Friday Favorites: Birthdays All Around!

Welcome to Friday favorites: a weekly linky for your favorite blog posts from the week co-hosted by Maya of Musings of a Marfan Mom and me!

Visit either here at Anktangle or over at Musings of a Marfan Mom every week on Friday to link up your favorite post from the week, and Maya and I will read and comment on them. Don't forget to share the love by reading and commenting on a few of the other favorites in the list after you link up yours!

In addition to the linky, I'm taking this opportunity each week to write a little bit about a my favorite moments from the past week. I hope you'll feel inspired to leave a comment telling me about your favorite thing(s) that happened this week, too!

These are a few of my favorite things:

Two of my favorite people had birthdays this week! 

Mmm, warm birthday brownie!

We celebrated Jaymz's birthday (which was last Thursday) over the last several days of the week last week. We've all been a little under the weather lately, so it was nice to take the pressure off and spread out the celebration over a few days.

On Thursday, I baked a special birthday dessert for Jaymz. It's our family custom to have a favorite meal and dessert cooked for you on your birthday, and I offered to bake J a cake like I have done the past few years. Instead, he requested that I choose a dessert that I could eat (with my gluten sensitivity) so that we could all enjoy it together. He's so sweet! So I ended up making a pan of grain-free brownies that were delicious! (And a special thank you to my mom for pinning the brownie recipe that I used the very same day.)

The next night, I cooked his special meal of steak and veggies, and we all enjoyed a second helping of brownies with some homemade whipped cream. I really enjoyed our low-key, extended birthday celebration. 

I also learned something new: if you put a birthday candle in a hot pan of brownies, it might melt from the bottom... so sing fast! Now you know. (You're welcome.)

Thank you, Aunt Suzanne, for the binoculars!

Daniel's third birthday is today. I am (just a little) in disbelief that he's three already, and as is my custom for his birthdays, I've been looking back at old photographs and remembering. It's incredible how much little Daniel has grown and changed in these past three years; I can only imagine what he'll be like in another three. Watching someone grow up is awesome!

If you'd like to take a stroll down memory lane with me, check out these posts:

• Daniel's first photos after birth
• Daniel's birth story: Part I (prodromal labor), and Part II (active labor and birth)
• Daniel's first birthday celebration
• Daniel's second birthday, a letter (and video!)

As for Daniel's birthday celebrations, I imagine we'll draw it out in a similar fashion to Jaymz's: another pan of brownies tonight (they were a hit!) and special dinner tomorrow (I think I'll cook sausages and asparagus, if he doesn't have another idea) with gifts throughout the weekend. We've already begun giving Daniel gifts sent by family to open, and I hope I'll have enough time during nap today to finish the gift I started making for him.

I'm excited to see what this next year holds for Daniel!


What was one of your favorite moments from the week?

Grab the Friday Favorites button to display on your site:

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Link up your favorite blog posts from the week using the linky below! Remember to share the love by reading and commenting on a few other posts from the list after you enter your link. The linky will stay open until Monday afternoon.