Merry Birthday!

Yesterday was my brother, John's, 13th birthday so we all went over to my mom's house for birthday supper. Per John's request, my dad made red beans and rice and cornbread...YUM! As we were sitting around the dinner table, we discovered that Truett had 'spilled the beans' to Uncle John and told him what we had gotten him for his birthday. REALLY? Of course, John didn't mind because he's more concerned about making sure he's getting the gifts he really wants than he is about the element of surprise! :)

After we finished supper, it was time to open the gifts. Truett is always excited about gifts, whether they're his or not. Don't get me wrong, he MUCH rather the gifts be for him, but is happy to help open them, none the less.

John opening the present that Sarah bought for him...
and him thanking her for it!
Another thing that Truett is ALWAYS excited about is cake. For Thanksgiving, my mom made a rum cake, which she baked in a bundt pan. Truett kept calling it 'donut cake' because it looked like a giant donut. He even started singing a song..."I want some donut cake. I want some donut cake." To add fuel to the fire, LeeLa and PaGou joined in singing with him and they all formed a Conga line, singing and dancing around the house. Do you think our family puts too much emphasis on cake? No wonder Truett loves it!

Anyway, John did not have donut cake for his birthday, but it was still cake, so Truett was fired up and ready. We all finished our cake and had started to clean the kitchen when we look over and see that Truett decided that one piece was not enough for him.

The only thing that sounded better to him than cake was going to see Santa.

Last year for John's birthday, we all went out to dinner and then headed to the Gaylord to look at all of the Christmas lights. While we were there, we had our family picture taken with Santa. John decided he wanted to do it again this year, so we bundled up, packed up and headed out.

I have to say that going last year with a 1 1/2 year old is JUST a little different than going this year with a 2 1/2 year old and a 2 month old! Needless to say, it was a little on the crazy side.

Emma enjoyed the Gaylord and just hung out while we were there.

Truett, on the other hand, wanted to touch everything, see everything, play with everything, etc...He was like a mad man.

He even kept trying to drink the water from this decorative fountain. God only knows what kind of funk was growing in there, but there's a good chance it's now growing in Truett's stomach! :)

After our long wait in line, which actually could have FELT longer than it was, we all got up with Santa and had our picture made. This year, the photographer was all about making sure the two families were on either side of Santa, which was fine, but last year, we just all got up there, stood where we wanted and they took the picture. I guess trying to photograph 9 people at one time can be a little difficult!

By the time we were finished having our picture taken, it was after 9:00 pm, and things at the Gaylord were starting to wind down so we all headed home.

As always, it was fun getting together with my family. The Gaylord experience was a little hectic, but it was an experience and now a fun memory for us. We'll attempt it again next year, I'm sure! :)

Uncle John, we're so glad we got to spend your birthday with you. We love hanging out with you and Truett loves you so much. Jay and I really appreciate the way you love him and play with him and HELP with him! We love you very much. HAPPY BIRTHDAY!