Birthday bashes

One cool thing about the way that our family is configured is that Tom's and Jack's birthdays are five days apart and Violet's and mine are 12 days apart. We have two Scorpio boys and two Aries girls. These last few weeks have been a fun but frantic blur of birthday celebrations.

The Friday before my birthday, the awesome Sandra took me to see MiXtape, an '80s music show. We dressed up in our best '80s garb and had dinner beforehand. We had such a great time listening to the music of our childhoods. There was even a part where they sang the theme songs from the cartoons and TV shows that we used to watch.

The next day, Tom organized a dinner and cocktail cruise for us and a bunch of our friends. It was nice to be able to get out with the husbands too without kids. I think Jack had just as much fun as we did, because some of his favorite friends came over for the kids' very first sleepover, supervised by the amazing Melody.

My actual birthday was a Wednesday, which is the day of our regularly scheduled weekly park playdates. I was actually considering skipping that day, because Violet wasn't feeling well. But the night before, I asked Tom if he could possibly take the day off, because I didn't really feel like staying home with a sick baby on my birthday. Thankfully he did, and I went to the park with Jack.

As I was walking up to where we normally meet, I noticed that everyone was kind of standing around a table that wasn't usually there. Usually we're always sitting on blankets. That's when it dawned on me that something was up. A bunch of my mom friends had thrown me a surprise birthday party at the park - my very first surprise party ever. Danielle, as usual, made a beautiful and delicious cake. I felt so loved!

Two days later, my mom, my sister, and I went on an all-day wine tour in Temecula. This was technically a birthday present to my mom, but it still felt like part of my birthday to me.

The day after that, we celebrated Violet and her boyfriend Ian's first birthdays with a joint party. We didn't throw a big party for Jack when he turned 1, but I figured there is so much that I did with him that I didn't do for Violet, she certainly deserves to have a big bash in her honor. And Jack didn't mind at all, because he had so much fun with all his friends who came.

I didn't let Jack eat his cupcake on his first birthday (mean Mommy!), and I didn't expect to let Violet eat hers either. But when we all sang "Happy Birthday," she kept grabbing for it, so I gave in. I know it's not unusual for parents to relax their standards with their second children, but Violet has definitely eaten a lot more unhealthy foods and seen a lot more TV than Jack ever did at her age.

Violet received so many fabulous presents from our generous friends. But I think my favorite is the one that Jack gave her. Surprisingly enough, he just knew that what she wanted more than anything was a toy car. And because he's such a good big brother, he's taken it upon himself to provide a lengthy demonstration of how to play with it properly.

The day of Violet's actual birthday, we had two playdates. The one in the afternoon also featured our first Easter party of the season. This was doubly meaningful for me, because Violet was actually born on Easter Sunday last year. It was so fun to see all the kiddos in their cute outfits. We have so many adorable little dresses for Violet, I'm so glad that we have at least three more Easter events to attend.

I'm not sure which birthday was more significant to me. I turned 35 (eek!) this year. It's the first time that I actually felt like, "Wow, I am actually getting older." I'm not usually one to freak out about my age, but this one felt like a big deal to me. And of course, my baby turning 1. My last baby, and she's not going to be a baby much longer. Ahh, I'm starting to feel a little misty. I guess hers actually is the more significant one.

How wonderful Violet's first year has been. We are so unbelievably blessed with our beautiful, sweet, precious little girl. I can't wait to see what the next year brings. It has already gotten off to a fantastic start.