Tag Archives: birthday

Eli’s 6th Birthday

Eli has finally reached the big S-I-X. This year he wanted to have a sleep over for his birthday party. After a bit of waffling and contemplating, Shelley and I decided to float the idea with some of his friend’s parents. Most parents polled seemed agreeable to the idea. We sent out the invitations and 7 of Eli’s friends RSVP in the affirmative. On the official day, January 27th, Eli got to pick his restaurant of choice. He picked Dewey’s Pizza. We ate and proceeded home to open his family gifts.

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Then Friday, sleep over time, rolled around. The event kicked off with some crazy “run around the house and shoot Nerf guns” time.  In order to regain order, we went had everyone sit and eat some chili and grilled cheese. The night consisted of bouts of chaos and order. The night wound down with cake, presents, pictures, and then bed time preparation. The kids then piled on the downstairs couch and watched Star Wars Clone Wars. This put the bunch into a trance and acted as a nice tranquilizer before bed. Everyone went down without issue and the night was considered a grand success.

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Happy 80th Birthday Pearl

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This year is my grandmother’s, Pearl Blankenship Hollan, 80th birthday. In an attempt to surprise her, her children (Ron, Kelly, Lisa, and Angie) hatched a scheme to throw her a surprise birthday party. The function was to be hosted at Angie’s house and was to meant to be a SURPRISE. As the day approached, everyone worked their individual plans in order to all arrive in the Southwest Ohio before Saturday October 3rd. Ron and his wife Sue made the car trip from Canada via the Blue Ridge Parkway and Kentucky (needless to say – not the shortest route). They took the opportunity to sample some of the fine Kentucky bourbon at Woodford Reserve. Kelly made the trek from Southeast West Virginia with son Corey and his new wife Jodi. Angie and Lisa live in the area and did not need any additional travel planning. My family lives just 45 minutes south of Angie’s and did not require travel planning. Everyone’s plans were easily executed by Friday and the stage was set for a Saturday sneak attack.

Saturday started out peachy, but early events showed that the best laid plans may have some flaws. Kelly, attending to her typical Saturday routine, made an unconscious phone call to her mother Pearl. She had forgotten that she was making the call from my house which has a Kentucky phone number. D’oh!!! Dam that caller ID!!! As soon a Pearl answered, she panicked and hung up the phone. Quickly realizing the mistake, she handed the phone to me and told me to call my grandmother and wish her a belated birthday. Deceitfully quick thinking I thought to myself. I proceeded to make the call. I tried to play the “my cordless phone’s battery died…” Pearl could smell the lie over the phone even being a state away. She continued test my story and told me she thought that Angie was planning a “surprise dinner” for her. She went on to say that she also thought that Ron was going to be their since she had never received his typical birthday card in the mail. I played dumb and told her that we had a very busy day planned between Natalie’s gymnastic practice and Eli’s soccer game. We wouldn’t be done until late that evening. I then give her my congratulations and quickly exited the phone conversation. Whew… tragedy averted!?!? However, I’m not so sure the crafty 80 year old is not on to the whole devious plan.

The party went off without a hitch. Of course Pearl claims she knew the whole time. The family had a lot of fun chatting and reliving many old memories. Below you will find some of the candid shots.

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Birthday Boy, Eli is 5

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Our little baby boy Eli turned 5 today. Above is a collage displaying pictures from today and of course one of his first pictures the day he was born. As I write this post, I reflect fondly on that memorable weekend in 2004 that brought this little package of joy into our lives. He was 8 weeks early and only weighed 4 pounds 7 ounces. It was a scary and trying time for us all. With a lot of love, luck, and support from great friends and family we got to taken him home in a short 10 days after he arrived. Fast forward, 5 years…he is now 37 pounds and full of himself. 

His day started off with the greatest news any young kid could expect to hear during the winter months. School is closed! A lovely snow system pushed it’s way through during the early morning and dropped 4-6 inches of fresh powder on the greater Cincinnati area. After some dancing around and celebrating, he quickly wanted to get down to the business at hand…opening the many presents that had been taunting him since the weekend. Shelley of course staged the presents such that the anticipation would build as he opened the loot. His big gift this year was not a true surprise given the constant negotiations that had been ongoing for nearly a year. It seemed that he had longed for his very own for an eternity. All of his “closest” friends all had their own. He even forfeited his right to have his own party in the effort to leverage the ultimate goal.

The holy grail ~ A Nintendo DS ~

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He even went so far to tell his mother that if he had his very own DS, he would not “need” to “bother us” to turn on the Xbox or the TV. He would just be able to play the DS by himself.  

You can find video 1 (opening of the DS) and video 2 (singing Happy Birthday). 

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Who’s Older Now?

Another year has passed and our birthday season has concluded with Shelley’s 35th birthday. The festivities kicked off early with the present unveiling on Friday afternoon. She was quite surprised to find a brand new Dell computer (Inspiron 530s) with 19″ widescreen LCD. On Saturday morning (officially her birthday) she received many kisses and the compulsory birthday cards. One card played the “chicken dance” and the other played the “hamster dance”. The new musical cards are quite fun and the kids do enjoy them so much. Eli even performed his artistic dance impression of the hamster dance. The birthday was concluded with a dinner out at O’Charley’s.

Quick Draw

The family enjoyed Aidan’s (friends of the family) 4th birthday part this past weekend. This short movie shows a funny expression when he blew out the candles too early. Priceless look.

Another Year Older

Who is that handsome young man in the photos? Yes, he is a boy even though he is wearing a yellow jumper. I’m another year older and it’s hard to fathom that I use the age description of “mid” thirties to describe myself. I just realized that I will only be able to use this designation for another year. Then I will be relegated to using the “late” moniker. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining…I’ve got my health, great kids, and lovely wife all to help me age gracefully (gray hair and all).

Mexican Again

As a long standing family tradition, the birthday candidate get to select their choice for dinner. In usual fashion, Natalie selected Mexican food at our favorite restaurant (Real Fiesta Mexican Restaurant).

Of course Mia was also partaking of the festivities.

Mia has arrived

The long awaited arrival of Natalie’s very own American Girl doll came to a conclusion yesterday. Mia has been been warmly welcomed into the Wykle family as its newest member. She has her very own (cat proof) bed next to Natalie’s. Please check back for more updates on the integration of Mia into the family. Video