Beth & Birthdays

Sunday was another busy day. We got to meet our friend Beth and her new husband Andy for breakfast. They were in town for a wedding, and it had been a long time since we’d seen her. Beth got married in Florida the day we left for the beach in South Carolina. We were bummed with the timing because we totally would have gone. So it was great to catch up with her and meet her new husband.

After breakfast, we tried to get Liam to nap…that was a big failure. I don’t know how his teacher does it every day – especially considering that most of the kids in his class don’t nap. Once they turn 4 & ½, they stop making them nap (these kids are called “afternooners”). Last year the class was apparently mostly nappers, with only a few afternooners. Well, evidently many of those nappers turned 4 & ½ since the end of the school year, and have now transitioned into being afternooners, leaving only about 6 nappers left. The afternooners stay in the classroom while the nappers nap – they are just quiet. I haven’t seen it for myself, but somehow it just works. But at home – we can’t get the boy to nap to save our lives. Except in the car. He’ll fall asleep just about any time we get in the car. It’s crazy. Carcolepsy…

Anyway, so Liam had been invited to a birthday party in the afternoon. This little girl, Carys, was in his class last fall, when they were both in the toddler class. Liam moved out of the toddler class in January, and she has just moved out of it at the beginning of this school year. She’s not in his class anymore, but we always enjoy talking to his parents whenever we see them at school functions, so we continue to invite each other to our birthday parties. They had part of her party at this little farm across the street from where they live – it’s a wannabe Cagle’s or Burt’s…they had some pumpkins, a bouncy house, a few animals, and a hayride. It was small, and they made you sign a waiver for everything (hayride, bouncy house, etc.), which was strange. Anyway, so they took all the kids on the hayride, and then we went back across the street to their house. They live in this amazing house with a barn that holds their 2 horses. They have chickens, dogs, you name it. As we were walking up the yard, Zachary said, “Wouldn’t it be awesome to live in a place as huge as this?” Yep, pretty much. They didn’t really have anything organized – the kids just played in the yard, looked at the chickens & horses, and had some cake. And…they both fell asleep in the car when we left. Figures.

After the party we headed to my mom’s house for my birthday lasagna dinner. So I love lasagna. Well, I love my mom’s lasagna. I have yet to try lasagna in any restaurant that I think tastes as good as or better than my mom’s. And she only makes it once a year – for my birthday. Because I always ask for lasagna. I think I’ve mentioned how most everyone else in my family shakes things up & requests something different each year for their birthday dinner. Not me – it’s always lasagna, salad, garlic bread, and chocolate cake with chocolate frosting from Rhodes Bakery. YUM. Liam was too full from snacks & cake at the party to eat anything. Zachary managed to choke down enough food to qualify for cake (what can I say, he’s definitely a cake man). It was a nice time with family & friends (my mom’s friend – and my godmother – Melissa & her family came to help celebrate too), with good food, and some nice presents.  It was another busy, but fun, weekend.