Birthday Celebrations

My favorite pictures of this week:

This was a very eventful week.  We celebrated Gavin and Gracie's birthdays with our family.  I love this picture of them with their cousins.  Everyone is so engrossed in the lighting of the candles.

This is a great picture of my Grandma Turben.  My eyes always give away my level of tiredness.

No hiding it.  She is 82.  I hope I look that good at 82.

I love making fun cakes.  I got to practice these first for my niece and nephew's birthdays.  Can't say they turned out any better the second time, but it was a little quicker.

I am still learning with my camera and it shows.

They share December 12th for their birthday.  Gavin had school that day, but Gracie didn't.  

Isn't this the expression we all hope to capture?

We made it a tradition to take Chanse and Charish out to eat on their birthday a few years ago and Gavin and Gracie caught on to it this year and have been begging to go to Chuck E Cheese.

We did not eat there, however.  We talked them into eating at Carlos Okelly's.  It wasn't hard.  
Have you had their fried ice cream?  I hadn't.  YUM.  I'd better not go back any time soon.

Later in the week I was at school with Gavin and Gracie.  I was there for the last full day before Christmas break.  They got to watch The Polar Express and everyone dressed in their pajamas.  It was a really fun day.

The 4Kers are usually split up and go either Monday and Wednesday or Tuesday and Thursday.  This day they were all there together.  Ms. Kundert paired up kids from opposite classes for their "Hello, Neighbor" song.  It was really sweet to see Gracie and her new friend.  They were both so shy at first but they stuck together for the rest of the day!

 I LOVED this part of the song.  A little hip bump - so cute.

Lois is a volunteer in the 1st grade classroom.  She read The Polar Express to them.

After lunch all of the Promise Center kids went into Ms. G's room to watch the movie on her Smart Board.

They took a snack break....

Don't these girls look tired?

... and then we finished the rest of the movie.

I joined in on the pajama theme.  I could hardly stand it by the end of the day.  Wearing pajamas all day is not for me.  

Birthdays are so special.  When I was growing up we opened our presents right away in the morning.  We usually got something new to wear to school and something else we were looking forward to.  My grandma Turben would always call us before the bus came and wish us happy birthday.  I loved that phone call.  I wonder what your birthday memories are?  I hope you'll tell me :)