My Birthday Party

Sometimes there's not enough time for everything, but I like to cram it all in and we had to make time for my 30th birthday. I decided.  10 of us girls went downtown to Ceviche to have some $4 tapas.  So many of my good friends were there!  We sat, ate deliciousness, talked about kids and the grown-up jobs we have, and how we dream of going to hair school (Jolyn will do it, right?!)

I was the luckiest girl in town.  Some of our friends have gone on vacations with a group of friends to celebrate their 30th birthdays, but that was back when I was young and had less responsibilities (namely Dylan, Isaac, and this mortgage).  I was content with having dinner with girlfriends.   

Then, guess what.  A band was setting up, and they started playing "Happy Birthday."  Some of the girls looked at me, but I said "they don't know it's my birthday" and went to sip on my water.  I was caught off guard as a huge tres leches piece of cake with a lit candle was placed in front of me. 

I still don't know who set that up, but it sure felt like the band was there just for me, even though I was planning on us eating upstairs.  It was perfect!  Then the band next played and sang "Young at Heart."  After the song, they asked "Do you feel young at heart, Tiffany?"  I had mixed feelings about that one.  Does that mean that I really look old and I'm officially in the "I'm 29 again" club?  Like I have to hide my age and pretend I'm young b/c I look and act and dress old?  Granted, my hair cut still had the rat tail, shaggy uneven "layers" and mismatched chunky highlights, but still. 

I'm fine being 30.  No regrets.  I've usually been the youngest of our group of friends and the haven't really changed, or have they?  Maybe I've been acting like an old lady for years already.  Whatever.  I was looking around at my friends to see who wanted to go up and dance or at least put our arms around the band members for a picture.  Maybe if it was just me and one or two of the girls there I would have done it, but it seemed like collectively we were to mature for that.  But I really was feeling young at heart the whole time the band was playing their songs. 

 
It was so windy after!  Jolyn, Jana, and I kind of felt like going dancing.  Another night!

Thank you Jolyn, Jana, Bevin, Sarah, Corrie, Barbie, Malarie, Sarah, and Marcie.  I feel so loved:)

Thanksgiving at Grandma's new house

We always have lunch with Steven's family then dinner with mine. I love not having to fight over which family to spend the holidays with like some couples have to do. My dad and his fiance (now wife) were invited to my mom's too. 14 people were at "Dita's" lunch then 21 were at my mom's.

My mom's goal was to be moved in and settled enough to have Thanksgiving at her house. It worked! She only thought Kat was comming in town, but Matt and my aunt and uncle stayed with her too! That's the whole point of her getting the bigger house, so she could host more people!

She had 2 full dining room tables of guests and pleanty of food.


My brothers have an "indo board." I think that's what it's called. Almost everyone took a turn on it. It's supposed to give you practice for all of the board sports. Uncle Dave says it's a good work out. I didn't get on this time b/c I was in a dress and am pregnant. Two no-nos I'm sure.

my dad had just finnished

Aunt Claudia Uncle Daveeven my mom
Kat posed for this blurry picture
Steven didn't pose for me
Dylan had help from his tios
Then Matt actually did it WITH Dylan - tandem style

Kat was playing w/ Dylan a lot too. He looked so funny folding in half when he flipped like this.

But the ping pong was the best. I LOVE going to my mom's house b/c my brothers take care of Dylan for me. If I'm in the mood to be lazy, they go and take him outside for me. It's what uncles are for, right? Matt taught Dylan how to play ping pong. He was using his left hand and was doing pretty well. I didn't see, but I heard that he almost threw Dylan as an extension of his arm to catch the ball once.

Thanksgiving Day with "Dita"

Steven's mom wants Dylan to call her "Abuelita" (little grandma in Spanish.) Dylan says "Dita" for that and I LOVE it - so cute.

It didn't feel like Thanksgiving 'til I was actually eating Turkey. The Holidays have started w/o me - yikes! I wanted to be more creative and venture into making something besides the usual green bean caserole, but I didn't. I made 3 of them, one for work, one for Maria's, and one for my mom's house. Steven made his famous sweet potato caseroles.

Dylan was sleeping on the WAY to eating Turkey. I tried to quietly put him in his pack and play that Steven set up before I went in, but everybody came in the room to say hi and to greet us. Dylan got nervous w/ all of the people and was so tired that he clung to me awake until he got some food in him. Poor kid only got two 15 min naps on the way to each of his grandmas' houses. Cousins all 1yr old and Gabrielle who's forhead is chopped off
He had lots of fun playing in the back yard w/ his cousin, Gabrielle. She would put the ball on his stick and he would fling it off. What fun.

Visitors

Kat, Matt, Aunt Claudia, and Uncle Dave came in town for my dad's wedding. They came right from the airport to my house for dinner and relaxation on Wednesday afternoon. I didn't get my camera out to take a picture of us actually eating at our dining room table, but it was a good dinner, Dad. (He and Jane cooked a Curry rice dish and made a yummy salad.) Dylan's favorite part was the pomagranite seeds. I think it was a first for him. His uncles got him to say "uncle" for more. It sounds funny, but they think it's a word for them so they'll take it.

Florida Lifestyle

Florida is great. I had a really yucky crab cake* at lunch and wanted to taste a good one so bad! After work, we met Andre and Darren out to watch them play beach volleyball then eat dinner. Steven commented on what a good life I have if I can order crab cakes twice in one day to make up for the discusting excuse for the thing I ate at lunch.

*Let me just make a note that for some reason I have been tempted with sushi a couple of times since being pregnant and have been wanting seafood all the time. I like seafood regularly, but I'm supposed to be really picky w/ what kinds of fish I eat b/c of the mercury content. I heard that crab is OK, so that's what I want! I'm too poor for king crab legs at the Salt Rock Grill, so crab cakes were my craving of the day.

Look how lucky Dylan is - eating a tomato with the sun setting behind him. And, flossing his teeth afterwards of course - a momma's boy:)