Twenty Seven

Oh hey – twenty seven!

My birthday weekend was super fab. Lots of fun, family and adventures. Oh, and dessert too. Because I’m all about that. For as long as I can remember I’ve had pumpkin pie for my birthday treat. Tradition! Tra-dit-ion! Yep, that was Fiddler on the Roof style. Thrifting too. Just wait and I’ll tell all about that.

I’ve always adored having a birthday in October. It seems that October is the month where fall officially begins. Scarves and boots make their appearance, pumpkin everything abounds and my Grammy also had an October birthday. It’s a special time of year. Three years ago when Jemma was born in October, October forever became my favorite time of year.

This year, birthday-palooza was so special because it was the first year where “birthdays” really clicked with Jemma. Birthday-palooza is our 30 day run of 4 birthdays in our family … first Aunt Kiki, then Dominic’s mama, then Jemma, then mine. Since the start of school we’ve were constantly planning, celebrating and cooking. Everyday she asks, “and now we make a cake?” and “Where are the presents?!?!” And no meal is considered complete without a “tweat”. Eek – we have some habits to break now that the string of birthdays is over. But really, celebrating with the little Miss (Max too, of course) was extra awesome.  

Jemma made it clear that she wanted Mama’s birthday to be special – so … homemade brownies with icing and sprinkles AND a Jemma original watercolor. This girl gets traditions. Homemade sweets + homemade crafts = CELEBRATION!

And now you know what the thrifting monster looks like :)

This event deserves a post all of it’s own. My mama and I drove north to THE BINS for a little birthday date. Also know as Goodwill Outlet. It was a thrifty dream come true. Treasures hidden amidst trash and payment by the pound, not the item. Ohmygoodness. So fun. And we ate our favorite spring rolls while we drove with the most divine peanut sauce. Does anyone have a good, creamy peanut sauce recipe I could try at home? My last attempt was a total flop :( I can’t wait to revisit the bins! I found a pair of Danskos for my tired mama feet, clothes for the kids and some awesome fabric to repurpose.

The day before the bins adventure my sweet sis watched the bambinos and I went on a mom date. The first one in about a billion days. Leah and I used to go on dates multiples times per week … back in our college days. Then we got married and lived in different cities, then I moved back and we each had a baby in tow. And now, between work and kiddos and life’s responsibilities we don’t get out much.

But birthdays. We make those mean somethin’! We met on a quiet Thursday for burgers and fries and chitter chat at an old fashioned ice cream parlor. L gifted me the softest pair of Kyoden yoga pants. She knows my daily style, obviously. We visited for over 2 hours – uninterrupted – and it was bliss.

My actual birthday was spent with the hubs! Yay for birthdays that fall on the weekend! We ate on the waterfront for lunch, went home for afternoon naps and then had a family dinner with my ma and sisters. After a dinner of French Dip with Swiss cheese and caramelized onions we went out for the premiere of Captain Phillips. Only the second time we’ve left Max at bedtime and luckily he did ok! I couldn’t wait to see this movie for some reason, ever since I saw the preview during Great Gatsby. And ohmygoodness did Mr. Hanks deliver. Seriously, so good! Dominic loved it too and he’s totally a critic.

So, that’s the end of 26 and the beginning of a new year. This will be my first full year in our own home and the first year I’ll have two babies who can walk/move in different directions. This year will be full of life and oh so, busy. And it will all be wonderful.

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