Bubba's birthday was on a Friday this year. The only thing better than that, is a Saturday birthday.
Fridays are good because mom is home and there is more time in the morning. Also more time to party it on up in the evening.
On Thursday night when the kids were all in bed, Luke and I did our usual balloons with cash inside. Bubba had $14 in his balloons this year. This was also the first year he didn't wake up and pop them as soon as he woke up. I don't think he popped them until after Luke left for work.
What 14 looks like at 7am!
Bubba checking his birthday messages and answering phone calls! He loved it even though he is a boy of few words.
Grandpa called and "Facetimed" during breakfast.
Dad made the requested chocolate croissant....
and non-requested scrambled eggs. :)
Fridays are always Jersey day for Lish.
Dad picked him up for his annual birthday lunch. This year he chose Subway. He really wanted to go to Gooseloonies for honey garlic wings, but it's downtown and would take much longer. Dad said they could go another day just the two of them.
After I picked the kids up from school we headed home. After Luke came home from work we relaxed and tried to figure out dinner. Originally Bubba asked for dad;s fried chicken, but then said he wasn't too well and changed his mind. He ended up settling on Tony's pizza and breaksticks, so Luke and Tubbs went to pick it up around 6pm.
After they got home Bubba opened gifts before eating. Wiggy also painted some cards for Bubba.
Looking through this year's photo book.
My favorite photos of Bubba from November 2015.
This boy is always
smiling and loves to laugh and joke around.
He doesn't take life too
seriously.
He is quick to forgive and forget. which reminds me a lot of
myself.
Still can't keep his hands to himself. The first thing he does when he gets in the car after school, is put his hands somewhere on his brother...preferably his face or head.
To celebrate his birthday, on Saturday he invited over a few friends. They rode their bikes to Panera for breakfast, cruised over to Target and Yogurtland, then came back to the house for some video games. After lunch we all headed to Rush Air Sports for 90 minutes. After getting back home they rode bikes over to Taco Bell for a snack and then to the park. It was a busy day that didn't end until close to 7pm. I was exhausted just watching them have fun. :)
Happy birthday Bubba. We really cannot imagine having you lead our three man crew and I know your brother and sister look up to you. I love how smart and brave you are. You don't let your speech slow you down or stop you from saying and doing what you want.
You are everyone's friend and just love to laugh and have fun. We love you very much!
20 birthday Questions for 14 year old Lishy.....
favorite color - Gold (took him a few minutes to answer)
favorite toy - Playstation 4
favorite fruit - apple
favorite TV Show - Watching Impractical Jokers (with dad)
favorite thing to eat for lunch - potato soup
favorite outfit - Anything Chicago Bears
favorite game - Destiny (on his PS4)
favorite snack - granola bars
favorite animal - Rhino
favorite song - Doesn't have one
favorite book - Sherlock Holmes
best friend - Alex Leppke and Bailey Colvard
favorite cereal - Crave
favorite thing to do outside -throw the football with Tubbs and dad
favorite drink - any kind of soda
favorite holiday - My Birthday
What I like to take to bed with me at night -
My favorite thing to eat for breakfast - Bears blanket
My birthday dinner is - pepperoni pizza from Tony's, with a side of breadsticks
When I grow up I want to be - I have no idea
My belated Christmas gift to Luke was a weekend away and his parents babysat.
I originally wanted to go to San Francisco since we haven't been in a while, but there just wasn't enough time. We ended up not leaving town until after 5pm because Luke had to work. Boo-hiss. I dislike work.
Anyways, since I starved myself the last half of the day and got a late blast off, we ended up stopping in Glendale at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. I needed some raspberry lemonade stat! It's my addiction and I crave it if I am within 30 miles of one. :)
We got to the hotel around 10'ish in Newport Beach. The funny part of the trip is we were right across the street from the airport and Luke didn't even know it when he booked the hotel. He wondered why he got such a good deal. It was fine though-- I slept like a log and no jets woke this tired mama up!
Saturday Luke ended up sleeping until after 11:30. I slept until 9:30 and then laid in bed reading. We got out of the hotel around 12:30 and headed to this Mexican restaurant that had great reviews. It serves brunch on Saturdays, so I was ready for breakfast. I ordered a dish I have never had, but sounded good. It turned out to be so good! It is called Chilequiles. It's corn tortillas cut in quarters and lightly fried. Then they are soaked in a green sauce. It is garnished with scrambled eggs, cream sauce, and avocado. I do have to note that the side of bacon was the BEST bacon I have ever had. Needless to say, I was a big fan of breakfast and happy we tried this place out.
Surprise-surprise.....Luke had a burrito. This guy loves his burritos when we go out of town.
Saturday afternoon was spent walking around. We ended up at Cheesecake Factory AGAIN, in Fashion Island, as we tried to figure out what to do next. We got something to drink and shared some mushrooms. We ended up going to mani/pedis inside a place in Fashion Island. This guy told me not to take a photo....but you know me. I don't listen well.
The row of expensive vehicles near Fashion Island. Our VW fit right in.
Saturday night we had a LATE dinner at IHOP....because it was the only place open at 10:30pm. We drove around looking for different places, but this was it. We had some breakfast dinner and called it a night.
Sunday morning we slept in again. We ended up getting on the road later than expected and headed to LA. We stopped at Dougboy's restaurant on 3rd street--across the street from the Grove. It was really good. Another new spot I am glad we tried out. Luke's breakfast burrito was awesome. If you're in LA, I recommend this place.
Leaving the Grove....and heading home.
Grandma would send us photos of the kids throughout the weekend. Sawyer had a busy weekend of sleepovers and birthday parties. on Sunday morning they went to the movies to see the New Kung Fu Panda movie.
It was our first trip of the year to San Diego. This visit was different from our usual trips. There were no baseball games to go to and Grandma Strickland wasn't there to visit with. The intent of the trip was to head down and help with a few things around Grandma's house and pick up all the genealogy stuff she worked on over the years.
We left on Friday after picking up the kids from school. Traffic was the usual abyss, so we stopped in Glendale at the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We arrived around 6:15 and was seated around 7:15 so we walked around the Americana at Brand shopping area. The boys went into the Apple store, while Wiggy and I perused Nordstrom's an a few other shops.
We were back on the road by 8:30 and arrived at Grandma's house around 11:15. It was the first time we've been there without her and it was very strange. The house was exactly like she'd left it. Wiggy and I slept on the pullout couch, Luke and Bubba slept in one bedroom and Tubbs slept in my grandpa's old room.
Saturday morning we got ready for the day and headed to Jamba Juice and Einstein's for breakfast. We met my Aunt Thelma and Uncle Dennis over at the house around noon and started to go through boxes in the back room. We found some cool things. This was a small version of my Grandpa's Honorable Discharge from the military.
This was a card that my Grandpa wrote to my Grandma.
Not sure what year it was.
Wiggy found a Ziploc baggy in the nightstand that had her great-great grandma's teeth in it! Haha.
Some photos my grandma had.....
She had MANY, MANY photos, cards, and letters. It's like she saved everything she's ever received. I found letters my sisters and mom wrote to her when they were little. It was very entertaining.
Tubbs really had a hard time all weekend. My kids have never known anyone before who has died. Before bed he would lay down by Luke and get teary eyed.
Saturday we went to Cage Guadalajara with Thelma and Dennis. Dennis was really tired and missing lunch wasn't helping. Around 7pm we dropped them off at the house so they could head home to Del Mar. We cleaned up and then headed out to Old Town. We found a cool little place that made fresh churros.
We headed back to the house around 10pm , watched some TV and then headed to bed. My mom was looking for my grandpa's wedding band and we found it in a bag of jewelry she had in her bedroom chest. I was happy we found it!
Sunday morning we packed up and headed out before lunch. We headed over to the bookstore so the boys could pick up some books. Then to Fashion Valley so I could pick up some skincare stuff at Nordstrom's.
Luke surprised me and we had a late lunch at Cheesecake Factory for Valentine's Day. We ate out on the patio and the weather was fabulous. I didn't want to leave San Diego, so this was a nice treat. He knows it's my favorite, so he waited in line while Wiggy and I shopped.
After dinner we headed back to the house to pick up bags. We loaded everything up and left San Diego around 6pm to head home. It was very strange to think this was likely the last time we'd be in the house since it's going to be sold. So many memories from our childhood. So many visits to see family in San Diego.
Wiggy painting with some of grandma's paints....
That Stop Wasn't On My Itinerary....
So the Hogue's made it to Florida for our first official family vacation. It was Sawyer's first plane ride....and Simon's first plane ride that he can remember. We were excited....the boys were stoked. We had everything we needed! But it seems that Sawyer packed something with him that wasn't on our checklist: a big case of pneumonia. Yes, the little fella made it almost one whole day in Florida before he started heading downhill fast. Our 2nd day in Orlando we were in the Urgent Care south of Cocoa Beach. (By the way, to see a doctor more quickly, it helps if you vomit all over the waiting room in front of the receptionist. Little tip for ya) After chest x-rays they advised us to head to the ER in Melbourne, where they eventually admitted him to the hospital. So, we had 3 night deluxe accommadations at the Holmes Regional Medical Center. The little whipper snapper was a trooper though! The nurses loved him, thankfully, and made us all feel right at home. We were going to send postcards out with pictures of the hospital since we spent 40% of our trip there...but they didn't have any. Imagine that!Hmmm.....maybe its something they should consider.
