Happy 16th Birthday, William!

William's Birthday was on a Saturday this year, so that meant he could sleep late, cause that's what he does best. No school to go to, no homework to do. Fall break started the day before and he is free of school stuff for a week. What a great birthday present! William is a creature of habit when it comes to his birthday: Joe's  Crab Shack for dinner, which meant mussels and crab. Then a cookie cake for dessert. It was a perfect day for him!

 

That's a lot of food there and it takes a lot of concentration.

 WIlliam and Dad with the big Crab.

 Yes, he is taller than me. Not much but I think he is still growing.

 The birthday cookie cake.

A birthday surprise from his brother!

I am not sure where the years have gone, but they sure have gone. As much as I miss the young child you were, I love the young man you are becoming. Stay true to yourself and remember no matter what, I love you forever, I love you for always as long as I'm living my baby you'll be. Happy Birthday! Love, Mom

Happy Golden Birthday, Mike!

 No longer a teen, not sure I believed I would survive Mike's teen years. The past seven years have seen their share of ups and downs as Mike struggles to find himself and his place in this world. I am not saying he has found either yet, but as I look back, I can see that he is making progress. Change is not and never has been easy for Mike. There have been a lot of changes in the past seven years for him and I believe he is learning to adapt and I have every confidence that Mike can and will do some amazing things in his life. He has been blessed with many gifts, not the least of which is his intelligence. A mind is a terrible thing to waste and I do not believe Mike will waste his.

 Big surprise at where Mike would want his birthday dinner, I am pretty sure he has picked NYPD for all his birthday dinners since we moved here. 

After dinner it was time for presents and dessert. Mike received a gaming keyboard and mouse for his new computer. When Mike got home from school mid-May he built himself a computer with all his "requirements" for gaming. Now with the addition of a keyboard and mouse he is set for many late nights.

Another of Mike's regular requests for his birthday (I did mention his dislike for change, right?) is a cookie birthday "cake". 

 My wish for you as always is that you follow your dreams, enjoy what you do and above all for you to be happy. 

Happy Birthday, Mike. Love, Mom

It's my Birthday!

I had a lovely birthday... it was Saturday so I took my morning bike ride and had my free birthday drink at Starbucks. I had a couple of wonderful surprises arrive at my door thanks to Terri and Mary! 

 Thank you, sister for the GREAT tin full of brownies!

 Thank you, Mary for the most wonderful and addictive popcorn ever!

 Dinner was at one of my favorite places, ZTejas, and then cupcakes at home. Mine was a salted caramel cupcake. 

Thank you to Pat and William.  

Thank you to everyone who sent me cards and wishes on my day, it is nice to be remembered!

Birthday Party!

Well I have been up to a lot of nothing lately, so much of nothing that I haven't had anything to blog about. Last Saturday I went to a birthday party for two of my little friends. Daniel turned 6 on February 7th and Aliana turned 3 on February 9th. They are the children of my friend Teri, who you may remember from this post. It was a bit chilly outside, well chilly for Arizona anyway and windy but the kids didn't mind and they had a really fun day.  

 The birthday girl and boy!

 Some great grilling by Frankie's brother.

 What 6-year old boy wouldn't love boxing gloves? 

No, I did not give them to him. I had six year old boys once I wouldn't do that to Teri. LOL

 A Dora doll for Aliana!

 All smiles looking at the cakes and 

waiting to blow out the candles.

 The happy family.

Aliana, Frankie, Teri and Daniel

 It was a fun afternoon, and I hear the party went well into the evening. Me being me I am sure I was home asleep while they were all rocking and rolling. I am just glad to have been included in the celebration, I love to see the kids and a birthday party is always a fun time.

MaryLou celebrates 50!

MaryLou is celebrating her 50th birthday all year long. The official date is February 1st and I hear there will be a party going on that night, but for now a quiet night, mid-week January in Gilbert, AZ....the party begins. Happy Birthday MaryLou, I wish you a wonderful year full of much celebrating with your family and friends. May all your birthday wishes come true. Enjoy!

 

Yes, William got in on the celebration. JK he is holding my drink.

Even Grammy in her jammies was celebrating with us!

Happy 80th Birthday, Mom!

 A big birthday flare for 80 years!

 

Mom with 4 of 5 children

 Mom with 3 of 4 inlaws.

Yes, I do believe Debbie and Laura planned that matching shirt thing they have going there.

 Mom with the Nanos family.

 Mom with 3 of 8 grandchildren.

 Me with Frank and Lyla.

Yes, I know it's not my birthday but these two are so cute, I just couldn't resist a picture of them with me. Look at those missing teeth on Frank and Miss Lyla with her sparkly hat. Adorable!

Happy Birthday, Mom! I hope it was a good one! love, nancy

William's 15th Birthday

Happy Birthday, William!

No school today for William. As a special treat for his birthday, Pat let him stay home so the two of them could have some FUN! The day started with a breakfast burrito, and moved on to game time at Dave&Buster's. Dinner was at Joe's CrabShack, William's all time favorite place for his birthday dinner. Not only does he LOVE crab legs, he has become quite fond of garlic mussels. 

 

After dinner it was home for the "special" cake/bars that I made for him with this recipe from Pinterest. William is quite the fan of cotton candy flavored anything, so when I saw that I knew it would be a hit. Okay again mine don't look like that, I never claimed to be a great cook and/or photographer and clearly I am lacking in both areas, but William LOVE LOVE LOVED the Cotton Candy Birthday Bars and that is all that matters.

I can't believe my baby is 15 years old and look at him almost as tall as me. How does this happen right before my eyes? He is such a smart, funny, loveable young man. I wish you the happiest of days to come, keep smiling and keep making us laugh! Love you forever, mom

Happy Birthday, William!

Happy 14th Birthday to William! Fourteen years have gone by in the blink of an eye. I know I know I know it's a cliche. It just seems one day I am playing Buzz Lightyear and looking at bugs on the sidewalk and then I turn around and he is 14, grown up right before my eyes. William is an amazing young man, to know him is to love him. William is funny, intelligent, athletic and a genuine joy to have around. I can't wait to see what the next 14 years will bring! Happy Birthday, William. I love you forever and always.

Happy Birthday, William!

What a difference 12 years makes! My tiny little baby has turned into a funny, sweet and smart preteen. Where does the time go? William picked Joe's Crab Shack for his birthday dinner with the family, no big surprise there. This makes it at least three years in a row he has wanted crab legs for dinner. William received this Air Hockey table and he is having a lot of fun challenging everyone to try to beat him at his own game. Happy Birthday, William!!!

Happy Birthday, Pat

We headed to the Grand Canyon for Pat's Birthday. It was a hot day in the Valley, so it was a nice change to go north and enjoy a little cooler weather. It was Pat, Mike and William's first trip to the Grand Canyon and they found it just as spectacular as I did. We had beautiful weather, it was sunny and the temperature probably only made it to the low 70s. We did quite a bit of walking and enjoying the view. We walked over to the Village area and had lunch at one of the Lodges there. There are quite a few different options for lodging right on the Canyon and is definitely something we would like to explore when we have more time to spend there. You can stay within feet of the Southern Rim and there are many different hikes to take in the Canyon. The 4 hour trip each way was well worth it. We were pretty exhausted by the time we got home, but managed to stop for a Birthday Dinner at Bucca diBeppo and then home for presents and some sleep. It was a long day, but fun, we had great weather, spectacular views and good food, what more could you want.

William turns 11

Happy Birthday to William!!! William celebrated his 11th Birthday with a party at Laser Quest. Seven of his friends were able to attend and they had a fabulous time playing laser tag. Pizza from Dominos and cupcakes in the shape of a football, decorated like a cake were served. The kids had a great time and William is very lucky to have such a nice group of friends to celebrate with him.

For his birthday dinner, William chose Seafood. We went to a local restaurant that had great crab legs and even though he was stuffed, he managed to eat a slice of chocolate cake.

Good friends and loving family to celebrate with, favorite games and food, thoughtful presents, what more could a boy want? HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILLIAM

Mike's Birthday

Dinner at New York Pizza Department

Happy Birthday wishes from William.

A chocolate chip cookie cake.

Blowing out the candles.

A great present from his brother.

A stack of Wrestling Videos from Mom and Dad.

Mike's Birthday was filled with all his favorite things: pizza, chocolate chip cookie and of course presents. Mike choose NYPD as he does whenever he gets to choose dinner. He has become quite the fan of New York Style pizza and they make a pretty good lasagna there so we were all happy. The cookie (made at Paradise Bakery) weighed about 10 pounds. I never felt a cookie so heavy, and Mike true to form still cannot blow out a candle to save his life or maybe he is just making sure no one wants any of the cookie near the candle. Happy Birthday, Mike.