Monday - My Birthday

Finally we arrive at my birthday!  This year I had possibly my best birthday ever.  In 2009 I got to see The Dead at the Gorge for my birthday party so that is a close contender for best birthday ever.  I'm calling it a tie.  They were both more awesome that I could hope for in very different ways.  I felt lucky to be able to share my birthday with my family.  It had been a while.  I felt like a kid again.  So, without further ado photos from my week of birthday-family celebration continue with my birthday Monday, May 16th:

Lisa made gluten-free birthday pancakes.

She shaped mine like a sun because I had requested it (kind of joking) the day before.  What a sweet sister.  It really started my birthday off right.   She also made sweet, corn grits which I'd never had before, but is one of Eli's favorites.  It was really good.

I'm not sure how it came about exactly, but my dad started making Eli some Yoda ears. 

What a great grandpa...

And I was quite impressed with his impromptu Yoda ear pattern.

I think this bubble wand...I mean, LIGHT SABER, might have been the origin of the Yoda ears.

Eli then decided he needed a shield and I thought the lid to my large soup pot fit the bill nicely.

It also made a great clanging noise when jabbed with the light saber.

This Thomas the Train game was surprisingly "hard."   We made up our own rules and it got a lot more fun.

Eli helped fill the bird feeders.

Then the present opening begins! 

Opening such thoughtful gifts on the soft green grass in the glorious sunshine was just absolutely perfect.

My mom made me a bird apron.  I've developed a justified reputation of loving anything with a bird on it.  I was excited to have a second apron as I have a hard time getting my lone apron into the wash regularly because, well, it was the only one I had to use!  It would be stiff with flour.

Tiny, little Ipod.  Currently it makes me feel technologically inept, but I am getting the hang of it.  It will be swell to take on road trips rather than shuffling through a pile of CDs in the glovebox.  Ooooh, and I need to check out audiobooks....I think that could be very cool.  It also has a clock and a calender which I imagine will be useful for me.

Matt, who claims he cannot even draw stick people, decorated the bag he put my present in.  We don't really use gift paper at our house, so we usually wrap in pages from old magazines or maps, or blank paper decorated.  Matt had never decorated blank paper to my knowledge before.  It made me want to force him to play Pictionary next time we have the chance as that is always his excuse for not wanting to play "I can't draw."  Aha!  I beg to differ.

Then his mother "showed him up" by giving me a similarly decorated bag that (we assume) she made with her stamping and crafting.  : )

My ma picked out some lovely fabric for me to practice my sewing on.

Then in was time to fill and beat down the pinata!

We filled it with Yummy Earth organic hard candy (my pick) and sesame crunch candies (Eli's pick).

Uncle Matt helped with the spinning.

Though there were no photos of me hitting the pinata, I beheaded him thoroughly.

Victory (and candy) is mine!  I'd wanted a pinata for my birthday for several years, but had never ended up buying one.  I found this one at a second hand shop over the winter and stashed it in the back closet.

The severed head turned out to be a great toy as well...apparently.

My dad kept intercepting it, much to Eli's delight and annoyance.  Life is tough when everyone else is so much taller than you!

I got flowers for the first time in...oh...I don't even know when.

Like my fancy vase?  That ribbon was on a birthday package.  It really dressed up the corn syrup bottle if you ask me.