Birthdays, birthdays, birthdays.

September/October/November brings a 1-2-3 punch of Alec's, Michaela's and Dan's birthdays and we celebrate them all with gusto. Michaela had a big gift this year: she finally, after years of being denied her RIGHT to text, FINALLY got her iPhone. And she loves it. We got the whole thing set up for her and then hid it under our family room recliner. Dan called her phone from his phone and we called her into the room saying that we were hearing a noise that we couldn't identify. After telling us with not a small amount of condescension that it was clearly one of our phones, we told her no, it wasn't, look, we said, here are our phones, why don't you go back behind the recliner and see what it is... and then it dawned on her what was going on. And she was thrilled.

 And this angle of the top of her head is pretty much all I've seen of her since that day.

Unlike the craziness of last year's neverending birthday celebration (I think I sang Happy Birthday to her like, nine times) this year's was more efficient and just as fun.  We had cake and a special dinner on her actual birthday, and paid her $75 to not have a kid party.  She was thrilled and so were we.  A few weeks later we had a family party for her and Alec and celebrated both of our special kids.

 

Aunt Tammie did her usual magic and created two beautiful cakes.

Alec really loved opening presents this year.

Dan's birthday is November 10th, and we don't usually make too big a deal over it, except that this was a big one: Dan turned 40.  He was exceedingly gracious about it and weathered my good natured teasing well, though a day or two before the actual day, he gently reminded me that my own 40th birthday will be here before I know it, and those who live in fairly sensitive glass houses should maybe not throw teasing stones.

He had a great birthday and got a new road bike, biking gear and some new workout clothes as gifts from us.  Dan started biking over the summer and has gone almost every Saturday or Sunday morning for 15-17 mile bike rides.  He has his sights on a 48 mile ride on Whiteface Mountain that he and a friend are planning to do next spring.  He also has been running 5 mornings a week and is running in his first 5K on Thanksgiving morning.  He has lost about 45 pounds this year and is in better shape than when I met him 17 years ago.  I am super proud of all he's accomplished!  He is in a great stage in his life and said that turning 40 doesn't bother him at all.

(I'm kind of a one-trick-pony with the FunFetti cakes, aren't I?)

 

We celebrated his actual birthday by going out to dinner with his brothers and their wives to an awesome steakhouse while Dan's dad was gracious enough to watch all six of our kids.  We had a blast.  The next day we had a small get together with some of our friends at our house.  Very fun.  And we didn't even set the smoke detectors off with all the candles!! Hahahaha!

We are blessed to celebrate these milestones as a family, with lots of love and laughs.  God is good to us.