme, but it didn’t turn out as grand as my Pinterest board seemed. (It turns out I’m not Martha Stewart after all) But I had fun getting everything ready to make the day special for my baby (who is no longer a baby, as we have already established). And Gage was so excited, hopping around and asking me all day if he could eat his cake. Birthdays pretty much equate to cake for him. Which I guess never really changes.

My first attempt at making/icing a cake. It looks ok if you don't look too closely. But it was tasty!
Thanks to Michelle for some basic tips. 

Rockets - mini 'pinatas' Gage helped me make them, and had fun pulling the strings to make them explode 

I felt very crafty making the table settings

It's my birthday and I can cook if I want to

We celebrated my birthday on Saturday. It was awesome...a bunch of friends came and took over my kitchen, working feverishly on an amazing meal. I sat on the back porch, with those who weren't actively cooking, and drank a beautiful chardonnay. We ate: mini pizzas, shrimp, roasted fig and beet salad, garlic mashed potatos, brussels sprouts (on Sat I learned the correct spelling of that) with bacon, filet mignon, and the biggest crab legs you have ever seen! And to finish it all, we had homemade angelfood cake with strawberries. I'm truly blessed to have such wonderful friends who spent so much time, energy, and money to create the most wonderful birthday meal for me!
And did I get a picture of the fun night to share?? No, no I did not.

Did I mention we had crab legs? They were delicious.


My actual birthday was pretty low-key. It was the most beautiful fall day - clear blue sky and the leaves just starting to think about turning. It is a little warmer than it typically is, but at least it is not snowing yet. I decided I wanted to have a special treat so I drove to Starbucks for a cinnamon-dolce latte. I had to drive to the west side of town because I wanted to go through the drive through - it stinks trying to park and get 2 kids out of the car, stand in line with those kids, just to order a coffee and get back into the car.
I think all stores should have a drive-thru option for parents with small kids.

Then I took the kids to the park since it was so nice outside. It is always fun to watch my kids have fun.

 







I decided that for my birthday dinner I would make homemade ravioli. I really like to cook, so it was fun to work on something new.
I will definitely be making more ravioli in the future. The filling options are endless and I love fresh, homemade pasta.

Birthday Party

The Blobster’s birthday was Monday, so we had a party for him on Sunday. Well, we kind-of had a party for us which he attended. He is really only just starting to understand what a birthday means – he is only two. But he does understand that it means cake. And balloons. And presents. 

We had considered just doing a small family party but all of our friends started asking when his party was going to be, so we decided that we better do a big party. It is so nice that our friends like him and enjoy spending time with him. At least they tolerate him. 

He had so much fun playing with everyone, and playing with his new toys. 

Cathy's Birthday

Tonight we went to The Blue Star for drinks and dinner to celebrate Cathy's birthday. It's been quite awhile since I've been there, but the food was good as usual and it was good to see Cathy. We had a great time together in New York for Em's bachelorette. Hard to believe that was almost a year ago.

Tonight it was just girls...Cathy, Emily, Beth, Jaime, Cheryl, Georgia, and I. We always have a great time out.