Marathon Birthday Review--super incredibly belated and sadly still not completed

Er, um, so here's the post I started last spring.
Sorry!

All the birthdays in our family are close together--well, maybe a month apart close together, but considering they're right in the middle of all our major holidays, it makes for one busy season.  Thus, this year, I haven't posted one bit about them, nor much of anything about any other holiday.  (Except a tiny blurb about Christmas mid-January.) Well, anyway, here's a quick summary.

December

Right in the middle of the excitement of our first ever family pictures came S's birthday!

(Cue the crying, gratefully-not-puking-at-this-moment baby!  Guess why I haven't blogged: when we haven't been celebrating something, someone's been sick.  Seriously.  I don't recommend living near two major hospital and university centers, especially if they have a strong international attendance.  We love all the culture, don't get me wrong!, but there's been a little too much "sharing" going on.)

Back to S's b-day: He's now 32!!!

I had him pick up a deli chicken, but at least I managed to get his starch-free, chocolate cupcakes baked and a chocolate sauce (or edible attempt) put together!

H invited him to her school's Fine Arts Night for his b-day.
H was so excited, and S is one good sport!
They enjoyed their time together.

And my 31st birthday:

(I finally am starting to feel like a grown-up. . . .)

S found me some German Chocolate Cake when he ran errands for me that night.  (This may seem el'cheapo pathetic when it comes to celebrations, but considering how crazy things have been and our budget and the fact S's been working on his class in the evenings on top of his typical work and daddy duties, I was more than thrilled!  German Chocolate is my favorite!)

(See how thrilled I was?)

a big glass of milk to go with it

And returning to the term el cheapo, I am!
I was so proud of Seth: he even found it on manager's special!
Expiry date?  A whopping three days away!
I swear it was baked that day--delish!

Little Miss H is 7!!!

She requested Belgian waffles with berries & whipped cream for breakfast.

The boys enjoyed it as much as she did.

(Okay, so I wasn't up to the berry mess I knew N would make!)

tasty!

This was her "smile" for the camera.

She's definitely seven.

And she STILL has her vampire fangs. 

I'm starting to wonder if those top teeth will ever grow in.

pretty dress from G&G S

She got some snazzy cards from both sets of grandparents.  They each included stickers and decorating fun, which is totally up her alley.

Look at that face: More presents? And they're huge!

Bring on the birthday cake.  

S had to keep Lil'S from blowing out H's candles for her!

Happy Birthday, Miss H!!!

sweet & simple

that's how things go around here!

hahaha! guess who got the camera!

Playing with the toy puppy G&G S sent her.

Lil'S is 3!!!

Cupcakes the day before with his preschool friends! 

(And a couple other friends we snuck in.)

Where's my cupcake?

Family Celebration

Family Band
We learned from this how awesome a "share present"* really is.  There were no fights, tears, whines, or even whimpers of jealousy.  There were simply happy, playful, totally excited kids.  I'm sure S and I shared quiet high fives about this, and if we didn't, we should have!

*When my youngest brother was three years old, he gave my dad a toy airplane for Christmas.  When my dad opened it, this blue-eyed, chubby-cheeked baby brother of mine declared, "It's a share present!"  My dad asked who he was to share it with, and, of course, the little guy answered, "Me!"  The term has been fondly used by my family ever since.  (Although, I'm starting to think the conversation may have occurred after the present opening, when my dad and brother were chatting in my parents' room, and was just retold to the rest of us by my dad.  Hmm...I'll have to check my sources on that.  Either way, the phrase has stuck!)

N is One!!!

And, so horribly, that's where this post had been left off, and I'm currently unable to finish it since all our pictures are waiting to be removed from our computer that died.
What a shame! I guess N will get to have his own post, albeit likely a year late the way things are going!

Happy Halloween!

This mama is determined to not get behind with holiday and birthday posts this year, and the fact that my computer is now my camera certainly helps with that goal. (Did I ever post my birthday marathon entry? Oh, dear!)

Seven-year-old H asked to "be a cheerleader for the whole United States!" As someone else put it after I shared that with them, our nation "could use some cheerleaders right now."

 Three-year-old Fireman Sam was obviously up past his bedtime, but at least he cheered up as candy was passed out!  He and sister enjoyed a candy fest while I put the baby to bed afterward, even though only 2 of our 9 apartment neighbors were home and giving out candy. Those two were generous, so they nearly made up for the others.

Twenty-month-old N didn't mind his father simply putting an E.T. shirt on him. He also figured out how to be offered extra candy at our first stop!