David's 32nd Birthday

I am feeling old today. I am not sure why, other than my kids often make me feel old. Just the fact that Rhian is in the third grade and can read words like appearance, realm, and simile (she was reading King Arthur last night) makes me feel old. And she is learning Latin. Latin!

Or maybe it is the fact that the weekend is here, and instead of it being a time of relaxation, I have about 30 million things to accomplish before Monday morning...

But I think it has more to do with the fact that the other day I realized that on my next birthday, I will be only 3 years away from 30. I realize that 27 is not old--in any way, shape or form. But I am now on the upside of my 20s (or the downside, however you want to look at it), and it is really freaking me out! Not to mention, the other day, I pulled my first gray hair (Mom--absolutely no laughing! It is a fluke! A fluke!)

One thing that brings me comfort--David will always be older than me! He turned 32 on Sept 3rd. These are the pictures from his "birthday party" (it was really just a dinner with his family).

(Note: I converted these pictures to black and white because every picture that I take in my house turns out very orange and unsightly...thus, I either have to spend hour upon hour tinkering with color balance in photoshop, or simply convert them to B&W. Plus, I really like the way candles look in B&W...)

Rhian delivering his cake...


Jacklyn inspecting the cake to decide where to first stick her finger...

And you know what? He may be old, and a little heavier, and a little more wrinkled, but that smile...oh, that smile, it gets me every time. I am still convinced that he is the most adorable man on earth. Note the cake in this photo. I let the girls decorate the cake themselves this year. And you could tell...Not to mention that they decorated the cake the day before, and the icing slid off the sides sometime during the night (no, the cake was not still warm!). Therefore, the really cute horse that I helped Rhian draw with icing had "run" off the side of the cake...oh well. The beautiful thing about cake is that no matter what the icing looks like, it still eats the same!
Mission accomplished! Jacklyn got Daddy's blessing to stick her finger in the icing. And lick, and lick, and lick she did. Thankfully, only family members were there and they don't mind a little baby saliva.

Seriously, how many Chambers can you fit on one couch? Left to right: Gary (David's dad-"Papa"), Dana (Gary Jon's girlfriend), Rhian, Gary Jon (David's brother), Elizabeth, and Kate (David's cousin).

Gary Jon loves our girls. And our girls love him. But he seriously needs an entire housefull of girls for himself, because then he will understand why you don't rough-house with a bunch of little girls in the middle of a birthday party...Obviously, Rhian is listening to me saying, "Girls, be nice to Uncle Gary Jon." Obviously, Elizabeth is not.

He really, really needs his own daughters. Although, if he had his own, he and Dana would not spoil them with the mass of really cool, well-thought-out gifts at Christmas and on birthdays. (Although--Gary Jon, if ever get Elizabeth another set of drums, I will be forced to kill you...or maybe she and the drum set can come to live with you!)

Papa and Jacklyn, I think she got her serious attitude and furrowed brows from him...

Apparently, he said something "Miss Liz" did not like...

I think in this picture his patience was running out...you started it, Gary...

Finally, I got Elizabeth to stop torturing Gary Jon, and she returned to being her usual sweet self. Kate is Elizabeth's hero. She is the ultimate cowgirl/accountant. She is really cool. Elizabeth loves her.

Ah, family...