Ping & Pong's Three Cheese Birthday Celebration

Last evening, I met my dear bright and shining star of a friend Cathy at Olga's Restaurant to celebrate her Birthday Eve. This is the third year in a row that we have celebrated by having a delicious 3-cheese Olga (so appropriate for 3/3) and it was time to capture the memory in photographs. We had a very sweet waitress named Treonna who was happy to help us celebrate! She brought us a tiny bowl of curly fries since we didn't need a whole one.

Then she happily tried her hand at my big old camera to take the Ping and Pong 3-Cheese Birthday Celebration Portrait.

Then, bless her heart, she brought us these wonderful chocolate mousse cups. Just the right ending to a perfectly wonderful birthday celebration!

Happy Birthday Aunt Michaela!

I would say you have had a mighty big year with the wedding of your youngest daughter, and because I was there, I finally got some new pictures of you!

I have many memories of Aunt Michaela, but one of the best is when we stood next to each other in the alto section of the church choir. One of us would inevitably start to chuckle a little and the music would start to shake and before you knew it, we would have tears of laughter rolling down our faces. Just thinking of it makes me laugh. It was so funny! Everyone should have an aunt like that!

A View of Edward's Birthday from the Chandeleir

Two Decades Old

Edward's 20th Birthday Party

Yesterday, we celebrated Christmas and Edward's birthday. Since this was the 20th year of doing this, we have become pros at gathering round the red velvet cake and singing happy birthday for a photo while I run in from my camera set on the tripod. Some things are just tradition! This year however, my sister Andrea's family joined us -usually it is Paula's family. He is always well celebrated on this day.

Happy Birthday Jesus...

... and Edward. 20 years ago today.

Birthday Week Wrap-up

We celebrated again on Sunday when Edward came home and this time we had a cake. This past week was a whirlwind and Sharon did make me a wonderful red velvet cake at work which was photo worthy but not in time before it was gobbled up.

John was ready for a Sunday afternoon nap so this photo was very quickly taken. We should have fussed more but oh well.



It reminded me of this one taken 5 years ago because I was wearing the same shirt. Funny how the kids get older but I stay the same.



For some reason, it shocked me to see that John had put bright candles on the cake. I needed my shades. Oh yeah, and I had to take a quick one of Edward too because I liked his hair.

Red Velvet Birthday

I'm going to enjoy my favorite cake here virtually since I'm not sure if we'll get a chance for cake today. It will be a great day though!! I'm going hot-tubbing in the afternoon with a friend and then in the evening, we are going with Edward to a scholarship dinner downtown. We found out he is a recipient of a scholarship from the Dutch International Society. He's going to study engineering at the Vrij University in Amsterdam second semester!

Birthday Week Kick-off

There's something special about the week starting with November 1. The ugly holiday is over, Thanksgiving is coming, All Saint's day. Yesterday, it was so great to see our friends at church, and then we met Edward at Wolfgang's in Eastown for a pre-birthday brunch. And later, our friends Cathy & Ben came over for a rousing game of Trivial Pursuit.

The waitress was kind enough to take our pre-birthday brunch photo


The kids enjoyed big sweet plates of Belgian waffles and French toast


I was trying to capture some of the left-over glitter from Edward's "Edward Cullen vampire costume" but you can't see it


I had Spinach Eggs Benedict


What fun kids! I love how they know how to do this part.

Red Velvet

Each fall, the leaves on our Japanese Maple which we see through the front window turn such a fiery red and they look so graceful hanging from the branches.



Then sadly, they fall to the ground...



... reminding me of red velvet cake.



Just in time! Guess what next week is? :)

Happy Birthday to John ♫♪♫♪

A little late here... we are now finished with the celebration! We had fun with John's favorite food, angel food cake, candles, singing, and presents. Oh, and long exposures on the tripod with the cable release which caused great laughter for some reason. Oh yeah, they were laughing at my un-wireless technology!

The Big Seventy!

What if you were turning 70 years old today? This might be a good thing to get in honor of the big day - especially if you were born in a Mercedes dealership in The Netherlands!! A few weeks ago, Dad came up to GR and found this sweet car. When John & I picked it up for him a few days later, I posed it in a good spot to take some photos. Pretty fun!

Wishing you a very blessed birthday Dad! Have fun!

Happy Birthday Queen Mother!!!

Mom with her dearly beloved Beatrix

A Fun, Fun Day

In honor of Bridget's birthday yesterday, we had cupcakes after church with our friends there amidst the happy birthday song. Our family then made the journey in 3 separate vehicles in the pouring rain to Wolfang's for brunch. We arrived looking like drowned rats but enjoyed the time together immensely. Edward went back to Calvin and the rest of us returned home for the opening of the birthday gifts, and it was indeed a fun, fun day.

Today We Celebrate

Bridget, 1995

Hey Leo, It's Your Birthday!

Believe it or not, he's a little moody sometimes and I could do nothing here to crack a smile.
Maybe it's because today he is a very wise 10 year old.

The Party Without Edward

It seemed impossible to top Maria's birthday celebration of the evening before, but that doesn't mean we didn't try.


We started the evening with Birthday BLT's.


And topped the evening with angel food cake avec fraises, crème à fouetter et bougies de fetes! It was a fun time indeed.

Sweet Seventeen

Last night before Edward went back to Calvin, we celebrated Maria's birthday which is actually today! I felt like the most blessed person on earth when I saw these three sitting together.

We also gave Maria a very special gift - the Canon camera which did belong to me. I recently got a newer model which I am learning to use, and I'm very excited to have her as a shutter companion - I believe she has a very good eye!

Happy Birthday Maria!!!

happy birthday cathy!

Cathy & the Birthday Crow, Part 2

For the wildly popular Cathy & the Crow, Part 1, click here.

Flash Back Friday 101

Edward's Birthday, 2000


Edward's Birthday, 2008

Aunt Michaela, It's Your Birthday!

Master & Mistress of Ceremonies, 1988, of our wedding

I always think of Aunt Michaela on this day, December 29 because it is her birthday. So firmly engrained in my head is the "way" about Aunt Michaela that I was just thinking that last week when I went home for Christmas that I would walk over next door for a visit. But no... I forgot she moved. So anyway, here's a happy cyber-birthday Aunt Michaela!!

On the Occasion of Edward's 19th Birthday

Below, we are gathered around the table at our Christmas ham dinner, and this is what we do every year for Edward's birthday. As we were setting the table, Mom told me it was an "occasion", and so it was. We celebrate Christmas the evening before with the entire family present, and my sister Paula's family comes on Christmas, too.

This year, I was struck by how Edward looks like a college student now. He only blew out 18 of his 19 candles, which surprised me seeing that he is a runner. He must have been laughing.

You can see below he really did get red velvet cake and he does not appear at all deprived by having a Christmas birthday. Mom said that by reading my blog, she remembered to get the peppermint stick ice cream too. This involved an exasperating trip to both the IGA and Drug Mart, but it was worth it.

Someone is 57 Today

Oma Boyer (who I have mentioned several times this week already), Uncle John, Uncle Alan & the Queen Mother as a child

It's a little hard to believe they had color photography like this back in the olden days, isn't it? But yes, the little toddler in this photo is Uncle Alan and he's 57 today! He wrote me yesterday how my mom had gotten him his first camera, a Kodak Duaflex II almost like the one I just got for my birthday. SO I would say this camera-love-thingy runs in the family.

Go Alan, get your game on, it's your birthday, hey Alan...if I was there, I would do this cheer for you and it would be so fun wouldn't it?

The Toy I Got for My B-day

When John was asking for birthday present ideas, I suggested he go on an e-bay expedition to find an old twin lens reflex camera. He scored the one below which I realized as soon as I opened it that it is the exact same camera that was in my grandma's toy box back in the 60's - a Kodak Duaflex III. This model was made from 1954-1957 which means I got a present that is older than me.

My mission for this camera is not to shoot film with it though - although you can respool 120 film onto the 620 spools that it uses. I want to try through the viewfinder (TTV) photography where you shoot your digital throught the viewfinder of the old camera, by means of a contraption you make. Last night I tried a couple even though it was really too dark. Interesting.

Today, when I got home from work, I took this little peek out our front door with my contraption. I was in a rush to pick up Maria from school, so I didn't fuss too much.

I think the camera itself is so darling that it's okay if I don't take a billion pix with it.

I Love Birthdays

How's that for a birthday candle? We use our imagination here.

Today is actually my birthday, but since Edward came home from college on Sunday, we had to have a little celebration yesterday. The kids gave the greatest present again to their photographer mom: With totally willing hearts, they went out for a photoshoot with John & me. John drove us all around and brought us to settings which inspired us all. So it was a good day. Sharon is cooking something up for work tomorrow and the rest of the week's celebration will include lunch and hot tubbing with friends...