pops' birthday!

pops had a birthday last week...and it was a pretty big one! to celebrate he wanted to take finn to his first king's game...

i was nervous to oblige considering that the game would be starting at finn's bedtime and i could just picture an epic meltdown, spoiling pops' big night...but finn was thrilled! he was fascinated and was so happy to be there...our little trouper.

and then, a half-time surprise! we were sad that mimi, a.k.a. "marsh" was home sick :(

somethin' about budweiser at a game - the only time is tastes good.

the three kelly identical triplets.

we went home for cake and candles...what a fun night. we hope that all your wishes come true, pops!

30

to be quite honest, i have waited my whole life to be 30. i just always knew that it would be the decade of my life where i finally felt like i truly belonged. my twenties were fun, just enough wild, just enough torment, but thirty...just seemed so settled. and that is actually what i have always wanted. boring and ordinary yet utterly delightful? yes please.



the only moment where i felt a twinge of sadness to be turning thirty, was on march 12th at 11:50 p.m., the last few moments before my birthday officially arrived. ryan and i were just about to drift off and i realized with a shock that once i fell asleep, i was closing the door to my twenties forever. it felt so final. and those were some good years. real good years.



in those years, i finally became confident and assured. i learned to cook things other than pasta. i made new friends and relished in the old ones. i realized that there is no place better than home. i found that when i am due for a change in scenery, napa, the beach, yosemite and disneyland will all feed my soul. i stopped feeling the need to apologize for who i am. i discovered that sisters are like secret, golden treasures. i learned that a good walk will make you feel a lot better. i learned that it's best not to try to fool yourself. i discovered red wine and digital cameras. i found out what incredible parents i have and accepted, finally, that they are always right. i learned that you can't ignore jury summons and taxes. i discovered that it is wise to check your pockets before doing laundry. i learned that holding a grudge is exhausting. i learned to pay to attention to what is important and ignore the rest. i lived on the belief that creating a good moment or memory is worth whatever it costs. i became a bit more hopeful. i became a lot more grateful. and lastly, in those years, i fell in love. and became a wife and a mother. the two things i am most proud of.



it's been a good decade.



but something tells me this next one, is poised to be great. grand, even. i still have so much to do. so much to figure out. and still, its all right in front of me.



so i celebrated.

girls' lunch with our baby boys. it was delicious and fun and different than any other birthday lunch we have done before: this time we had two babes in high chairs. nuts.

the parentals and sisters helped me celebrate with a little dinner at casa de awesome. daddy's tri tip, strawberry shortcake, mama's salad and garlic bread - all of my favorites. and of course, mama decorated. she always gets daffodils for my birthday...i love that.

special, like REALLY special wine and party hats for all. and i get really excited for gifts like gravy boats. how did she know i needed one?

sister cousin lunch at my favorite: taqueria. mmmmmmmmmm.

a dinner party at the in-laws! pops' porterhouse steaks, more special wine and CUPCAKES galore! it was such a fun night... especially loved my birthday balloon :)

my actual birthday was pretty dreamy. me and finn. i read each one of the thirty things my parents love about me. i think i was supposed to read one every once in awhile. but i couldn't resist. who could!?

finn made me a cake. the frosting was delicious, the cake....not so much.

it was a pretty cake, but i think he over cooked it. it tasted like well-done cornbread. oh well, its the thought that counts.

it rained on my birthday! how did i get so lucky? we spent a lot of time watching it.

around twelve, there was a knock on the door. i found a little lady and this beautiful bouquet, sent from my mister.

finn and i hit up target. i don't need to explain how fun that is for me.

ryan got home early and gave me this little gem. it says "amour". swooooooon.

and then......DATE NIGHT! tante rachel came to sit and ryan took me out on our first date since finn was born. it was thrilling. and slow. i love slow dining. and the lemon drop tasted as good as it looks.

we went to scott's on the river. and we savored every minute. we enjoyed calamari, salad, soup, fish, cioppino, a glass of rombauer chard (!), and dessert.... it was like heaven.

ryan told me to blow out my candle and make a wish...

but what he didn't realize is that i already have everything i have ever wanted.

surprise!

christy turned 30! and her sweet husband threw her an epic surprise birthday party at lucca. it was like a party for the mister and i too...as it was our first night out on the town since finn was born - thanks charles! the company was fabulous, the food was DELICIOUS and we loved every second celebrating this dear chica...such a friend she is.

do you spy a baby bump??!! in addition to sara's little bun...there were two other expectant mothers and three that all had babies in the last six months - crazy. my life is presently one big baby boom. i adooooooore it.

we ended the night trying to get a nice picture of trela...but that dela just couldn't muster a straight face. that's ok...i think these are perfect just the way they are. prom poses and all.

someone had a birthday...

1. mama decorated. cute.

2. finn gives tante her birthday kiss. double cute.

3. mama made chocolate cake. yummo.

4. emily got a present. 'cause its her birthday!

5. finn thinks papa and grandpa great are pretty funny. i do too.

6. we enjoyed chicken enchiladas and mexican coke. boy oh boy.

7. emily gets another present. lucky.

8. emily makes a birthday wish. i hope it comes true.

happy, happy birthday em!

dad's day. and a birthday!

all the girls gathered at casa de awesome to celebrate our dear dad. what a guy. and papa got a new fancy hat for the occasion!

in typical casa de awesome fashion, we had a cook out - burgers were dad's request and burgers he got! so did we.

coke. mexican coke. how i miss you. there truly is no other. sister did let me steal a couple of sips, however.

it may have been dad's day but we kind of partied like it was our day too.

THIS KIDDIE POOL ROCKED MY WORLD. and yes, i am aware that i look like a pale skin vampire with my tan-less skin, especially when seated next to my blond, malibu barbie-esque sisters. i am working on it.

we sat in here for hours, laughing, wondering when the last time we were all in a kiddie pool together and relaxing...all while uttering, "this is heeeeaven" about every five minutes.

after play and supper, we hit up the garden to marvel at the soon-to-come bounty and dad's drip system...pretty cool!

we took a family shadow picture and walked around the vineyard...well the rest of the family walked...i rode on the four-wheeler. don't judge me until you have seen my ankles.

i hope daddy had as much fun as i did. because he really deserves it. he should write a handbook on being a dad. he really is a man who is careful with his words, but what he does say either cracks me up or is pretty powerful. so many life lessons i have learned from him and my favorite are probably, "never burn a bridge" and "if you are gonna do a job, do it right". both are so, so true.

i also lucked out in the father-in-law department. he not only raised the man i love, but he is pretty fun to be around too. he is always up to date on current events, makes a mean drink and will keep you laughing...i love that about him.

and my own mister - a dad-to-be. our baby has no idea all the fun that he or she is in store for. he is everything a great dad should be and i can't wait to see him in action...i am certain i will fall in love all over again.

****

sunday was also a day to celebrate my dear mama's birthday who turned another year older on monday. sadly, i missed out on her wild party saturday night at gma's, but we opened presents and tried to spoil her a bit on sunday.

*an oldie but a goodie. mom and me, circa 2007

she really is the most remarkable woman i know. each year, i realize it more. and just when i think she is as cool as it gets, each year she just seems to get cooler, surprising me with her quick wit, dashing good looks and her unending kindness for others. she just has it all and i am so happy to call her mine. happy birthday mama!


*note: when i first published this post, apparently i referred to my mama as being "dead" instead of "dear"-which was my true intent. such an awful typo. and such a dunce i feel like. rest assured, mama abernethy is well and very much alive-thank goodness :) thanks for delicately pointing out my mistake, brandy!!

birthday girl

marsha, a.k.a. mama marsha or mimi had a birthday last week!

and to celebrate we headed to the lovely entoria to dine outdoors and party it up kelly style...lucky us!

that cheeseburger was mine and it did not disappoint. i am not sure if i uttered a word the entire time it was in front of me - which wasn't long.

ryan picked out the cupcakes with his mama in mind - she likes chocolate. so do i.

aside from the company, the best part of the meal, in my humble opinion, was the salted caramel gelato and the coffee...note to self: temple coffee is divine. thick, rich...i couldn't get enough.

mimi, we hope your birthday was fabulous...here is to you and a year full of surprises and adventure!

xoxo

birthday boy

my dear father in law, or daddy david as we prefer to call him, had a birthday on sunday, so we had a little celebration at casa de kelly on monday night. i wish i could say that i delicately slaved over that beautiful wedge salad that you see, but alas, i did not. instead, mama marsha, who will soon be known as mimi, brought all the fixin's for davids favorite. so sweet. and soooooo delicious. it was the perfect compliment to the pizza that ryan and i worked so hard to order and pick up.


for dessert, we had david's favorite: cheesecake (which i whipped up courtesy of my mama's beloved recipe - i still can't believe she shared that treasure with me) coffee and a rousing game of jeporady. daddy david is good. real good.


happy birthday, dear daddy david. you are quite a guy, always telling a good joke, are our biggest fan, and is someone who would do just about anything for us. we are so lucky to have you!

girls night

last week, we celebrated me (or is it mine?) and tracey's birthdays with a fancy dinner soiree, thanks to christy and sara. and fancy it was. they went all out. the menu included an incredible mushroom pasta dish (recipe courtesy of the cheesecake factory) salad, warm rolls and chicken. i can't speak for the rest of the girls, but it was bliss for me.


after our gourmet supper, we admired baby T's adorable nursery and itty bitty clothes, and then we hung out in the living room, talking about babies in utero (there were two there), vegas, jobs, and our dreamy men folk.


then we ate cake. strawberry cake. do i have to remind you how much i love berries right now?


i love these girls. and i am pretty smitten with our birthday celebrations. for years, we would visit chic, new downtown eateries and now we opt to eat in at each other's houses. it is so cozy and so....grown up. i dig it.

three is glee

this little boy turned three and his mom and dad arranged a celebration with his friends at a bouce house wonderland!

he certainly knew that it was his birthday and that everyone was there to party because it was his day. so cute.

the cupcakes were made by his mama...and they were good. real good.

one of my favorite parts was watching ever play with all his little friends and hearing their little voices call out each other's names.

erika's brand new, adorable niece was there for us all to gaze at. i even got to hold her. i couldn't believe how tiny and sweet she was.

and these two silly billies doing their, "let's pretend we are a family" picture.

i just can't believe ever is three! it seems like just last tuesday that he looked like this. i remember waiting and waiting for him to come and then getting the text message that he had arrived. it took my breath away. and now he is here, speaking in sentences, understanding that there is a baby in my tummy, and using the big boy potty. he is one of the most fun people i know. and i hope this year is especially magical for him...

happy birthday, sweet boy.

birthday girl (a.k.a. me)

simply put, i adore my birthday. perhaps i am a narcissist. oh well. all i know is that i have never dreaded the arrival of another year. or a chance to celebrate.

so when the daffodils begin to pop up in random patches of grass...i begin planning. and my loyal loved ones play along...

the first celebration began on the eve of my birthday, at casa de awesome, and despite a forecast of rain...sunny skies were here.

we walked with pups (and stared in shock at my growing tummy)

we watched as our mama prepared my favorite treats, including green beans and pear cake...

we visited antique stores where i bought that irresistable little school bus for the nursery, a cute pink basket in case baby berry is a girl berry and mom treated me to a hamper that will soon hide dirty little onesies.


i admired the decorations, carefully placed in my honor (and drooled over the cooling pear cake).

and then we feasted. dad's famous tri tip (apparently, i am now a full-fledged carnivore-weird) mom's salad, green beans and smashed dill potatoes. mmmmm....

and then i made a wish (one that i didn't have to think about for long) and blew out my candle with gusto, so grateful for my first family. it has been such a happy year, and the next is poised to be even better...



*******


on my morning of my birthday, i woke up with my ryan, to an entire day of no plans. it was refreshing. days like this feel like fairy tales to me.



after i opened a darling card that brought a tear to my eye and smelled the bouquet of hydrangeas and tulips that ryan had carefully picked out, it was eating time and my man said he would take me anywhere i wanted to go. i chose tower cafe. it is the best breakfast in this city, i am convinced.


i remember when i used to work in a cafe, i would admire couples who would leisurely eat breakfast, and flip through newspapers in between sips of coffee. they would sometimes lift their head to alert the other to a news story or compliment the eggs, but would quickly return to their paper, content in silence.


my favorites were the ones who played footsie under the table.


ryan and i did just that. it was pretty romantic.


and then the food came. and it instantly garnered our attention.


i couldn't decide between the huevos or the cornmeal blueberry pancake, so i got both! ha!


sadly, i am picture-less, but the rest of the day was filled with a nap, a movie, a surprise trip to the baby store, a long drive and dinner at a pizza parlour...the entire day it poured and it seemed perfectly lazy. it was just how i had hoped to spend my birthday and my favorite part was when ryan, in the sweetest voice i know, toasted me for just being born. swoon i did.

*******

as if i wasn't lucky enough, last night, my besties and i got all dressed up and headed north bound to the place where, in my mind, celebratory dinners are enjoyed. rutherford grill.

a photo shoot helped pass the time as we waited for our table. i am pretty sure that no one has more stylish or fun besties than i.


it is without a doubt, that this year my birthday has really revolved around food. my one remaining vice, and enjoy all the food i did. i really didn't hold back when it came to ordering off the menu. the artichoke was my favorite, but the ribs never disappoint. but the company surpassed any bite that entered my mouth. never dull, always funny they are. sometimes i don't know why they picked me, but i always feel like the lucky one.


i had to save room for dessert. the oreo sandwich is so memorable and the baby inside me really likes sweets. how could i say no? after a thoughtful toast from my companions, i blew out yet another candle.


and i still have two celebrations to go! one with the kelly's of casa de kool on friday and another with my sac town besties next week...


it is all about drawing out the birthday as long as possible, friends, and i am soaking up every moment.