Quinn turns 11, and Happy Father's Day!

This year we combined  Father's Day breakfast and Quinn's birthday breakfast, which meant I was able to kill two breakfasts with one skillet!  The day was hectic and full of family.  Both Quinn and Rick requested crepes with bacon and sausage for their morning food.

For our Father's Day dinner, I set up a beautiful table in the dining room with our nicest goblets and curry bowls from Japan, since curry was on the menu.  Emily made a Happy Father's Day banner and put it up in the dining room as well.  However, when then father's arrived, they meek-ish-ly said that they would prefer to sit at the women's table because it was in the family room where the TV was and some sports championships happened to be on.  What else is new?  So the men got their wish, and the women sat in the dining room.  Emily and I waited on the men, filling their drinks and getting them seconds, basically catering to their every need. 

Then it was time for cake; cheesecake (two of them), Texas sheet cake, Jello/lookathecake cake and pumpkin bars.  I'm not kidding.   

I made strawberry and blueberry topping for the cheesecakes.  I also made two different kinds of cheesecake because I was worried that one wouldn't be enough and I didn't know how good they would be.  How obnoxious is that?! 

 Quinn had a wonderful time opening presents. 

 Quinn specifically asked for Sparkling Apple Cider for a present.  He ended up with four bottles.

Bama was able to make it.  The little girl cousins, and sometimes Winston, ran around screaming most of the time.  They were so loud even Bama could hear them.  (Please note the TV is on in the background the entire time.  Again, a Father's Day miracle.)

 A few of he Fathers and Violet relaxing, watching some kind of sport thingy.

 Danny and Kelly showed up.  Emily made ties for the dads to wear too.  Kelly has his on.

When it was all over, I felt like I had Post-Traumatic Father's Day Syndrome.  Unfortunately I couldn't recuperate because the following day was Quinn's actual birthday.  This year he didn't have a party but chose one friend to got to lunch and a movie with.  We ended up going to Johnny Rockets for lunch and then on to "Madagascar III" .

 Quinn marked his cider, don't you worry.

Quinn enjoying his cider.  He had to get a special glass for the drink.  It kind of looks like I have an 11 year old lush.   

After the birthday lunch but before the movie, Quinn and Cooper jumped on the trampoline with a water sprinkler underneath.  They had so much fun!  I felt a little, shall we say white trash-ish, but the boys didn't care and jumped and laughed until it was time to go to the movie.  Afterwards they said it was the best time ever.  Take that swimming pools.

A few days after Quinn's actual birthday, Rick took the boys to Jump Street.  A place with lots of trampolines.  I was at work so there is no pictures to present.  However, Rick did video Truman, my 16 year old, completing a double back flip on the trampoline.  Just as well.

April Fools = one 16 year old boy!

Truman turned 16 yesterday!  

 The day started out with a crepe breakfast with all the fixins.  Truman opened up some presents and even tried on a pair of shorts.  The best part of this picture is Emily's face.  "Yep, that's my brother."

Emily & Stephen spent the night to watch Conference with us and to celebrate Truman's birthday with the family later on.  After breakfast, Emily went out to her car to get something and found this.  Our front yard is rather large so 5 rolls of toilet paper doesn't quite get the job done.

 It was a fun for Truman.

 I mean, really.  How cute is Mr. Winston?!

 The Washburns came over too for dinner.

 I think we had 30 or so family members.  Most seemed to be under the age of 9!

 Truman and his cousin Chelsea.

 Seriously.

It was my nephew's birthday too.  Funny.  Two sisters having a son on April Fool's 18 years apart.  What are the odds?  The cake had the traditional Ariel on it along with RIP and question mark candles.  The fun thing about having a kid with a birthday on April 1st is I get to use all of my left-over Christmas napkins and paper products.  And, even though I didn't have a real candle, these candles worked perfectly for the day!  What luck.

A "non-party" birthday. Truman is 15!

Truman turned 15 on April 1st.  Conversations between him and I prior to the actual birthday consisted of me telling Truman that he's had about 14 other birthdays and how I'd like to skip this one with as little pomp and circumstance as possible.  It turned out he invited a few friends over for hamburgers and hot dogs.  After cake and ice cream, the kids watched "Inception" in the back yard on the back wall while eating root beer floats.  It actually turned out to be a very nice birthday.  I don' know how non-party like it was because it still seemed like a lot of work.  Funny how that happens.

The papers hanging from the chandelier is a birthday tradition where Rick draws crazy characters professing happy birthday wishes to the celebrated person.  We've got them all saved. 

Truman loves a Texas Sheet Cake every now and then.

"Inception" on the back wall.

Who needs a chair when you've got a trampoline?

A yummy treat.

Emily stopped by.

Tradition is a birthday breakfast of the celebrator's choice.  This is a posed picture, obviously, because Truman does not eat breakfast meat of any kind.  We also had crepes with fresh strawberries but they were put away before the picture was taken.

But wait, there's Sunday dinner for Truman and Papa too!  Papa had his 73rd birthday on the 5th.  Here are two of Rick's sisters and their kids.

I swear, our birthday celebrations N E V E R end!  We were lucky to get Truman's over with over a weekend!  We got off easy.

Steven is 24!

 

I don't know how my head got cut off in this picture, but it did.

Steven had a birthday at the beginning of the month.

Due to scheduling conflicts, we had his dinner last Sunday.

His pick was my day long spaghetti meal.

It was delicious.

For his birthday cake he requested

German Chocolate.

Steven blew out his candles

and we rejoiced by eating up the cake!

On another note,

I have candle wax all over my table cloth.

I had three candles which all drooled over the sides

down onto the table cloth.

Any suggestions on fixing that mess?

Also, please check out
http://www.awkwardfamilyphotos.com/
on my side bar.
Priceless.

Quinn is turning 9!!

This time of year is so busy with the end of school,

girl's camp,

EFY,

Quinn's birthday and California!

Since we're going to be driving on Quinn's brithday to our vaction spot,

we gave Quinn a swim birthday party a week early.

Emily came with Steven.

(Not pictured)

Lots of fun friends came!

We ate snow cones, pizza and cake and ice cream.

Quinn even got an I-pod for his birthday.

(It's a hand-me-down from Truman since he's got a newer one.)

Quinn said, "Thanks for the I-pod, even though it's not the one I wanted."

True greatefulness.

Quinn asked for a Lego cake and well.....this cake could be on

http://www.cakewrecks.com/

no doubt.

Even so, the boys still thought it was cool.

There was also a pinata involved.

Quinn had requested a Lego one.

Somehow the communication failed and Rick made a monster with a butt.

This is Rick's mom, Janet, a.k.a. Mimi.

She got some of the pinata loot too.

Don't worry, my mom, Patty, a.k.a. Bama,

got down in the grass to get her pinata loot too.

I guess you're never too old.

Emily's 21, Malloy's 6 or 7 and Roxcy is 3. All cousins.

On May 2nd we celebrated

 Emily Zoe's 21st birthday.

April 30th was Roxcy's 3rd

and May 5th will be Malloy's.

This is how birthdays go in the Tipton household.

There's a lot of people in this family.

Earlier in the week I texted Emily to see what kind of cake she wanted.

Her reply was, "Don't be silly."

I did.

I made Ambrosia cake.

It's so refreshing for the warm weather.

Roxcy had a puppy party the day before.

The theme carried over to our Sunday dinner.

Yep.  The girl still likes Steven.

Do you really think Delilah used the fork to eat her cake?

Malloy

My kids are big.

Violet, the youngest cousin enjoyed the dinner too.

While Emily and Bama (all 4' 6 " of her) share a hug.

Roxcy's philosophy:  You can never have enough lip gloss.

Never!

Emily and a birthday necklace.

It's so cute.