April Birthdays

April saw two birthday parties. The lighting of Steven's cake is getting a little more complicated.

But he's still got enough energy to blow them out.

I actually have no memory of this day. I was actually surprised to see myself in one of the pictures, since I don't remember anything that happened. Chalk one up to sleep deprevation.

Looks like Dad was having a good time. (That is his happy face.)


Annalee's turned three later that month.

She had been telling perfect strangers for days "I'm going to have a birfday party with birfday party hats!" So I went out and bought some hats. Surprisingly, Tavi was not the most resistant to wearing them.

I had to chase certain people around (read: Nathan and Steven) threatening death and informing them that they WOULD WEAR A PARTY HAT!

Vander was not so hard to convince.

And Grandma was up for anything as long as she got to hold the grandbabies.

A funny story: Instead of a physical gift, Nathan and I decided to get Annalee a month worth of preschool and a summer worth of gymnastics. To give her something to unwrap, I put a pair of tights and a backpack into a gift bag.

She pulled out the tights, holding them away from her as if they were some dead thing, and with the utmost disgust said, "Ughhhh!" We all burst out laughing in surprise. (I could laugh because it was my present. If she'd done that to someone else's gift I would have been mortified.) Then we tried to explain to her what the gift meant, but, oh well. She liked it well enough when she finally got to enjoy it.

Her Aunt Sarah got her a nifty pizza kit with a knife and pizza cutter made out of plastic so the kid can't cut herself (but it still cuts food). As a bonus, it doesn't scratch my pizza pan, unlike a realy pizza cutter! I got lots of pictures of her opening the present, but none of it actually open.

Mom was worried about what Annalee would think of her present. "As long as you didn't get clothes," I said. "What do you think shoes are?!" she cried.

But it turns out that sparkly princess shoes are a win. (Dang blurry pictures!)

After getting rave reviews on the cake he made for Calvin's birthday, Steven offered to make Annalee's. At first she said she wanted a car cake like Calvin's. Then she wanted a polka-dot cake. Then a butterfly. Finally, I told Steve that he couldn't go wrong with Blue's Clues.

If you have a preschooler, you will appreciate the details of this cake!

Annalee was thrilled! (But not in this picture.)

Happy Birthday to children of mothers who didn't want to be pregnant in the hot summer months!