Birthdays Abound

It's that time of year when our main batch of birthdays are coming to a close. Mara's 13th (19th of last month), Bryna's 6th (30th), Joshua's 16th (9th of this month) and mine (19th of this month) always seem to come thick and fast every year. Bryna's and Joshua's have warranted parties this year but just small family gatherings for Mara and myself. The birthday person always gets to pick the menu for the family dinner and it gives Gaynor a chance to justify some good time in the kitchen. Of course, the results are never disappointing. Mara went with lasagna, Bryna had shepherd's pie, Joshua chose chili and this evening I'll be enjoying cannelloni -- one variety, walnut and ricotta cheese and the other, pork mince with Italian herbs -- followed by an orange-infused butter cake with chocolate ganache. Hey I didn't make the menu, I just have to live with the consequences :)

The whole family make it into the shot as Mara hits the teens.

The girls ham it up for the camera at Bryna's 6th birthday party.

The family (plus a ring-in, can you tell which one?) at Bryna's birthday dinner.

Joshua's party is this Saturday, with about a dozen friends coming to help celebrate with movies, games and tacos. There might be a blog post about it but more than likely one of the children will put something up on Facebook. Good times!