Happy Birthday to me!

Well we've had some great birthday fun over the last two weeks (Yes, my birthday lasts for two weeks). So much so, that now is the first I am getting around to blogging about it! Weekend before last we went to Maggianos to celebrate birthday's for John (my BIL, yes his name is John too.) and me. It was so super tastey! Magnus enjoyed himself

and Mina and Max were happy to be eating!

Grandma and Lexi were there (of course)

 and Auntie Lyssa and Uncle John

We got John some of my Johns favorite scotch!

and I scored!

Time for some baby loves!

Looks like Mina stole my camera again!

Cute pic I couldn't resist

They brought out some decadent Tirimisu cake and NO they did not sing thank you very much, we are much too sophisticated for that!

For those of you who are unfortunate enough to have NOT eaten at Maggianos it is served "family" style. Which is just a nice way of saying they bring out a big plate of food and you get to fight over it! So they just brought out two (BIG!) Tirimisu cakes and set them in front of John and me. Max was not happy with this situation

not ONE bit! Of course it didn't help that we were telling him that the cake was just for us and not him:) But he perked up when we gave him some!

then he went around the table licking everyones plate when they weren't looking!

I think he liked it!

All that eating must have really tuckered him out. This is as far in the door as he got!
Thank you everybody for my wonderful Birthdayness!!

P-DUB!

When I found out that Pioneer Woman was not only coming to Seattle to sign her cookbook (of which I own) but that she was coming to the VERY close Third Place Books to do it, I HAD to go! My very loving, wonderful, adorable husband agreed to take me, and my equally wonderful mother in law took the kids so they wouldn't be climbing the walls:) We actually went down eairler in the day (with the kids) to get a "ticket" to stand in line:) Then we dropped off the kids and headed back. We stopped by the Lake Foreset Park bar & grill for happy hour and then proceeded to the bookstore to start waiting:)......and wait we did. Here is the scene from the "commons" area @ the bookstore!

My sweet boys waited with me:)

I was in group F. Yeah, it started with A and their were about 50 people in each group! We got there around 6 and FINALLY at about 7:45 my letter was called! Yea! I got to go wait in another line!!
 Magnus was ready!

 At least this line was IN with the books:) Here is what John did to pass the time

 But after about 30 min winding through the bookstore there she was! In the flesh!

She is just as cute and perky as you would expect. Very friendly and sweet, and I loved her Pat Benetar eyeliner. I think that is one of my favorite things about her because I too have a love of black eyeliner that I can't seem to shake:) I had PLENTY of time to think about what I was going to say, so when It was my turn I didn't STOP talking! Not even to take a picture! I just went on and on trying to be whitty and sophisticated and THIS is my best photo!

Yes, I'm serious. I think she was extra nice to me because you can see that my baby is possesed and I clearly rode the short yellow bus to the venue!
Magnus managed to get a good shot:)

She thought he was cute and that his name sounded "so grown up". Interpretation: I can't believe you named your baby that!

and I'm STILL talking

and talking!

um, security, could someone please escort this Looneytoon back to the farm!

Crazy pictures aside,I would say it was totally worth it to meet the gal in the flesh and get her famous signature on my book!

and hey, we got HUGE slices of triple layer chocolate ganache cake from Honey  Bear Bakery to take home! I was going to take pictures because they were so pretty but by the time the lid was off I lost all train of rational thought and before I knew it the cake was obliterated and no pictures were taken. You'll just have to take my word for it:)

Tiptoeing through the Tulips!

OK, so I first have to post a couple of cute pics I took on Wed while having coffee with my friend Tanisha at Village Bean...

They really enjoyed their pink milk:)

Cute Preston!

Now that I got that out of my system, onto today. We took a drive up north to find some tulips. We first found a street fair in downtown Mount Vernon and drove around a bit looking for parking to which Mina said " Guys, I'm not seeing any tulips!" Great observation, Bee. She didn't seem to mind when she got to have her face painted:)

Pretty Bee! And then they got some cotton candy,

which Max liked of course!  Daddy got some yummy iced tea

and Mina got to admire herself in the mirror

Max got to have a second round of cotton candy

and Magnus hung out in the moby:)

Then we found our way to the tulip feilds:) It was 2nd lunch time for Magnus

Gotta love the Moby and hooter hider! Talk about eating on the go:)  

John didn't see what all the fuss was about.

Super cute kids! (not bad photos considering I was feeding a baby at the time:)

John had a little mishap in the mud :)

Magnus took a little break between rounds for some photos

 I LOVE MY FAMILY!!!!!!

 yeah, try to ignore the pained look on Mina's face. She was complaining about the sun being in her eyes.

Mina took this pic! She's getting pretty good!

and she can get some great expressions out of us:)

But watch out, because as soon as your not looking, it turns into this!

after another mud mishap John just gave up on the shoes!:)

and Mina enjoyed taking pictures of the alpacas (or Llamas whichever they were:)

We headed back so John could wash his feet and we could snap a few more photos

and stop to smell the flowers:)

or, you know, do this

My favorite tulips were these

Thank you God for such a beautiful world and such a beautiful family to share it with!