Kevin's First Birthday

Last week, Kevin turned one.

It was a monumental day for me.  It is hard to believe that a year ago I was in the hospital.  If you are interested in the events of that day, click on the following link: Top Ten Injuries in My Life.  It's number four. 

Kevin obviously didn't know that anything was different on his birthday.  We ended up having three parties, which will be featured in this week's video.  The first party was a private family party.  We skyped with Grig's parents and with my parents simultaneously. It started out pretty good, except that Grig's father was on a business trip and had to be skyped seperately.  So, we ended up having one computer for my parents, one computer for Grig's mother, aunt, and siblings, and one computer for Grig's father.  It was very exciting.  At first, Grig's mother couldn't get her skype to work, but after some assistance from Havelock, they got things figured out.  We were glad they could join us.

Kevin quickly figured out how to open presents. In some ways, he enjoyed ripping off chunks of wrapping paper more than anything else.  He would rip off a piece, wave it, and laugh.  It was very cute.  However, once he saw what was inside of the wrapping paper, he was thrilled.  It took us a while to go through his presents, but when he was finished, we had a very happy little boy on our hands.  He just wanted to play for a while.

All Kevin's presents.  Family picture!

 The second party took place a different day with my local extended family.  We all had dinner at my grandmother's home.  I cooked the main course (hamburger and rice casserole) and everyone else brought a side or just showed up.  We ate dinner first, and then Kevin got to open a few more presents.  He was really excited.  He liked playing with his cousins.  I got a pretty neat present too, even though it was technically for Kevin.  I received some patterns and fabric so I can make him some clothes.  We'll have to see how that goes.  My mother recently gave me a sewing machine that she bought at a garage sale, so hopefully it works.

Kevin loved his new truck!

 After presents, we had pumpkin pie, apple pie, and some fudge.  Everything was delicious.  Kevin couldn't figure out what to do with his candle, so another cousin had to help him blow it out.  Every time we sang "Happy Birthday" to him, he looked really confused.  He enjoyed the pie, but he didn't eat it very long before he wanted to get down and play again.  We had a good time.

The third party involved a gift from Grig's parents and a friend of the family.  It was a new wagon.  Last night, Grig and I assembled it, and Kevin loved it!  While we were trying to put it together, he kept jumping on top and spinning the wheels.  Then, once we had put it all together, he wanted to get in.  We pulled him back and forth in our hallway, and the dog even joined him!  After he finished, he started pulling the wagon, which I was really impressed by, because it is not small. 

Kevin had a wonderful birthday, and we want to thank everyone who helped to make it possible.  Thank you for the birthday wishes, your love, and your support! 

Our Birthday Present for a Friend

 This week my friend's birthday was on Monday.  She is a single-mom struggling to make ends meet, so I decided we were going to throw a birthday party for her.  I asked her Sunday what she wanted to eat and she told me "Corn Beef and Cabbage."

Having never even EATEN that before, I wasn't sure how to go about it, but I agreed.  I also asked her what kind of cake she wanted and she told me she didn't like cake.

She likes pie.  Pumpkin pie, to be exact.

I'd never made that before either, but I agreed.  So, the next night, on her birthday, she and her three daughters came to eat with us.  We only have four chairs so it was interesting, but we were able to figure it out.  We ended up using a lawn chair, a small end table, and borrowing a chair from them.

I found a recipe earlier in the day for a crock pot version of the corn beef and cabbage, and that turned out quite good.  For the pumpkin pie recipe, I called my aunt and she gave me some excellent tips.  I actually usually don't really like pumpkin pie, and I really liked this pie.

The dinner was a lot of fun.  Afterwards, lit candles on the pie, sang "Happy Birthday" and she blew them out.  I think she had a good time.

This picture is from the internet.  I forgot to take pictures of the actual event.

The next night, for his present to her, Grig offered to take her kids to the local zoo while she relaxed with me.  I was browning a bunch of hamburger when she came, and she relaxed and played sudoku while I finished.  Then, afterward I had finished, we played card games.  She said that at first she had a hard time relaxing, but after a little while she was able to enjoy herself. 

It was nice to be able to spend time with them and help her have a good birthday.  We've been trying to help out as much as we can, so we were grateful that we were able to help her Special Day be awesome!