Meet Tonya and Brian's first child, born on December 31, 2010 at 5:09 pm MST.     Eric Brian Allen, we are so excited to have you finally here!

For a link to additional pictures of Eric with his parents and his grandparents today, Click here

Me in 1967

I've been typing my diary from back when I was in Junior High (one of my 60 by 60 goals). The other day I came across the following entry, dated 10/11/1966. I had just turned 14:

"I’m dreaming. I’m dreaming of being rich and popular and having a wardrobe of the latest clothes and of having an album of the latest songs. I’m dreaming of entertaining friends at a party having the recording stars in person as guests. I’m dumb. This could never happen to me. But it’s fun to dream anyway. I do a lot of it. Like dreaming I got a perfect score on the aptitude test we took today or winning an essay contest I entered."

I wish I could go back in time and talk to the me I was in 1966.  How could I ever explain to myself just how rich I already was?  How could I tell the Me of 66 just how trivial money is and how important family and faith and freedom and education and love are?   How could I ever tell myself how important good health and opportunities of a lifetime ahead of me are, and how important having a family of supportive brothers and sisters and wonderful parents and grandparents who all love each other and love me are?

I read my trivial posts and wonder was I ever really so vain, so self-absorbed, so superficial?  The answer is, of course, yes.  I was a normal teenage girl, boy crazy and vain, and desperately wishing to be popular, like most other teenage girls.   It takes time, and experience, to wake up to what's really important in life.  I never got that perfect score on the aptitude test and I never won the essay contest, either.

But I did score perfectly on finding the perfect mate for me.  And popularity has nothing to do with being surrounded by family and friends who really care about me and I care about them.  And I will take serving others any day over entertaining them.  Since those days, I have truly grown to love my Savior and to feel the companionship of the Holy Ghost and the amazing grace of God in my life.  So Julie of 1966, hang in there.  Life may feel rough some days, and you may feel really poor, but trust me - it's going to turn out just fine. You already have the richest of the richest blessings a girl could ever have!

Now, looking through the eyes from the future, I wonder what my 90-year old self would say to the things I write about today?  I am not done with this job of gaining experience and with growing up, am I?

Can't stop grinning today.  Trying to not, but I can't stop!  Weighed in this morning, after Thanksgiving week and Anniversary week and everything else, including two portions of rib steak last night and several yummy slices of pie, and I was down another 1.4 lb.  That by itself is one thing, but it was the poundage that put me over the 20 lb lost since I joined Weight Watchers last summer.  Officially 21 lb. down!   (Add that to the 20 lb I had lost before I joined WW, and I'm now down about 40 lb from my largest a few years ago.)

Not bragging mind you.  I  am embarrassed that I ever let myself get as large as I did, and that I have so much I need to lose in the first place.  But I have to admit I love the feel of pulling on pants that used to be too tight and finding them now too loose! 

Hmmmm, this is definitely a better feeling than feeling over stuffed and bloated and out of control. 

Enough of that.  Now it's time to get busy and work on the next five pounds (with 50 still to go to get to goal weight)!  That will include my 10% body weight loss since joining.

And I am still grinning!

Last weekend was just busy.  Whew!  It felt like we were racing from one great family experience to another!  But what sweet memories we are enjoying this week as a result.  I've posted my best photos on Facebook, and some not so good but when the only picture you get of someone or ones is a little out of focus, you've still just gotta post it.  So go to the links from Facebook to see the rest of my photos from these events.

Thursday, November 25, 2010,  Thanksgiving Dinner with Mike and Makinzee's Family:

Thanksgiving Turkey - Brent, Makinzee, and Mike in their beautiful new kitchen.  We had a great time enjoying Thanksgiving with Mike and Makinzee, Tonya and Brian, and Heather and Isaac.

For more pictures from Thanksgiving, click Thanksgiving

Saturday, Nov. 27 - Rick's Endowments
Saturday morning, Rick received his endowments at the Mt. Timpanogos Temple in American Fork, Utah.  We appreciated the invitation to join the family for this very special occasion.  Rick is going on a mission to Anaheim, his favorite place on earth.  The red and black color scheme, they said, was to show solidarity for Micky Mouse (actually, for the mission which has Micky Mouse's home in it), not University of Utah (who beat BYU in their final rivalry game later that day).

The Loveridge group:  L-R  Mark, Kathy, Asa Wright, Amy Wright, Rick, Leo and Edna, Brad, Jill, Brent and me.  Bill and Stephanie came, too, but they had to leave before pictures.  What else can you do when you leave the session and find not one, not two, but three urgent messages from the babysitter's mother??????

 For more pictures, click Rick's Endowment

Saturday Afternoon, Leo and Edna's 65th Anniversary Dinner at Golden Corral, Orem, Utah

Stephanie and cupcake Karmyn - Yummy!  Sugar makes for a happy baby!

Yes, I did not wait for Mike and Makinzee to stop eating, clear their throats and smile.  Thought I was past that, but apparently not.  Sorry guys.  I was focusing on the kids in front.  Counterclockwise:  Maddy, Jack, Lexi, Kamryn, Mike, Makinzee.

Not sure what they were visiting about but I have about a dozen shots of them talking.  I think I was trying to get Bill's face.  Never did.   L-R  Dad, Mike, Bill

For the rest of the pictures, including some not so good shots of Leo and Edna, click here: Leo & Edna's 65th Anniversary Party

This month has been phenomenal.  What more can I say?
For me, each day as I've updated my status with something I have been grateful for, I've thought of hundreds more things.  The obvious came first - family, friends, Church, jobs, home.  Then came the less obvious and the many, many blessings I enjoy have really overwhelmed me.  It's been such a sweet journey.

With recognition of my blessings, however, I am beginning to feel ever more in debt to the Lord. I know I can never repay Him for all He has blessed me with.  However, I can try to share my blessings as best as I can to use them to benefit others.  I wasn't expecting the feelings I have experienced as I began my goal to express gratitude at the beginning of the month.  I have begun to feel as did the psalmist in Psalms 30:12:  "To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever"  I could shout it from the rooftops and sing it from the balconies, but that would seem silly.  So I will simply proclaim it here and try to move forward, shouting my praise by quiet actions and by humble respect for all with which I have been blessed and by giving freely my time and my resources to help others in our sojourn on this planet we call earth.

Just lifted this from my nephew-in-law's comments:    “When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives.”- Gordon B. Hinckley   I hope I can always walk with gratitude.


Thank you, too, each of you who are friends and family who read this blog ... your lives make mine happier. You are counted among my blessings.  I love you.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Brian's family had a cozy shower for the baby on Saturday.  The guests were all the sisters and sisters-in-law and nieces on Brian's side, plus Heather and me.  It was a very comfortable group and I really appreciated being included.

I teased Tonya about growing even since just a week ago.  She laughed back that she was sure he grew five inches overnight and that for the first time she found herself walking the pregnant waddle that morning.  Seven more weeks to go.

Here are a few pictures from the shower.  I just grabbed Brent's little camera, and unfortunately it liked the blur feature or something, so I am sad to say I didn't get very many good ones.  I'll just post my favorites here:

Yes, we played games, and Heather and I cheated together and got a huge candy bar for our bad behavior.

Look at the darling tissue pompom hanging - a lot of work, but they made for festive decorations.

Yummy luncheon.

Gifts

Gifts

and more gifts!

Blue polo shirt with the red horse - so baby boy (Eric?) Allen may match all the rest of the guys in the family.

All the girls got to help find a gift for Tonya to open.  Only this one didn't want to give hers up.

Can't blame her. This was what was inside.

Brian's mom Jeanette and sister-in-law Joanie  (please forgive me if I misspelled your names)

It's fun to be getting closer to the due date, and judging from all the gifts between last week and this week, this little guy is not going to be wanting for anything, and most importantly for love!

Ok, I didn't realize I had linked one picture in my Tonya's Shower post and not the entire album, until Mom couldn't get past the one picture without signing up to Facebook. 

(Sorry, Mom.  You really didn't have to sign up to see the rest of the pictures.  Try it again.  Love you!)

Click here for more pictures from the shower.

Daughters and Me - Ok, there's a better one of everyone else on the Facebook site (see link above).  But this one's better of me, so I got selfish and added it to this page. L-R Makinzee, Tonya, me, Heather, and Stephanie.  Aren't they all so beautiful?

Last Saturday we had an Open House Baby Shower for Tonya.  She still has a couple of months before the baby is due, but those months include six weeks of holidays and another shower next week.  So we had this a little early, but it was a super fun day and we loved everyone who took the time from their busy schedules to join us for it.

The shower was hosted by Tonya's sisters/sisters-in-law and "adopted" sister (see below).  Thanks to all of you for your great help.  Stephanie (and Bill) did the lion's share of the work and I cannot express how much I appreciate all they did.  We are so excited for this little addition to our family, Tonya and Brian.  Can't wait for January this year!

Leslie Harms is our adopted daughter/sister, and helped us put on the shower, too.  I can't thank her enough for her special friendship and love.

Tonya and the gifts

It shouldn't be hard, not hard at all, to donate blood.

But I have never done it.  In my entire life, I have avoided it.  In my defense, I had valid excuses for a long time because most of my life I've been anemic.  But since my surgery, that excuse got removed.  So I've been clinging to the excuse that I would pass out.

In spite of the fact that I have blood drawn for tests quarterly (welcome to diabetes), without batting an eye now.  In spite of the fact that I work around blood at work without it phasing me anymore.  In spite of the fact that with my wealth of experience that comes with each passing year, I have endured all kinds of bloody, gory things and survived.  In spite of it all, I still cling to the excuse that I would pass out.

Ok, so in walks some brainy idea that I can accomplish 60 major goals before I turn 60, right?  And one of them is to do two major service projects in that time.  Now nobody is forcing me on this.  My own choice, right?  So I decide the projects, in order for me to really feel satisfaction in doing them, need to be something I really, really do NOT want to do, something that will require me to truly sacrifice and stretch myself.

So come Sunday, when the sign-up sheet was passed around one more time for our stake blood drive, I found myself actually writing my name on it.  Really?  Me?  I decided it would be a major thing for me to donate blood six times between now and my birthday, and I'd better get going on it if I was to be successful with this service project.

And had been dreading yesterday ever since.

There was a message from the Red Cross reminding me of my appointment Brent told me I needed to listen to.  Like I would forget?  Like I really needed reminding of this huge dark cloud looming over me each day???  And then the vampires even suggested that I consume extra protein for the experience as well as keep well hydrated.

The closer I came to 7:00 o'clock the more nervous I got.  Could I really do this?  I talked Brent into coming with me.  I just knew I was going to need a driver after I passed out.  He was a good sport and came.  After all, he hadn't signed up, right?  He could just sit back and visit with people and laugh.  Sometimes, I think he gets a hidden pleasure out of watching me suffer.

 In fact, we went out EARLY, he was so excited.  We arrived at the Stake Center and walked into the cultural hall which had been transformed into vampi..., er, blood donation, centers.  I just wanted to get it over with at this point.  I could feel my heart pounding and head getting lighter.  But, no, there is the screening.  I didn't know that when you donate blood you need to allow an hour for screening.  All the questions - have you ever paid to have sex, have you had sex with more than one partner, have you ever had sex with another male (for males, only), have you.... how many ways can they ask if you might have HIV????  It would have been nice to have an exclusionary question to begin with - were you a virgin at marriage and married to a virgin, and have you lived in a monogamous relationship your entire life?  If yes, then skip to question 120.

The nice part about the questions was it gave me a minute to sit back and catch my breath before hitting the vampire couch.  My blood was healthy.  I passed the screening.  No excuses.  I was committed now.  This was it.  The next hurdle was going to be if they could find a vein to stick the needle into.  That's always an issue with me.  But after fiddling with my arm, marking a spot, wiping that mark off and trying again, getting someone to come and confirm it as being viable (all this time I'm squeezing a rubber ball and my arm is growing number by the seconds), the lady was actually able to hit it on the first stick.  Yay!  And it worked.  At that point, all I had to do was sit back and let the blood flow.

I did start to get a headache.  I think it was from nerves more than anything else.  Another worker put ice packs under my neck and on my chest.  Then I started to shiver.  He told me to cough, that would keep my blood circulating.  Really?  But coughing actually did help. Hmmm, never knew that before.  But I was still shivering, I think mostly from my nerves.

Before I knew it, however, my machine was beeping, my bag was full.  I was mostly done!  I really did it!  I didn't pass out, I didn't throw up, my blood wasn't rejected (yet, at least.  There are still more tests to be done on it, but I'm pretty sure they will pass with flying colors) and there is one more pint of A+ blood on the shelves for a few weeks in case someone needs it. 

I cannot describe the joy I felt at being successful at this.  Nobody can even imagine how scary this was for me!  (Except maybe Brent.  Notice he did not donate - that was because he was worried I would have to drive him home if he did.  That's okay.  Maybe next time he'll try it, again, too.  He had a bad experience last time he tried it.)  I feel like I can do anything right now.  Amazing!  

And today I posted on Facebook that I am really grateful my blood is healthy enough to donate.  What a sweet blessing that is!  I will be back.

This is a month to show our gratitude for what we have.  Actually, we should be thankful all year round, and I think we really are.  But in the rush of every day needs and challenges, sometimes I just forget.  I whine and I complain. 

I grump about the kitchen taking so long, when in reality I am very grateful that I am able to get a redone kitchen, and that we are making progress towards its completion.  I'm grateful that I have electric appliances that make up for not having an oven and stove top.  And I am grateful for restaurants that are close by.

I whine about the weather, it's too hot or too cold or too wet or too dry.
The reality is, I am grateful for the rains when they come, and even the frosts that force the growing season to an end.  Hooray for less yard work for a few months!  Don't you think?  I love being able to look out my window inside my warm home and see the snow fall and hear the gentle rain and see the magnificent sunset bathing the beautiful mountains in shades of pink...

Sometimes I grump about people I love.  That's probably the saddest grump of all, because my dear family and choice friends and friends who have become family, how could I survive without you?  None of us are perfect.  I love each of you and love the wonderful things you bring to my life.  I am so very grateful for you.

And I grump about having to go to Church when I'd really love to take a long nap, and about serving when I'd rather be reading ... How could I ever be so vain and so callous about my gratitude to my Father in Heaven?  The Gospel and the scriptures and the Temple and the Sunday meetings and opportunities to serve, all the things associated with the Church bring me closer to my Father in Heaven, who loves me.  I am eternally grateful for that knowledge and that love.

Of course, I could go on and on and on and on.  God has blessed my life.  I know He has blessed yours.  It is so humbling to pause for a minute and realize the depth of those blessings.  I am trying this month to note at least one thing each day I am grateful for.  That is the why behind my status changes on Facebook.  It helps me to stop and think and express my gratitude.  See also the movie on my sidebar.  I love Elder Oaks comments.

Connie just posted this link on Facebook.
I think of my precious children, of their most faithful and beautiful spouses, our wonderful parents and brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, and so many friends who set such a shining example for me.  You, my dear friends, are part of the ninety and nine.  And I thank you for that. Thank you for your struggles and your successes, thank you for your faith and your love.  You are doing just fine!

Click on the link below:
One of the Ninety and Nine

...I have ever felt was the push of my grandson against his mommy's belly on Sunday.  I loved feeling my own children kick and move inside me as I carried them to term.  How can you even begin to express that bonding and caring that develops as you carry a baby?  But that is the only time I've ever felt life like that, until Sunday, when Tonya let me place my hand on her swelling abdomen and little Junior Brian was happy to push back.  It was just awesome.  Thanks, Tonya.  Can't wait to hold him in my arms!

 We count our blessings every day that we have so much family living close enough to us to share some of the fun parts of growing up.  Our ward trunk-or-treat last Friday was a great time to share with family.  Both Mike and Bill brought the grandkids to it, and that made our day!  Here are a few of the pictures I took that night:

Maddy and Jack - Menu:  Soup, rolls, and grapes.

Waldo and Wenda (aka Mike and Makinzee)

 

Karsyn and GreatGrandma Loveridge

Lexi decided Karsyn needed her hat on.

Maddy was the only one brave enough to do the "cake" walk.  I never figured out the purpose for it,though.  They did not give out any cakes.

Who needs cake when there are frosted cookies to enjoy for dessert?  Especially the frosting?

We finished handing out candy at our car and found everyone gathered at Leo and Edna's.  The attraction?....

Lexi and Karsyn - next to the wiggly fingers bowl full of chocolate

Kamryn, too.   Meow!

Pumpkin owners - L-R:  Kamryn's cat, Karsyn and Lexi's polka dots, Jack's spooky, Maddy's first, and Mike's got his mind on other things than Halloween right now (go Giants!)

Combined Family Home Evening last night at Mike and Makinzee's - Project Carve Pumpkins Underway!

If you can judge the fun by how dirty the face, I would say Lexi had a really terrific time!

Bill helped Kamryn carve a pumpkin of what she was being for Halloween (maybe).  Meow!

Maddy carved her pumpkin all by herself!  It was really really cute, too!  Way to go Madison!

Ok, so she's a little small to carve, and she really wasn't sure what to do with it, but Karsyn was very proud to have a pumpkin all her own!

For additional photos from the night, click  here

Summer came to an abrupt halt today.  Goodbye my dahlias, goodbye my tomatoes - I hardly got to know you this year, and goodbye my autumn - but only for this morning.  I know you will return again shortly.

But for right now, winter came to put all our world in a costume of white.  Guess he wanted to celebrate Halloween, too.  Can't think of anything scarier.

View from our back porch - grapevines along the fence.

My dahlias, poor things.

And this is just on the valley floor, away from the Lake Effect storms.  I feel for everyone living on the bench areas who have already had a couple of days of snow.

My one daffodil bloom, Spring 2010

Rose Garden, Spring 2010 Last spring, I posted some pictures about my flower gardens. The year was new. The ground bare. Tulips sang in the spring time sun while the roses were late getting their bloom.  A lone daffodil crowed in defiance of its age, and jaunty pansies laughed at passersby as they added a splash of color to the bare soil.  It was spring in my gardens. It's been a wonderful summer.  My little garden grew. But now it is autumn - a late autumn without a freeze yet. No one's complaining - especially the flowers who have been granted a stay of execution for one, maybe two or even seven more days. And the blossoms have been prolific for sure! Come, take a walk through my gardens. Stay a while. Enjoy the last hurrah! before Jack Frost arrives to take it all away.

This dahlia bloom is bigger than my (very dirty, play in the soil) hand.

My forgotten garden has been full of weeds in the past.  It hides behind the truck and the trailers.  But this year, I grew flowers instead.  And the great part is they are all perennials - I'll be anxious for them to return next year!

A vase of fresh-cut flowers adds a little joy to our makeover project.

The weeping cherry the kids gave me for Mother's Day.  Remember that lone daffodil?  Well, close your eyes and imagine this tree dripping with  pink blossoms and surrounded at the base by yellow daffodils and pink and purple tulips.  Just imagine!  Can't wait for spring again!

Hmmm - journal, catch up.  check
Scripture study.  Check
Plant tulips/daffodils.  Check
Clean living room including dusting, vacuuming.  Check
Catch up laundry.  Check
Work -  on time.  Check - well, mostly
Exercise.  Check
Create budget. Check
Keep checkbook balanced.  Check
Catch up on blogs.  Check
More time with Brent.  Check
Work on the book.  Check

Actually see posts by real friends, real situations on Facebook.  Amazing.  I thought it had become simply a place to find things for the games.  Now they're blocked, it leaves room for so many more things.  I like it.  Check

Moving forward.  There is so much catch up to do, but I'm getting at it, one thing at a time.

But I still find myself wondering what's going on back in that make-believe world of Farmville.  What is wrong with me????????  I MUST NOT LOOK BACK.

I listened to the speakers at Conference - how many references were there to the wasting away of precious time on things like electronic games? 

Time to heed, time to go forward.  Besides, with my 60 goals list, how could I ever have time to continue managing my little electronic bits and bytes that I became almost as attached to as reality.  I kept saying I would get addicted if I tried one.  I knew I would.  I know me.

So today I said goodbye, one at a time, to all the crazy parts of a little world I had created in cyberspace.  I still can't figure out how to delete the game, so I just mostly deleted all the parts, leaving just enough for my friends to continue using, and then I hit the "Block" button.  I can no longer see it.  I can't see posts from it.  And it cannot see my information. Goodbye.

I'm moving forward.  Reclaiming my life.  Working on important things that I've chosen for myself to work on.
And I cannot believe I have spent hours a day on it.  I wish I could reclaim those hours.  I kept thinking, with each click, each delete, there is nothing, not one thing to show for the time I've spent.  I am not a better person.  I am not more spiritual.  I am not smarter.  I'm definitely not healthier.  I haven't improved anything in my life during the time I have spent frittering away my precious minutes on the games.

And right now I feel a large sense of freedom.  Hooray!  I can do whatever I want to do!  I looked the monster in the eye, defied it, and won!  There is no downside to this.  Only up side. 

But the one good thing that came from the games was the number of friends I made on line.  I hope the ones that we've shared so many things with over the Internet, will continue to be electronic friends.  But I'll understand if they don't.  I was, after all, just part of a make believe world.

Can't believe I gave up so much for this.

Thank you, Tonya, for giving me the courage to walk away.  "A child shall lead them."  You are an awesome example.  I'm not sure I could have done it without your encouragement and example.  I can't reclaim what I lost, but I can move forward.  And it does feel so good.

Just read this post by my oldest daughter.  It touched my heart, and my eyes are leaking.   If you haven't seen it, here's a link to it:
Brian and Tonya: Gratitude

I am 58 years old today.  No wonder I'm looking older.  Guess I've earned it.

I alluded earlier to the goals my friend Leslie set before she turned 40 (just a young chick), and how I was working on a list of 60 before I turn 60.  I've already started on some of them, but that's okay.  It's going to be a challenge to get through all 60 of these in two years, but I'm looking forward to them.

I've got three types of goals I've set.  The first are basic goals, mostly ones I should be doing anyway.  The second will require a little more effort and the third I call my pinnacle goals.  If I do the first two, I may be able to complete the third as a result  (like climbing Mt. Timpanogos - I have to lose the 60 lbs first, and I have to exercise enough to be in a decent condition to climb the mountain.  Not only that, but I don't want to climb it alone so I've got to get Brent there with me).  

I'm looking forward to the results that come from working on these goals.  Some of them are really going to be fun, some of them are going to build me spiritually, and some of them are going to create a closer bond between me and my family... all of them will make me a better person.

At Weight Watchers about a month ago we were given the following suggestions for setting goals.  They are applicable for losing weight, but they're also great suggestions for any goal setting:

I think one other thing I need to remember is that life is a process.  There is no END.  Everything good and worthy we do will help us in this process to move towards the daughter or son of God we are intended to be.

Today I am excited!  Looking forward to some fun things I'm working on!  I think I'm going to LOVE being 58!

I'm not sure why I'm typing this instead of being out mowing the lawn.  But I shouldn't be mowing the lawn today.  It was supposed to be done yesterday, but yesterday it was raining torrents, every bit as much as it was the day I took this picture a few weeks ago:
Some days are just not made for yard work.  But working in the yard is one of my favorite things.  I would work outside ten times over inside, but unfortunately, my lot in life is to mostly work inside.  I should learn to make that a favorite thing, too, shouldn't I?

I like rain, though, and I love the sound of it when I'm inside a tent and don't have to go outside.  I love the roar of it when it rains hard on the roof.  I miss the sound of it since we installed our new windows.  I'm always surprised when I walk past the window and see the trees nearly bent over by the wind, and rain or hail pounding the ground in sheets.  I miss the sound of rain.

I love the sound of water when I'm lounging in my soaker tub.  I love to hear it bubbling and dripping slowly to keep the water warm.  And I love the sound of water in the form of soft, foamy, warm bubbles popping around me in the tub.  I love my soaker tub.

I love soft rainfalls, as well.  I love being out in that kind of a rain.  We don't get them very often in this desert Utah, however.  More often we get the cloudbursts, the run for cover and pray you make it deluges that dump from the clouds as they crash with bolts of lightening against the mountains.  But when we went to the pumpkin patch last night, we had a soft rainfall.  And Kamryn loved carrying the umbrella until the rain stopped.  I like the sound of rain on an umbrella, too.

And totally unrelated to water, I love celebrations.
Even when it's for me ... or should I say especially?
The kids threw me a birthday party on Sunday, when we had everyone here except Sean's family.  Dan flew in from Branson just for this.  (Well, not really, but it did sound good, didn't it?)  I wanted to get a picture of all the family together, but without Sean's crew it made it easy for everyone else to find reasons to not.  But even if I don't have a good family photo, I made sure I took lots of pictures.  I loved having everyone together.  I loved the commotion and all the business doing a large meal entails.  I appreciated so much all the help from the kids in putting it together.  All was yummy.  The company was the best.  And that's what I love about celebrations!
 For other pictures from the birthday dinner, and I promise you there are some cute ones, click here