Fourth Birthday Extravaganza

We celebrated Paul's fourth birthday today with a Thomas themed party that revolved mostly around a bubble machine and the best balloon twister on the planet, Andrew Alfeche. He absolutely rocks. I'll just stop gushing and get the pics posted. They pretty much tell the story.

I love summer birthdays. These were our only decorations. That is our new picnic table.

Paul holds up his first balloon animal, a bumblebee.

Our dudes check out Andrew's awesome poster which displays the variety of stuff he makes.

Paul excitedly explaining all the balloon options.

Paul watching while Andrew works on his second creation.


Paul's second choice. It's a dragon!

Andrew entertained the young guests for the better part of the first hour. Did I mention his rates are EXTREMELY reasonable? Drop me a line if you want his contact info for your next kid party!

Time for presents! Paul was hilariously methodical while opening his gifts. It took him forever to open this first present, a set of Lightning McQueen cars. Luke had already peeked and announced the contents to the crowd. Paul meanwhile, unfazed, continued to slowly rip small pieces of wrapping paper away from the box.

Time for cake!

Paul literally could not take his eyes off the cake. There was no getting him to look up at the camera. Simultaneously, the precious girl beside him posed perfectly (and differently) for all six shots that I took. Hilarious!

Sadly, I didn't get any shots of the bubble machine, but it was a HUGE success as well. Best $9 I've spent this year. I'll check with my mom and see if she got some.

We all had a blast and now we are looking forward to our week in Cannon Beach beginning next Saturday. :-)

Timbers Fun

Erik and I went on a DATE last night for my birthday. Dave and Lynne were awesomely awesome and bought us tickets to the Timbers game. We had been before, but not since they went MLS. Wow! It was so much fun.

I'll start at the very beginning of the evening. Our babysitter, the fabulous Karalie, arrived at 5:30 and we rapidly exited the premises. We headed toward Jake's Grill for appetizers, sparkling water and something rich for dessert. Have I mentioned the weather was stunning? It was. Perfectly perfect.

We dined on crab cake, purple artichoke accompanied by a truffle sauce, and kobe beef gyoza with plum sauce. Simply divine in all respects. We finished with the warm chocolate cake with molten center. Yum.

With the proper dessert indulgence complete, we decided to skip riding the MAX and walk the six blocks to the stadium instead. With a warm breeze blowing and the number of fans increasing by the block, I reveled in the entire experience of attending a professional sporting event.

I realized as we entered Jeld Wen Field that for me, attending any professional sporting event brings back incredibly fond memories from my childhood. My dad loved to take me to Mariners baseball games (in the 80's when they absolutely stunk and played in the Kingdome) and Seattle Supersonics games (may they rest in peace). These events were not about who won and who lost. They were not about having really good seats. We never did, although often my father's dubious morality would find us occupying seats closer to the action at halftime or the 7th inning stretch. Oh dear. Ethics aside, these times were about sharing a passion with my dad...sports. Neither one of us were particularly stellar athletes, but we really enjoyed watching. It was what we did together. It was fun.

My dad lives far away now and spends his time caring for my ailing step-mom. They can't travel and I don't see him. And don't get me wrong, there are good things about that which I won't elucidate here. (Remember the dubious morality issue? It extended beyond seats at athletic events) But each and every time I find myself in a professional sporting arena of some sort, I become light-hearted, almost giddy. I don't care who wins. I'm there for the show.

Okay. Enough waxing eloquent. Here are the pics and a video I made of Timber Joey cutting the log after the Timber's only goal.

No need for dubious morals! We were five rows from the pitch. Amazing seats.

The best part...we were just one section away from the Timber Army. We stood the entire game, cheered, chanted, and sang with the best of them.

Happy Girl! This was easily a half hour before kick off. The place was absolutely packed when the match started.

And now for the grand finale...a short video of Timber Joey doing his thing and the Timber Army doing theirs.

Happy Birthday to Me!

Well folks, it's my birthday. About two weeks ago, I called my friend Holly and asked if I could come and spend this day with her and her family. She willingly (and graciously) agreed. It has been a beautiful and amazing day. We ate brunch outside in the sunshine. She painted my fingernails and my toenails while listening to the story of how Erik and I got together. We have had espresso shots with cream and hazelnut flavoring. We have had iced coffees. We have had pancakes with sour cream and and fresh picked strawberries. (Seriously, folks, try it.) What a delightful day!

I want to give glory to God for my beautiful friend, Holly and her gracious and loving family. Each has added to this special day in their own unique way. :-)

It's the Happy Birthday Pancake!

Hey, Hey! The Gang's All Here! I love these people and the photographer.

Adorable!

Sweet cuteness.

The Birthday Spa

The Birthday Pool that kept the kids happy during the Birthday Mani/Pedi.

Such a fun group of folks!