……Just as we do EVERY Advent Season.  What a time to have a birthday, right before Christmas! Huh?? Birthdays are so important to us, and Michael/Daddy joined me in the 40 Club yesterday!  So it was extra special.  But every year, I always feel like we’re ‘squeezing’ his celebration in, amidst the preparations for Christmas.  Switching gears and temporarily redirecting our attention, pretending we’re not frazzled by it. I feel guilty! There is usually lots of nonchalant planning for the rest of our birthdays in our family here…which are all in the summer and fall.   But 6 days before Christmas we’re all just pre-occupied with last-minute-things-to-get-done. (And we have SIMPLE Christmas’s next to most anyone we know.)   But when I realize his birthday is in a few days, I’m afraid I’ll forget! (Good thing I have the kids…they would never forget such a thing.)  I’m just saying….I wish his conception was at least a month or so before it actually was.  Just so we’d be able to give him the absolute undivided attention he SO deserves.  But you know….what’s ‘done is done’.  And we know who did it.   ; )

So he did want a low-key day anyway, as a snow storm was due to come in, and he didn’t want plans to go anywhere in a blizzard.  {A} actually got up early to make his birthday breakfast of our traditional birthday pancakes. And I actually jumped out of bed early to help her.  I was the one that made the coffee and burnt the sausages.  : )   But breakfast together was very nice!  I don’t think the kids took their eyes off the windows the whole time though, waiting for that snow to start falling.  They also gave him their cards they made for him.  Note:  {A} has called her Daddy, ‘Daddy-Boy’ since she was 3 or so.  And she still does at 11. The story of that is a post for another time.  Just thought I’d mention it in case you’re puzzled by that.

We THOUGHT we’d at least have some snow fun on the way that day.  So we got packages ready to send out that morning, and got those to the shipping place.  But it didn’t even start snowing until almost 3:00,  right before it started getting dark out, and Michael had decided by then he really wanted to go visit his 96 year old friend, and make sure he didn’t need anything before the storm really came.  So he went and had a nice long visit with him.  This sweet old man is dear to all of us.  You may remember our post about him, Mr.Bill, on Veteran’s Day.  But Michael has become especially close to him, and goes to his home to visit with him 1 or 2 times a week if he can.  Michael completely enjoys Mr. Bill’s company in a very sincere way. He’s there for hours sometimes, and comes home smiling with lots of stories.  And the same happened on his birthday.  Which is nice. Even though I was worried while he was gone because he was still out in blizzardey conditions.  But he came home safe and sound, cheerfully telling us how, in light of his birthday,  Mr. Bill shared tips with him about how you live to be his age. While was gone, {A} baked his cake. (She insisted. She insists on making her own on her own birthday.  I know I’m starting to look really bad here, and I’m afraid it gets worse.)

Then it was time to start preparing his birthday dinner of choice. Well….the thing is, what he really wanted was his own specialty dish….his family’s pizza. (There is a pizza recipe/tradition in his family)  So yes….<gulp>…..he pretty much made his own birthday dinner.  I really tried to get him to choose something else that I could make but he said no, that he didn’t mind at all. (He never minds making his family pizza. I think it’s a bit of work, since he even makes the dough.  But…. it’s a family tradition.)  He’s really not about that ‘special treatment’ on his birthday. He doesn’t ask for foot rubs like I do, or anything.  He’s ‘all set’.   The pizza was good though, as ALWAYS.  Doesn’t it LOOK good??

Afterwards, we had cake.  Which happened to be the Thunder Cake we posted about, from our studies of Patricia Polacco, because that’s what he wanted.  Just so you don’t think that I really did NOTHING, I did frost the cake, and sliced the strawberries (and let’s not forget about the coffee making and sausage burning in the morning).  Doesn’t it look lovely??

It tasted good too!

The rest of the night we spent generally parenting. You know,…helping the kids with their showers getting to them to bed, and taking care of some Christmas stuff.  It surely wasn’t the day of fun int he snow we thought we were going to have, but he enjoyed his day none-the-less. Had a nice long visit with his friend, got all of his favorite foods, etc….what more could a birthday boy want?

I am sure you’re thinking…”Are there any pictures of the birthday boy in this post?   And to that I have to say….Of course there is!!!

He’s a looker, huh??  Even handsomer than the days we were ‘courting’, as he calls it. He’s getting that distinguished look, that comes with age.  He is just so handsome.  Ask my sister.

Anyway….today, the day AFTER his birthday as I post this, we DID get the fun in the snow we were looking for!!  The kids….the big one and the 4 younger ones, went sledding, and I took photos.  I’ll be sharing photos of that in the next post.  Just need to go through them and be reasonable about how many to keep and/or post.  Sure was fun taking photos of them having a (snow)ball!!!    (I know…OH BROTHER!!)  I’m a witty one, huh??

Happy Birthday, Daddy-Boy and Love of My Life!!