Jen's Fourth 25th Birthday

For those of you who know me well, it would not surprise you to know that I am not a fan of birthdays. Let me rephrase that. I love birthdays, especially birthday parties for little kids. I just don't like my birthday. Once I reached 25, birthdays stopped being enjoyable and became a day of resignation to the fact that I am now a year older and getting that much closer to leaving my twenties. So, with that in mind, I stopped having birthdays after my 25th one. This may prove to be a bit awkward explaining this to my children once they become teenagers and eventually turn 25 themselves, but we will cross that bridge when we come to it.

One of the first places Nate took me to when we were dating in St. George was a little Hibachi grill called Samuri 21. The night started off with dinner and then somehow evolved into a night at a comedy club in Mesquite followed by our big Austrailian friend Ben playing black jack for the first time and walking away with a few hundred dollars. Because it was such an fun night, I always associate Hibachi grills with having a good time.

I thought if we went to a Hibachi grill we would get some good food and Bryn would be entertained by all the knife flinging and fire. I couldn't have been more wrong. Our previously fearless little girl has turned into a timid mouse. Once the first flame shot up on the grill, she was beyond done. She had her face buried in my hair while our chef cooked our food and kept saying, "I'm done, Mom. Go home now. No like the fire. I'm done, Mom." Once the chef was done, and with the promise of birthday cake, she agreed to sit back in her chair. All the hysterics must have used up all her energy reserves as she could not shovel in her noodles fast enough. Then again maybe she was just trying to leave the restaurant faster.

Here is my decadent birthday cake that Nate ordered for me from Gormandise. He made sure that the bakery included a big chocolate name tag for me just in case old age settled in and I forgot my own name. I will readily admit that my memory is not what it used to be and that somedays I feel like I am losing my mind. However, I blame that more on having children than on my age.

I even had a couple of surprise visitors show up. My mom and Aunt Patti were able to stop by for a couple of hours. They were driving through Salt Lake on their way to Texas. It was fun to see them even if it was only for a short time. Overall it was a great birthday. Nate and the kids spoiled me rotten, and I got lots of wonderful and generous gifts from my family. And while I am not a fan of my birthday, I will be forever grateful for another year. As my mom always says, "It sure beats the alternative." Here's to at least another 60 of those "25th birthdays."

 

Freedom Feast

Time is an interesting thing. Just a mere two years ago, our "friend gatherings" used to consist of dinner at a restaurant, bowling, movies, concerts, and board games. And then as little munchkins began to enter the picture, those gatherings slowly evolved into picnics, park visits, and lawn games. With the fourth of July right around the corner, all the little families got together for a little BBQ quickly dubbed the Freedom Feast. The kids had a blast as they scampered around the playground equipment taking frequent breaks for snacks and drinks. The ladies were able to chat while the men enjoyed a friendly game of bocce ball. At least I believe it was friendly, as the usual trash talking was noticeably absent. After all, little kids were present and Bryn tends to repeat everything that she hears.

 

When I saw this, I couldn't help but laugh. All the girls were fawning all over Hudson. Poor little guy was the recipient of many unwanted squishes, pinches, and squeals. Being the good sport that he is, he would coo and smile for the girls and that would set off another round of giggles. This little man seems to ooze charm and is already making me nervous for when he becomes a teenager.

 

Overall, it was a great way to kick off the Fourth of July. The weather was beautiful, the food was delicious, and the company was great. It was especially bittersweet for us as we sent Phil, Amy, and Libby back to DC and, for the first time, we would not be joining them. However, DC is currently in the middle of a record breaking heat wave and a summer storm has just knocked out the power to most of the metro area. With DC experiencing temperatures over 100 degrees with 90% humidity, I am perfectly fine enjoying a nice summer in the Salt Lake Valley.

Feeding the Ducks

One Sunday afternoon, we decided to take the kids to Ponds Park to feed the local wildlife. Some of those ducks got a little frisky. Here is a short video for your amusement.

Penny's Visit

One night as Bryn and I were finishing up her bedtime routine and she turns to me and says, "Momma. Miss Penny. Miss Aubrey. Miss Baby Helen." She paused for a moment and then added, "Miss Philip." The way she said it, was so forlorn that it nearly broke my heart. As I have previously mention, Miss Bryn is going into withdrawals from missing all her sweet little friends. When we learned that our good friends the Quebes were coming to Utah for a wedding, we were ecstatic. Aubrey and I made plans to get the girls together at Hogle Zoo. I told Brynlee that Penny was coming for a visit the day before and this proved to be a very good bargaining chip. Bryn put on her best behavior to ensure that she would be able to play with Penny.

When we first got to the zoo, I was curious as to how the two girls would react to seeing each other. It has been over a month since the girls last saw each other, and given Bryn's new shy-guy act, I wasn't sure how it was going to turn out. Bryn saw Penny. Penny looked at Bryn. Big smiles showed up and their little friendship picked up right where they had left off. The two girls held hands for the first hour and then the air was filled with giggling and shrieking for the rest of the afternoon. All I heard was, "Bryn! Bryn, over here!" "I'm coming Penny!" and the two just ran around all afternoon. I thought that they would eventually run out of energy, but they just seemed to feed off each other. It was so good to get a glimpse of the old Brynlee.

Aubrey was there with her parents which made things so much easier. It was great to have extra hands and eyes watching the girls. Hudson was a dream and literally slept the entire day. He woke up briefly while we were at the carousel to eat, share a few smiles, and then promptly went back to sleep. Bryn still remembers that she rode on a "dolphin" and that Penny rode on "Crush" (that's what she calls all Turtles. . . thanks Nemo). After a short snack break and rehydration, they were off again. I was surprised how many animals that the Hogle Zoo had that the National Zoo didn't have. Bryn loved seeing the giraffes, elephants, and especially the new polar bear exhibit.

These little cheezer smiles sum up our day perfectly. It was so much fun catching up with good friends. We can't wait for them to come to Utah again. And Bryn finally ran out of gas. She was fast asleep before we even made it out of the parking lot.