Scenes from a Birthday

June was a busy month for birthdays.  On the first weekend of the month, we had four (4!) birthday parties to attend, not to mention swim class and Spanish lessons.  Gone are the days of simple backyard birthdays.  Today's kids expect something more elaborate.  The festivities in June included a tour of the Falls Church Volunteer Fire Station, a "snake party" at the Glen Echo Park Living Classrooms, an indoor moon bounce party, an outdoor moon bounce party (with a pirate theme), pony rides, and Vivian's personal favorite: a princess dress-up party.  The princess party was for Sara Powell, daughter of our friends Brad and Tonia Powell.  Vivian absolutely LOVED this party and has been talking about it ever since.  She's already made very clear that this is where she wants her next birthday party.  Below are some pictures from the afternoon:

 

 

And it wasn't just kids' birthdays that we celebrated.  Paw Paw had a birthday in early June, and Mimi Pauline drove down from Michigan to celebrate her 70th birthday with us in Alexandria.  To mark the occasion, Bryant cooked a special meal: beef tenderloin, accordion potatoes, green beans with hazelnuts and creme fraiche and, for dessert, "chocolate framboise" (basically, chocolate mousse cake with whipped cream and fresh raspberries)...and, of course, Pauline's favorite red wine, Tempranillo Rioja.  Happy Birthday, Mimi Pauline!