12/26/06 Julian's 3rd birthday

Julian turned 3 today! We had a great day. I think I had more fun today than on Christmas!

Due to impending rain, we started with his big present: a new bicycle!

He was characteristically reserved when he saw it, but caught on quickly riding it around.
With some "help" from Gabriel, that is!

















Then we did the birthday cupcakes, including an attempt at a train cupcake from this wonderful new train cake pan I got for Christmas.


I didn't prepare the pan properly, so the cake came apart somewhat, but that mistake was bludgeoned by my attempt at decorating it with buttercream frosting, and colored icing tubes.

Of course, it all tastes the same! Especially in the new Special Happy Birthday cup.



Then Julian opened all his other birthday presents. What a score!! He loved everything: the tool set from the Engels, the Ryan's Room clubhouse from Bonne Maman and Papa Paul, the fabulous Architectural wooden blocks from Aunt Laura and Uncle Ryan, the car carrier from Uncle Ronan, and the book from the Doudna grandparents.

Gabriel loved everything too, but was very well-behaved and helpful reading the tags. I told him how proud I was of him and made a huge deal of his excellent behavior. Which actually isn't unexpected; jealousy isn't a huge problem with him.

Later in the day, Dave went into the basement to try to detangle our phone lines (to install our new DSL line!), and Gabriel joined him. Dave got out once to check something, and I heard Gabriel calling "DAD! DAD!!" thinking that Dave had left him in there! He wasn't scared though.



Katrina spit up so much today that she went through 3 outfits! And I'm not one to change it for just a little spot; they were soaked.

(Gotta love this cross-eyed look: "is that my hand?!" She's been sucking on her hands lately.)





She also enjoyed being outdoors watching her brother riding his own bicycle for the first time, and she took this observation very seriously.

Dave goes back to work tomorrow, so we're back to a regular schedule. Except for one thing. Preschools are closed, so I have no childcare at all. All three of them, all day, three days in a row. Three for three. Yikes.

12/26/06