My family birthday celebration

My family goes all out for birthdays. Mom fixes our favorite dinner, the family all gets together, and it's quite a good time!
Yesterday was no exception!

We all met at my parents' house for lunch yesterday.
Even after being gone all week to Phoenix/San Diego, and just returning Saturday night, Mom still put out quite the spread!
Gotta love my mom!

So, like I said...we all met at Mom's.
Max, my sister's son who is 10 months old now and walking, just gets cuter everytime I see him!




"Aunt" Laura was there, too. She'd picked up Mom at the Little Rock airport Saturday for me, and come to stay the rest of the weekend.


And "Baby" Mary, who is 4 1/2 now,(my brother's daughter) was just the sweetest thing all day.
I had so much fun with her! She actually played with me and sat with me and didn't cling to her parents this time! And she played with everyone else, too!



Yes..we got to be silly together...fun auntie/niece stuff!





And I got some Max time in, too!


After a wonderful lunch of tacos, cheese dip, and all the mexican fixins,

....it was present time!
Shelli, who couldn't be there because Phoenix is just a bit too far to commute from, sent me a pretty Sisters plaque.


Jeanette, (my sister-mother of Max and Dalton-who is 14 and hides from pictures) brought me TULIPS!! the kind you plant! and some hyacinths, too!!


All different colors!
I sure hope my black thumb doesn't kill them!
I haven't decided if I'm gonna plant them at Greg's, or get a planter box for them.

Next came Mom's gift (besides the lunch!)
A Hard Rock Cafe/San Diego shirt!

I was so tickled to get it! I have one from La Jolla, that I got about 18 years ago when we moved to CA and traveled the state, but didn't have one from SD! :)

Mary was excited for me to open the next gift!
Her package was full of goodies.
A daisy necklace and earring set her mother made for me,
a mug for my cocoa,


and a special vase that SHE had made for me!


(don'tcha know everyone just loves to watch you open presents? LOL)



Then it was time for my gift from my boys. Matthew had wanted me to save it for last. They'd picked it out themselves.
The card was too cute...


and so were the gifts! (I love the way kids think)
Knowing how much their mom loves chocolate, they gave me....

A Hershey's pillow and....


a Hershey's candle (which Trey lit last night and oh yes! it DOES smell like chocolate syrup in my house now! lol)

After all the present excitement died down, the kids played...




and it was time for cake!
(only one candle so we wouldn't burn the house down!)


MMMMmmm...black forest cake!
I, of course, had to get a middle piece!


Yes...it was a very good birthday!
Mary played with me.


Max played with me...and even started giving me sugars!! Big wet, slobbery, baby sugars!! But I loved every one of them!


Even with all the wonderful food and gifts..I think those two things right there...getting to actually play aunt with my niece and nephew and not have them running to their moms, was the best part of the day.

On my actual birthday, tomorrow, it'll just be me and Trey, and we are taking Maggie to be spayed, so I'm glad we got to celebrate yesterday with the whole family!

Happy Birthday to me!