Superheroes to the rescue!

One good thing about having your child's birthday so close to yours is a visit from the grandparents!  We have been blessed the last couple of years to have grandparents in town to watch the kiddos so I can celebrate my birthday too:)

This year Casey and I stayed overnight in Denver.  I was all about re-creating the old days when we would make a weekend out of my birthday in Chicago!  We came darn close.  It was so much fun having adult time, perusing downtown Denver - enjoying cocktails and great food!
                       
We got a room on Priceline, ended up at the Sheraton.  We got a room on the top floor and had an amazing view of downtown.  We grabbed snacks and cocktails in the Club Lounge before heading to the 9th Door for dinner.  It was no Cafe Iberico, but it was delicious.  I really enjoyed the Sangria - it made me long for summer.  We had a couple of warm, sunny days last week so after dinner we were able to stroll back to our hotel.  I would love to say that after dinner we went dancing and raged until the wee hours of Saturday, but the truth is we couldn't wait to get back to our room and sleep in a cozy bed sans children!  We're old:(
                                                       

           We tried like hell to get a good photo of us.  This is the best we could do!  Tee hee.

I forgot my swimsuit, but I still had to check out the rooftop pool.  It is a heated, year-round pool.  Awesome!  How often do you get to dip your feet in the pool in January?!  I couldn't have asked for better birthday weather.

My actual birthday was on Saturday, but it was business as usual for the most part.  I was scrambling trying to get everything prepped and ready for Ian's party on Sunday.  I don't care for parties on a Sunday (unless it's the Super Bowl!), but I didn't want to have Ian's party on my birthday either.  So a Sunday it had to be. 

I still had the chance to celebrate - my Mom and I got pedicures, she made my favorite meal for dinner and I got to enjoy dinner with my whole family:)  To top it all off, I got an ice cream cake for dessert!  Yum.  That night Kate came over to help my Mom and I put the finishing touches on party favors.  It was nice to hang out with the girls and just be crafty.  I am thankful for the help!

Sunday it was up and at 'em.  We had a house to clean, a cake to decorate, Pop Rocks to buy, snacks to make, a table to decorate.  Ian's party was also a bit earlier in the day, so time was of the essence.  Thankfully I had a house full of people to help out before 10 little superheroes descended upon me!             

  
  Super Ronan, Super Ian, and Super Keller - these boys are awesome!

Then it was time for cake!  I cannot believe I did not get one picture of Ian's birthday cake.  I was a bit frazzled, but it wasn't until I had cut into it that I realized there were no pictures.  I thought for sure my Mom got one, but nope.  Not a single one.  So...this video contains the one and only shot of the SUPER cake Grandma Jane made for Super Ian!

Time for cake!

Clara & Mommy

                                                                          Super Ella

Milo jumped in and started taking down the decorations.  His subtle indication that the party needed to start winding down...

Usually I have a cute picture of the table display in all its' glory, but this year you just get a picture of the aftermath.  Ha!  I am resolving here and now to be more on top of it in 6 months when I throw my next birthday party.  I should probably start planning now though...

Monday was Ian's actual birthday.  I can't believe my baby is 4!  He lets me know that he isn't a baby and doesn't like it when I tell him that he will always be my baby.  Daddy made him special pancakes to celebrate being a big kid:)

He got to open up a few more presents and the Superman PJ's from Aunt Bobbie & Uncle Larry were a HUGE hit!

I was surprised I could get him to pose for me and what I love most about the second picture is seeing Milo in the bottom left corner clapping and cheering for his Superhero brother!