Birthdays

Now that Hazel knows about parties, you can't get away with having a birthday without a cake, a candle, a card, and balloons.  Mom came up around her birthday, so we celebrated as much as we could, even though it was hard to compare to a cruise (my parents had to cancel their Mediterranean cruise last minute because my dad's mom isn't doing well).  Since Mom was supposed to be in Italy, France, etc., we took Mom to some places around here that would remind her of those vacation spots.

Italian Gelato at Paciugo

 Crepes at Frogg's

It's interesting because Mom does so much for all of us every time she comes into town, but then we take her to just 2 places to show our appreciation for her, and she thinks it's the sweetest thing in the world.  I guess Moms are only used to giving, not receiving.  Anyway, my mom still isn't aging, so she may be another year older, but she looks just as young and great as ever!

So does this guy!  James's dad is the best.  Hazel just adores him.  He watched Hazel for almost every doctor appointment during this last pregnancy, and she loved it every time.  Sometimes it was hard for her to leave because she loved her trips to the park and walks around the block with Papa.  She really wanted to make sure Papa had a cake (with a blue candle), so we had him over for some cookie pie with pecans (one of his favorites) on his birthday.

Lastly, we celebrated Todd's and Ben's birthdays with some pool ball and cookie cake!  Pool ball is great for celebrating anything - including Todd's recent passing of the CPA exam and Ben's 2nd little girl's arrival.  Yay! It's still fun to watch these guys act like teenagers in the pool almost every Saturday.