Man in Plays becomes a man indeed

This past weekend, Man in Plays turned 18. It's quite the milestone in several ways. There is the obvious one of him reaching his majority, being half-way through his final year in high school, and working hard at deciding what he wants to do with his life after graduation and which college will help him get there the best way possible.

Then there is also the fact that our youngest is now 18. It's a new stage in life. While we've always been a bit of empty-nesters, because the kids have spent the majority of their time at their mom's, soon we'll be empty-nesters in the complete sense of the word. No more kids' weekends; no more high school plays and events to attend. The ability to plan a trip or activity without working around someone else's schedule (or lack of communication). It will be fun and sad all at the same time.

Life moves so fast, it's a little scary at times.

Happy Birthday, Mom M!

Tomorrow is Mom M.'s birthday. We know that she enjoys good food and good theater, so we took her to dinner and to see No Time for Sargents at Hale Center Theatre. It's a really good production, so I recommend getting tickets and seeing it. We saw the Mon/Wed/Fri cast, but I'm sure both casts are really good.

For dinner, we let her choose. She was in the mood for chicken, so we headed to Cracker Barrel. (There's one really close to the theater.) At Cracker Barrel, it's all about comfort. Mr. Perfect and I shared an entree (they give you really big portions), and we had cookies at intermission.

The play is very funny, and there were a couple of places where the cast had a hard time keeping it together and not busting a gut laughing. We were a very  responsive audience, which helps a cast do even better than with no audience or a dead audience (zombies make the worst audiences).

Happy Birthday, to a lovely, wonderful lady!

It's birthday time for Mr. Perfect

Mr. Perfect's birthday has come and gone again for another year. We celebrated for three days (Friday through Sunday), and he got to eat a lot of really good food, open really fun presents, see a really good movie, and be serenaded by the Cottonwood High School Madrigals (nice job, guys!) at the Ward Christmas Party.

On Friday, Game Boy had a date (oh. my. goodness!), so we decided to have our own date night and try out a new restaurant. We went to BRIO Tuscan Grill, and now we have a new favorite Italian restaurant. Our server was amazing; she had the best ideas of what we should eat. We had prosciutto bruschetta, lobster bisque, and a grilled trout that melted in your mouth. May I just say that my tummy was very happy but rather uncomfortably full.

On Saturday (the actual birthday), Mr. Perfect picked homemade waffles for breakfast and got to open his first present, which turned out to be new backpack sleeping mats. They go inside your sleeping bags and are incredibly more comfortable than the old ones we've been using.

He had to go into the office for a few hours (boo! it was Saturday AND his birthday after all), so Game Boy and Most Happy Girl did a little more birthday and Christmas shopping. When everyone was home, Mr. Perfect opened this stunning sweater:

and we headed off to see Life of Pi (highly recommended movie). Next, it was the Ward Christmas Party for dinner and entertainment by the aforementioned Cottonwood High School Madrigals. Most Happy Girl had to stay and help clean up, but Mr. Perfect and Game Boy were ready to leave, so they walked home. It snowed most of the day, so I was very happy to find them snug and safe inside the house when I got there.

Sunday, we made beef stroganoff (with grilled steak) for dinner and homemade sea-salt ice cream (Game Boy has been wanted to make this for a long time) for dessert. Mr. Perfect also opened the last of his presents. Well, really he just got them out of the trunk of the car. New 0° F backpacking sleeping bags (if we can figure out how to make them small enough to go in the sleeping bag area of the backpacks).

I think Mr. Perfect enjoyed himself very much.

Drama Queen's birthday dinner

Drama Queen was home for Thanksgivings, and even though we didn't get a chance to see her on the actual holiday, her birthday was the day after, so we took her and PaintBall Boy to dinner to celebrate.

Happy Birhtday!

Little Big Sis hits a milestone

I'm not entirely sure I'm allowed to mention which one. Suffice to say, she will always be older than me (hahaha).

Happy Birthday, Little Big Sis! Love you!

A little Japanese cake for you

This is in honor of Most Happy Girl's parent's birthdays (Dad P yesterday and Mom P today). Happy Birthday!

Painter Extraordinaire hits the big 5-0!

Painter Extraordinaire has hit one of those Milestones of Milestones. He has reached the ripe old age of 50. Happy birthday, to you!

To celebrate, we went out to dinner with him, Li'l Big Sis, Genius Child #1, Georgia's Sweetest Peach, and Mom & Dad P. Rex's Toadhouse...uh...I mean Texas Roadhouse was the location. Good food. Good company. And a lot of missing peanuts.

Shhhhh, I'll never tell.

Aren't they just so cute?

Yes, I'm taking your picture.

Smile!

Another new birthday tradition for Mr. Perfect

So, a couple of weeks ago, on Mr. Perfect's birthday, we went to The Forgotten Carols. This year, he also asked if we could catch Voice Male's Christmas concert. Well, I love their music almost as much as Mr. Perfect does, so of course I said "YES!" and we bought the tickets right then.

Oh, yeah. This will definitely be a new Christmas tradition for us, whether or not it's part of Mr. Perfect's birthday or just something we do this time each year.

I love spoiling my man. He so deserves it.

Mr. Perfect's new birthday tradition

We've started a new tradition for Mr. Perfect's birthday. Last year, I bought him tickets to The Forgotten Carols. It was the first time either of us had seen it. We loved it. It made us laugh. It made us cry. It is seriously better than Cats, and we will be seeing it again and again.

Now, anyone who knows me, knows that combining Mr. Perfect's birthday with Christmas is a HUGE no-no. Don't even think about giving him a birthday gift and telling him "Oh, that's for Christmas as well". That's a sure way to be shunned for a good year or two. But The Forgotten Carols is something he loves and wants. So, we went again this year. And it was really nice, because it was the 20th anniversary for the show. So, we broke down and bought the new CD. We have the original one from 1995 or 1996, but this has a couple new songs and different singers. Some I will always love more from the original, but others I like better on the new one.

The only thing that made us sad was that we went on a night that the Cottonwood High School choir didn't sing, so we didn't get to see All Strings Attached. And she's a senior this year, so she won't be in it next year. *sigh

Anyway, back to birthday stuff. We went on Mr. Perfect's actual birthday this year. I don't know that we'll always be able to do that, but it will be nice to try. Any year it falls on a Sunday is out (they don't perform on Sunday), but other than that, I think we could do it.

And the fun isn't over yet. Tonight, we'll be heading to Most Happy Girl's parental home for dinner, with Drama Queen and Game Boy along for the fun.

All the Days of Game Boy's 15th Birthday

Game Boy celebrated his 15th birthday this month, and boy did he celebrate. A couple of days before, he went to dinner and a hockey game with his mom and sisters. Then on his birthday, he was with us, which was a nice change for Mr. Perfect. Because the kids are with their mom the majority of the time, their birthdays rarely fall on a day that is with their dad. Game Boy picked out the dinner (pizza, Dr. Pepper, and Barqs Root Beer [specifically Barqs]) and we watched many, many episodes of The Big Bang Theory. (It's a fun show, but like so much of what's on T.V. right now, has way too much sex in it. *sigh*)

Then he had a party with his mom's family the day after and dinner at Most Happy Girl's parents the following Sunday. Not a bad way to stretch out the time when everyone is focused on you.

Happy Birthday, Mr. Perfect!

Everyone sing along! [cue music]

This month is such a special one,

It's birthday time for you.

We'd really like to celebrate this happy day with you!

Okay, so we are going to celebrate with him. Last night it was dinner with Game Boy, including in-bone ham, funeral potatoes, and homemade carrot cake (complete with homemade cream cheese frosting). Tonight, it's Game Boy's band concert and then on to The Forgotten Carols. We are very excited about both. Most Happy Girl is happy to be a cougar no longer. Now, they are the same age (at least for the next 6-1/2 months). However, no matter how many birthday's Mr. Perfect has, she will always be older. *sigh*

Beatles Lover's 17th birthday

Beatles Lover turned 17th in November, and we celebrated by going out to dinner (she chose Chili's). After dinner, we had banana bread at home.

She's not big on cake, but she loves the breads.

She loves hates, so we gave her one she can wear to school (because it's "official" school attire).

And we couldn't resist this picture of Game Boy. He's into hats, too. Or at least this one.

Happy Birthday to me

So, Saturday was my birthday. It wasn't a big one (that comes in another six years), but Mr. Prefect loved it because it's a double-digit: 44. He loves double numbers.

Game Boy and Beatles Lover were with us the whole weekend again (very nice!). This weekend was also Taylorsville Dayz. The city celebrates with a three-day carnival/fair, fairway rides, free concerts, and fireworks. The big acts this year were an Elvis impersonator and Imagine (a Beatles tribute band). The fireworks happen Friday and Saturday nights after the concerts, and they are amazing. I wonder if maybe the city spends a good 1/4 of the year's budget on those fireworks.

Saturday evening, a very dear friend got married. It was a beautiful ceremony in her parents' backyard with dinner after. We were still able to get home in time to change, grab the kids, and dash to the park for the Beatles tribute and fireworks. We have tried to convince Beatles Lover that she could easily learn to drive my car (2009 Nissan Sentra 6-speed) so that they wouldn't have to wait around for us to go places, but I remember how intimidating the idea of a stick-shift was when I was 16 and a newish driver. But the kids still had time to meet up with friends, get some dinner (pizza at the park, what could be better?), ride some rides, and enjoy themselves immensely.

Mr. Perfect and the kids gave me Wii Fit for my birthday. Now, I know what you're thinking: "Oh no! A man should never give his wife a gift that has to do with exercise or fitness because it's a sign that he thinks she's fat." Not so. This is something I've been wanting for quite some time, so when I opened it, I was so excited. I haven't had time to try it out yet, but I did put the board together before leaving for church Sunday morning.

Sunday evening, we celebrated again with a delicious cheesecake with fresh raspberries and real (yes REAL) whipped cream. I am so loved!

Game Boy's 14th Birthday

Game Boy turned 14 last week. Because we were so close to the opening of The Odd Couple, we had to wait until this week to celebrate with Most Happy Girl's parents. However, based on viewing The Odd Couple, Game Boy chose BLT sandwiches for dinner. They were very good. At least he didn't want them on pumpernickle (though I make the sandwich for the show on dark rye -- but don't tell anyone). This was the only picture the kids would let me take of them.



But here are some of the mountains as you see them from my parents' front door. I love this view.

Random artwork for friends

All right, so like Shnq Girl's birthday was, like, a couple of weeks ago. And, like, Beatles Lover like made her this like really super cool poster for like her wall. So, here are some like really cool pictures.

Yeah, she did this free-hand from looking at a sign on the internet. How cool is that?

Mr. Perfect's Random Five Days of Birthday

So, Mr. Perfect's birthday was yesterday, but was he contented to keep the celebrating down to just one day? Not in this lifetime.

• Saturday, he and Most Happy Girl had their weekly date night at one of his favorite restaurants (Market Street Grill).
• Sunday was the Merrill Family Home Evening and December Birthdays party. We were in charge and even got to pick out his present.
• Monday was just the anticipation and finalizing all the plans for Tuesday.
• On The Big Day, there was the annual lunch with Bishop Man (Mr. Perfect's older bro) and dinner with Most Happy Girl's parents. For your birthday, Mom P fixes a dinner of your choosing. Mr. Perfect chose in-bone ham and funeral potatoes (a Utah specialty dish that got it's name from being served at most LDS funeral luncheons, plus there's the added bonus that there's so much cheese and sour cream in them that they might just precipitate your funeral). Another added bonus was having Beatles Lover and Game Boy with us for the whole day. We were able to stay at the parents' late and watch A Christmas Story.
• Wednesday brought the present from Most Happy Girl's parents. It was ordered from Amazon.com one day late of arriving for his actual birthday, but that way it helps to keep the love and happiness flowing for another day.

So much love, so little time.

Beatles Lover's 16th Birthday!!

Beatles Lover has reached the perfect age of 16!!! On the morning of the special day, Shnq Girl, ShutterBug, and several other friends kidnapped the birthday girl for breakfast at IHOP. She spent the afternoon and evening with her mom's side of the family.

The next evening, we had a fun birthday dinner with Most Happy Girl's parents. See photos below.

The eye has it.


Killers CD/DVD from Game Boy


Bedard book from Mr. Perfect and Most Happy Girl