Happy Birthday Rick!

Today is Rick's 35th birthday!  After knowing Rick for more than ten years I've gotten to know him pretty dang well.  So in celebration of this occasion I put together a list of 35 things, in no particular order, that you may or may not know about him. 

1. His favorite food is a chocolate chip cookie dough milkshake.
2. He doesn't have a permanent favorite color.  Right now it's blue.
3. He doesn't like milk except with cereal, or sandwiches except hot ones.
4. Though he's right-handed he brushes his teeth and eats with his left hand.  He may wash dishes left-handed too, I think.
5. He likes nice clothes and shoes.  His tastes have improved more and more over the years.  He dresses better than I do and I think I may embarrass him sometimes.  He has more clothes than I do and they cost a lot more too.  I think one pair of his Hungarian Vass shoes costs more than my whole wardrobe.
6. He loves making sure his girls looks cute.  He enjoys picking out adorable clothes for Piper, and me too.
7. He's an awesome dancer and fancies himself quite the rock star.
8. He likes to sing, and loudly too, and make up new words to songs.  He enjoys good concerts.  He tastes range from Elton John to Rihanna to Guns N Roses to Jack Johnson.
9. He loves to travel and plans great trips.  I've never gone on a trip with Rick that wasn't awesome.
10. Piper has him wrapped around her finger.  He has a hard time disciplining her sometimes because she's just so cute and charming. 
11. He gives nicknames to everyone.  I think that the more nicknames he has for you, the more he loves you (I'm biased though).  At different points in our courtship and marriage he has called me: Punch, Mistress, Kinsey, Kinseybear, Kins, and Mist.
12. He is a great gift-giver.  He may not get you your gift on time but when you get it, you can tell he put a lot of effort and thought into it.
13. He's quite the world-traveler and has lived on four continents.
14. Whenever he goes swimming or wears sandals he wears a Band-Aid on his big toe.
15. He's seen Les Miserables on stage five times.
16. His favorite movie is So I Married an Axe Murderer.
17. He is a great and loyal friend.  He still stays in touch with several friends from high school and college.
18. He's not much of a book reader.  He will read travel and food books occasionally.
19. He's a ginormous Jayhawk fan.  If you've ever met Rick, especially during March Madness, this fact probably surfaced at some point.  He suggested the name Pierce when Simon was born, after Paul Pierce a former Jayhawk.
20. He has a high tolerance for pain.  He hardly ever gets sick and has taken maybe five Tylenol during our whole marriage.
21. He likes good food.  He loves checking out new restaurants.  He doesn't cook though, as Piper has pointed out.  He can be a picky eater, eschewing mushrooms, salad dressing, and peppers while ordering sweetbreads and fois gras.  He likes fancy food but craves simple food like Kraft mac n cheese with hamburger from time to time.
22. He would have made a great attorney.  His mind is very logical and he expresses himself well.
23. He and I share similar tastes in TV shows and movies.  He does favor action movies more but I can't complain too much about what he chooses to watch.
24. He's a true Idaho boy in that he's a sucker for mashed potatoes.  He asks for them almost every Sunday.
25. He likes to tell impromptu, long, and detailed fairy tale stories to Piper on occasion.
26. He is a fan of Brian Regan.  We can get laughing together just re-telling his jokes.
27. He loves Jujyfruits.
28. Some of his favorite sitcom reruns to watch are Seinfeld, King of Queens, and the Simpsons.
29. His favorite golfer is Phil Mickelson.
30. He is more familiar with the geography of L.A. than I am, and I'm from L.A.  (I can't say that I'm that familiar, so this may not mean a lot.)
31. He does not like to be tickled and almost considers it to be torture.
32. He can be adventurous and inspires me to be more adventurous and willing to take risks.  He is spontaneous too, like when he surprised me in France when we'd only been dating a month.
33. He once worked as a bag boy at Albertson's.
34. His Spanish is so good that some Argentines have mistaken him for a native.
35. He loves me.  I love him.

Happy Birthday Wick.  Thanks for all you do for me and for our family.  You put up with a lot and I'm thankful for all of your sacrifices.  Thank you for being my best friend, my partner, and my "favorite person in the whole world."

Birthday - Part II

Rick was out of town for Piper's actual birthday so I tried to make the day extra-special.  The night before I decorated her room.  She didn't wake up while I was doing it but she did in the middle of the night and asked me why there were balloons in her room and then she looked up and saw the streamers.  I quickly convinced her to go back to sleep.  (Simon wanted those balloons in the worst way and because I wouldn't give them to him he cries from heartbreak.)

I also made pancake batter the night before so we had chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast.  I decorated the table too and gave her the special plate to use.

The special day continued with a trip to Toys R Us.  We got a birthday crown and balloon.  We also picked up some squirt guns.

Then it was on to the Children's Museum.  Piper is always requesting to go there so I made it a surprise trip.  After a few hours at the museum we had a snack at Panera.  I had wanted to go to the splash park too but I figured that Simon would need a nap by then.  It also was a little on the cold side.  So while Simon slept Piper and I had a squirt gun fight in the driveway.

We concluded the day with a mommy/daughter dinner at Olive Garden.  (I got a babysitter for Simon.)  It was a majorly fun day.

I'll write another post on her stats and what she's up to these days.

Birthday Party

For Piper's birthday we had a little tea party for her with some friends.  We decorated headbands, ate "princess sandwiches," strawberries, celery and carrots, hummus, and goldfish crackers.  Piper had requested a diamond/unicorn/rainbow cake (I ordered the cake obviously).  After the tea party we opened presents.  Piper got a musical tea set and a jewelry box with bracelets.

Audrey, Piper, Mary, and Evelyn

Happy Birthday Piper!

Berries

The kids and I went strawberry picking this week.  The berries weren't great due to recent rain but we had fun anyway.  We'll have to go again because last year's crop was so good.  Because I carried Simon in the front pack and had to squat to pick, my thighs were killing me for days afterwards. 

Piper wore the new boots she got from Grandma Vicki for her birthday.  She's had many compliments on them. 

Simon kept trying to eat the strawberry leaves.  At one point I think he got a strawberry because he had pinkish hands and some strawberry on his chin.

I've made strawberry/rhubarb crumb cake and several milkshakes with our spoils.  

You'll have to excuse the excess of pictures but the kids were looking especially adorable that day.  Indulge a mother.

Family Time

The fam out to dinner.  I love the looks on the kid's faces.

Our little "Natalee Pea"

Splash Park

Here's our first venture to the splash park for this summer season.  Simon enjoyed it.  He just sat and splashed in the broken fountain until he got too cold.  He likes kicking in the water more.  Piper had on her new swimsuit and swimcover too.  Good times.  Swimming lessons start in two weeks.

Beach Outing

We went to Rocky River park a few weeks ago, which turned into a beach party.  We left with Piper in tears though when she disobeyed my request to not go in the water.  It was proved to be too tempting for her, but I didn't have a towel and the beach rules also state no wading allowed.  This was Simon's first experience with sand.  I think he liked it.  He liked eating it so I had to be vigilant.

Isn't this a cute sundress?!