Birthday Boys

Parker's birthday is coming up next weekend. This weekend we had all the family at our house in Sarasota for lunch to celebrate him and also Uncle Nam's birthday. 

Birthday Celebrations

Over the weekend we did a few things to help celebrate birthdays and kick off the holiday season. We drove through the Cedar Hollow neighborhood in Sarasota to look at Christmas lights! 

We cranked up the firepit on the back porch and enjoyed the warmth and the glow for our Florida "cold" spell. 

 

And we took Daryl to dinner at Pop's Sunset Grill for his birthday next to the water in Venice. 

Family Birthdays

 We celebrated all 4 September birthdays this weekend in Seffner!

 Grandmommy turns 73. 

 

Aunt Barbara turns 70. 

Uncle Kelly turns 66. 

And Micah's girlfriend Mikki had a birthday too! 

Thanksgiving Break - Part Five

Sarasota was the winter home of the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus and it is a circus town still today. It's home to the Circus Arts Conservatory which is a private circus AND a training school for the circus. And it is also home to Nik Wallenda of the famed Flying Wallendas. Nik is a 7th generation circus aerialist and each year for the last few years he has partnered with the Circus Arts Conservatory to put on a circus in a tent next to the University Town Center. On Friday afternoon, we went to the circus as a family. It was the first time for the boys. And it was wonderful! 

The circus was narrated by Santa and an elf - who took us on a worldwide tour of Christmas traditions from different countries and cultures.

Chinese New Year Celebration with Lion Dance

Celebrating Hanukkah

Celebrating Diwali

Supposed to be Jack Frost - all kinds of balancing work on the ground and in the sky.

Celebrating Three Kings Day (with camels!) - these were the only animals in the show

The Morales Brothers were from another circus and were super talented on the Wheel of Death

 

And the Flying Wallendas - Nik and his wife, son and daughter doing several different stunts

Their grand finale was a 3 person pyramid 

 

Afterwards we picked up Wesley's cookie cake from the mall and came home to celebrate him and Daryl again.

Thanksgiving Break - Part Three

We got these lovely flowers delivered this week from someone at Daryl's church in Venice. 

 

For the actual Thanksgiving day, we headed home to Seffner to spend it with family. Joyce made me some allergy friendly sides and I made a few others. Plus I brought a Thanksgiving punch (cranberry juice, apple juice, orange juice, sparkling water and Fireball whiskey!)

We celebrated Wesley turning 17 - actually on Thanksgiving day this year!

And celebrated Daryl turning 51 (on Friday). 

 

 

The five of us in our Turkey shirts. 

 

The cousins (plus Kayla's boyfriend Ab). 

 

The cousins with Grandmommy and the great-aunt and great-uncles. 

 

And the whole crew together! 

Family Time

We celebrated birthdays in Seffner yesterday. Aunt Dawn and also Uncle Nam (belated). 

Davis has grown enough in the last month that he outgrew his new school sneakers already and is now officially taller than Uncle Nam. 

Grandmommy wanted the kids to recreate this cousin picture from many years ago.... But they are all so big they don't really fit on this couch in the same way. 

So we tried a different vantage point. Much better. 

Our three blessings 

 

Family Birthdays

We traveled to Seffner on the first Saturday in July to celebrate family birthdays: mine from June, along with Davis and Uncle David from July. 

And Davis is getting so tall! He's passed Grandmommy, cousin Bethany and now Uncle Nam. 

Family Birthdays

We got together last weekend with the family in Seffner to celebrated Daniel's 45th birthday! 

 

Family Birthday in Seffner

On the way home from Fruitland Park we stopped in Seffner for family birthdays: me, Davis and Uncle David. Davis asked for this cool cake and then for stuffed shells for dinner. Grandmommy made those and some allergy friendly sides as well as allergy friendly shells for me. It was all yummy and a good celebration.