Happy 13th Patrick!

We have another teenager! I always knew this day would come but secretly believed that it wouldn't. I somehow felt that, while everyone else's children turned into teenagers, that mine would stay kids forever...not so. The funny thing is that I'm okay with it, not because I want them to grow up and leave, but because I just love who they are becoming. They are less work with more fun at this age!Patrick decided that he didn't want to go anywhere on his actually birthday. He got a new video game and wanted to stay home to play it. He did, however, want to go to his favorite restaurant that night...Olive Garden. His cousin, Caiden went with us. As always, it was yummy!!! The Olive Garden happens to be my favorite place to go too!
Afterwards, we came back to the house for cake and more gifts. Patrick chose to have an icecream cake. We were all almost too full from eating out to even have the cake!Patrick didn't want a big party this year. He said that he just wanted to get together and hang out with friends. He suggested a movie, but there was nothing good on. Jeff, however, turned our living room into a theater with a projector that he borrowed from work. The kids watched a movie on the big screen then played their video games on it for the rest of the night. Patrick did let us make him a cool popcorn cake.

It was hard for me not to go all out for this party! I love to take a theme and run with it. I wanted movie posters and cool tableclothes. I wanted big movie candy boxes and cute movie tickets lying around. I did, however, restrain myself. The most I got to do was make the cake and buy big popcorn buckets from the video store. What I did find out was that a party can happen without all of the extra stuff! Most importantly, it happened exactly as Patrick wanted it.

Happy birthday Patrick!! We love you!!