It's Birthday Month!

May is a jammed packed month for our family. Lots of birthdays. Lots! We kick the month off with my dad on Cinco De Mayo. He turned 72 this year. I just can't believe that. I just hope I have half the stamina and energy he has when I am that age. Heck, I wish I had it now. :) We didn't get to celebrate with him this year because he was in Flagstaff, but Louis, the girls and I all had our own little celebration on his behalf.

Then it's Mother's Day, which is usually shared with Louis's birthday on the 9th. He turned the big 39. Next year it's 40. I think a celebration in Las Vegas will be in order for that one. This year we just had a small get together with his brother Michael, Emily and kids. Angelina and her kids came over too. It was fun visiting with everyone. My friend Darlene, made Louis the best Flamingo cupcakes for his birthday. The flamingo thing is kind of an inside joke that I just might share later to preserve for future generations to enjoy, but for now the story is just too long. But thanks to Darlene, it's something he will never live down. We are often finding pink flamingo "presents" popping up when we least expect it. Once I even found pink flamingo feathers mysteriously in my bed -- hmmm? I don't even want to know how they got there :) -- Louis is also the proud new owner of a new Kawasaki Dual Sport motorcycle. A birthday present from his wonderful wife. Boy, is he lucky. :)

Louis with his yummy Flamingo cupcakes

And his new birthday bike!

Then it's Emma turn for a birthday. I can hardly believe that she is 11. Where has the time gone? I couldn't be more proud of her. She is just the best kid ever. It's been a great year! She is almost done with the fifth grade, and she managed to maintain her straight A, 4.0 grade point average all year. She sure is a smartie. And she has been getting taller by the minute. She passed up Grammy and almost all of her aunties this year and is quickly catching up to me too. The doctor measured her at 5'5" at her check-up last week. That means only 3 inches to go until she is as tall as me. I would love for her to pass me up. We will see if she can do it before she turns 12. Check back in a year.

This year we had a big birthday bash for her. She invited about 20 kids from school over for a swim party and then 7 of her little girlfriends spent the night for a pretend campout. We roasted marshmallows, and then we all slept in the motorhome. It was so much fun. I think I had as much fun as all the kids. The best part for me though was Stacey and Abby coming up from San Diego to spend the weekend. Such memories.

There she is, the birthday girl.

More fantastic cupcake creations by the amazing Darlene!

Aren't these the cutest things you've ever seen?

Party Time!

Stac and I ready for the luau.
(Not the best photo of either of us, but I still had to put this in)

The sleepover crew. What fun we all had!

The morning after. At around 1:00 a.m. I finally had to tell the girls to turn out the lights and try to go to sleep. I just couldn't fall asleep with all the giggling. Every party has to have a pooper right?

The big "campfire" breakfast after the sleepover. Boy do I love that outdoor kitchen.

The proud parents of the birthday girl


And last, but certainly not least, is me. Yep, I have a birthday too. I jokingly say that I haven't had a birthday since Emma was born, and that's fine by me. We can do the big celebration for her birthday and then let mine quietly slip by. After the big birthday weekend, I was ready for a couple of quiet days. Louis and I decided to head to Long Beach and spend a couple of quiet days on the boat. Just the two of us. It was great! Thanks Grammy for watching the girls. We saw two movies, did some shopping and lots of eating. We even hit the bowling alley one day. It was a much needed getaway for us.

My birthday dinner at the Crab Shack. Don't you love the bib?