When I was a kid, I kind of hated having a January birthday. January is a pretty word/name, but the month itself is kind of … meh. The fun and happy and excitement of Christmas and all of the other December holidays have left town and you’re left with grey skies and grey moods and a special kind of bleakness. Having your birthday mere weeks after Christmas can be disappointing as a kid, because I would generally get what I wanted for Christmas and then for my birthday, I had no new ideas. I envied my sister and her July birthday, because she got a deposit of Awesome halfway through the year.
I’m not a kid anymore. Obviously.
I don’t hate January like I used to. I have a December baby and I, like most people, think that having a December baby is not the ideal. The thing is, we were just happy to have a baby. And my December baby, right now, loves having his birthday close to Christmas. Don’t spoil it for him, okay?
Back to January.
It’s a hard month for many. I think that God has a good sense of humor and kind of plans stuff. (That was me being eloquent.)
I love to plan and host parties. Love, love, LOVE. I may get a little bit (or a lot) crazy in the midst of pulling all of the pieces together but I thrive on it. I buzz and I zoom and I flap my arms and my entire body vibrates. Having a son with a December birthday so close to Christmas means that we have his “friend party” in January. We’ve spent many Saturdays skiing, so this past weekend saw his party and my birthday collide. If you know us at all, you know that we’d have it no other way. We can sleep when we’re dead. Or something.
Friday night saw us out for dinner with two of our closest friends, and another friend who was in town to speak at a conference at our church – he married us! – and it was so great. There’s just something about friends that you’ve known forever.
Saturday was … busy.
We hosted Graham’s “friend” birthday party on Saturday. We (they) waited for friends to arrive.
There was a bunch of sledding involved, in our backyard/forest.
I made a cake for Graham, and decorated it this way, because I cannot decorate with frosting.
I hosted a girls’ night in for my birthday, which had a wine/appetizer theme. I wore this.
I got to spend many hours with the prettiest ladies on the planet.
January isn’t so bad.
Comments:
Lovely lady, you guys really know how to celebrate a birthday! I love it.
Hope you had a wonderful time.
It was so much fun! Thanks for hosting ALL DAY LONG and opening up your home to a bunch of drunken crazies. Or at least one drunken crazy. Who was me.
all of that looked like FUN.
and that is the best part (and the part i miss) about birthdays.
happy belated. and may this year bring you even more joy— is that possible?
as an aside…. what’s my problem that i noticed all the pictures of people in BARE FEET. in canada. in winter. with snow abound.
my slippers are on me constantly from october-march. and i live in GEORGIA.
Ohhh I love weekends of fun with family and friends! I completely agree with the ups and downs of a January birthday. I am like you, I dislike winter. I get cranky and down. The one good thing about having a January birthday as a kid is you friend’s are all home (no one is off on a family vacation in July and August). As an adult, I like that it can bring your spirits up after the straight decline into blah after Christmas. Looks like you had a fabulous birthday!!
1. I love that picture of Graham, Nathan, and Em waiting in the window.
2. That cake? Wins.
3. Glad your birthday was happy and shiny and red(dressed, yes! and)-letter.
Glad you had a great birthday weekend!
Also, that cake is 100 kinds of awesome!
And finally, all I can think about in that picture of the kids waiting is that Emily’s feet must be so cold!!
You look so PRETTY in your red dress! And I love January because it’s my son’s birthday! Other than that, though… well, you know how I feel about winter!
You embrace winter – and actually your pics make me appreciate this season.
xox
You guys sound like so much fun! I like to share this idea because I have had such fun with it: next time you should add a game to your Girls’ night In – called What’s a Dame To DO? Super fun and I have a feeling you are the kind of fun lovin’ dames that would really love it! Oh, and a little wine makes it even more fun. ; ) (Got mine on Amazon.)
A very belated HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you, lovely lady! It was a birthday weekend in our neck of the woods, too, with Roth celebrating his on Saturday. Rowan’s is in December, so I hear ya on the birthdays-too-close-to-the-holidays thing. I have a fall birthday, so it now seems like such a LONG expanse until birthday season again. At least there is summer in between!
Sounds perfect and fun and well, yay! Happy Birthday to you and happy birthday party to Graham!
Happy everything!
I think this is why Valentines Day is my favorite holiday (or one reason). It gives me something wonderful to look forward to during the blah time – and my birthday is at the end of February and I do love birthdays. And then it’s not long till spring, glorious spring!
Belated Happy Birthday to you and your kid! My daughter is a December baby, too and sometimes it can be draining- financially. Here birthday is 4 days before christmas, so it’s like I have to spend for her birthday party and then spend for christmas celebration and gifts. But at the end of the day the smile on my little angel’s face is worth it.
The photos you have here are all awesome!!Thanks for the shared post…
I’m not a huge fan of January, but I do like finding the bright spots in it.
Indeed, January isn’t so sad after all. You are too lucky to have your kids around and your friends too. How many friend came to your house that party? They sure are all pretty like you!
Thanks for sharing a part of your life!
-Wilson
I *love* your cake decorations – so cute!
My birthday is on Valentine’s Day, which was awesome growing up (party at school – woo hoo!) but now as an adult, it’s kind of lame – we can never go out on my birthday without it being super-crowded with couples! Our anniversary is in December, too, which happened out of necessity (we were both in grad school at the time and had to fly home 3000 miles to have family at our marriage, so it happened during winter break) and 6 years later I’m still not feeling it. Oh well, at least my sweet baby has a May birthday and won’t have to deal with these issues!
Sounds like Graham had a fun friends party and so did you!! I love the cake you made for him. And you look pretty in your new dress
It seems a great activities on you my dear… I know that you have the best moment you do. How I wish i can be there.”)
Its really great catching every beautiful and happy moments.
Awesome! I never had this kind of experience in my life at snow. I hope i can face my fear with snow.