Celebrating Suzanne's Birthday with Scary Larry

Suzanne turned, err, 26. Yeah, that's it!

Indian Style
We celebrated Suzanne's birthday with a weekend full of festivities. Thanks to Paul and Susie (Suzanne's parents) we went out with friends for dinner Saturday night while the kids stayed home. It was a late night affair at our favorite restaurant, Taj Mahal -- Indian food combined with one of the best selections of beer in Boise. We got a little wild, so it was a good idea that we were seated in a private room. Here are some photos.

Scary Larry
The following day, nursing some minor hangovers, we started the day with gift and Suz getting in some gardening. Out of nowhere, our neighborhood's infamous ice cream man, Scary Larry came by. Long story short, for the last two years we heard his truck in our old neighborhood, but we somehow missed him. It was maddening -- I tried hunting him down online and in the phone book, to no avail. However, Scary Larry turned out to be a great guy as we chatted with him. He'll be by every weekend and I'm not sure I'll make it another week without another Choco Taco.

BBQ
Later in the day we had the family over for a BBQ. Grilled salmon and asparagus with salad and fruit. We were keeping things Kosher for Passover. I recommend matzoh with humus for an appetizer. The weather was great for appetizers, but got a little windy for dinner, so we went inside. I'll link to photos as soon as I get those uploaded.

Rebecca's 4th Birthday

As you might know, Rebecca's birthday is on 3/17. Yep, St. Patrick's day. While I'm sure she'll find plenty of creative ways to spend her birthday, like, in college, we're still planning the kid-oriented parties. Last year's theme was Tinkerbell, this year it's My Little Pony.

She did the birthday thing in class, but left the real party for afterwards. Rebecca invited all of her classmates, and a few other friends, to Elm Grove park for an after-school lunch party. Everyone showed up and the parents stayed around chatting, snacking, etc. Then the pinata game was started. That thing worked like a champ and stood up to everyone's pummeling at least once (15 kids).

Of course, our planning was a little off. The pinata goodies were tiny My Little Pony rubber thingies and Tootsie Pops. After the scramble for goodies, we found that the kids could have cared less about the ponies. So, after everyone consumed their Tootsie Pops, it was time to boost our sugar intake with cupcakes. Plenty of energy left for everyone to hit the playground equipment for 15 minutes before going home.

Check out our photos.