Happy Birthday to ME!

My birthday was a few days ago, and it was so much fun I have to blog about it. :)

Olivia woke up around 6 a.m. We got out of bed and let Papa Hayes have his Saturday morning sleep-in. The day looked like it would be a beauty: lots of sun, less humidity, and a gentle breeze that seemed juuuust right. O and I had our respective breakfasts, then hit the play mat for some morning fun. She is getting so strong! Her latest feat is propping herself on hands & knees, then scooch-scooch-scooching forward. She'll be crawling in no time!

We woke Daddy up around 9 a.m. I got really excited because his morning project was to make me a cheesecake for my birthday! Not just any old cheesecake, either, not for this poor, dairy-free girl (living in Wisconsin). (Sigh.) A sheep cheese cheesecake! (Wow, say that three times fast!) Now THAT'S a magical, magical thing.

One cheesecake, one baby nap, and two blissful parents later, the Hayes trio headed to the capital square for the Farmer's Market! True to form, Olivia cooed and babbled all the way, thrilled as ever about our Saturday morning excursion. I was happy to be wearing sandals and a short skirt: spring has arrived! We made our way around the square, stopping for asparagus, chard, an ostrich meat stick, and num-num bakery treats. We danced to the wild rhythms of a drum circle, then made our way to meet up with Gramsy, Grandpa Pete and Uncle Spark.

The six of us walked the square together, taking a lunch break for O, then headed to State Street to find a spot for lunch. We settled on Frida, a Mexican grille, and Daddy'o went off to pick up Sal while the other five of us grabbed a table. Stef and Jason also met up with us, yay, hooray!! It had been too long since we had been together, and this was the perfect festive occasion to catch up. :) I was greeted with flowers and a birthday balloon that was promptly tied to our backpack. The nine of us talked and laughed and chomped and cooed over cute Baby O, creating quite a celebratory tableau.

Next stop: the zoo! I went home to pick up the cheesecake, drove back downtown to pick up Sean and Olivia, and we met up with the Franson Four plus friends Allen & Stephanie. The weather could not have been more perfect for all of this outside time! First things first: CHEESECAKE. We gathered around a picnic table and dug in. Mmm... Thank you, my love! We polished off the whole thing, plus half a bag of kettle corn. Hehe. Then we made our way in to see some animals: lions, monkeys, more monkeys, seals, giraffes, rhinos and tapirs were all we had time for. Olivia fell asleep pretty early on (such a trooper for our busy day!), so we'll have to go back soon to see the other animals and play at the newly remodelled children's zoo.

Sal and I had plans to catch a 4:10 showing of "Sex and the City", so we hurried away to Sundance Cinema. I know, I know, the reviews have been so-so at most, but I loved it! I'm such a sap, and I love those characters, it was so much fun to see them again, and I thought the movie was fantastic. Laughed hard, teared up a little, gasped and sighed along the way. Good times! Thanks, Sal!

What better way to end a fabulous day then to go out for a fabulous dinner with my fabulous husband? Olivia's fairy godparents came over to watch over her sleep, bless them. Sean and I headed to The Weary Traveler a few blocks down on Willy Street. We enjoyed a satisfying meal and relished some one-on-one time! Soon, hopefully, we can establish date night on a weekly basis. :)

Good times, good times... A truly delightful birthday!!