Sean Is Twenty!

Yesterday my family celebrated Sean's twentieth birthday (his actual birthday is tomorrow).  We went to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Trolley Square (one of Sean's favorite restaurants) and then came back to my sister's house for cake and presents.  He didn't really know what he wanted for his birthday so Marilyn and I just gave him Amazon gift cards (which came in these cute holders).

We love getting ice cream cakes from Baskin-Robbins and, since he has picked a polar bear three different times, I thought it would be really funny for him to pick it again but he ended up getting this cute Santa Claus (it had white cake and bubblegum ice cream).  I can't believe that he is twenty because it seems like yesterday that he was cutest little boy!  I sure do love him (he is the best movie buddy) and I hope he had a really good day!

Happy Birthday Sean!

Yesterday my family celebrated Sean's 19th birthday!  It doesn’t seem possible that he could be this old because it was only yesterday when he was a tiny little boy!  He is not so tiny now!  We went to dinner at The Old Spaghetti Factory in Trolley Square (which is one of Sean's favorite restaurants) and then came back to my sister's house for cake and presents.  I gave him the Blu-ray box set of The Big Bang Theory (which he asked me for a month ago).

I love him so much and I am really proud of him for how well he is doing in college.  I hope he had a great day!

Happy 18th Birthday Sean!

Yesterday my family celebrated Sean's birthday (it was actually on Saturday) with dinner, presents, and cake.  I can't believe that he is 18!

He asked for Amazon gift cards and accessories for his computers!  I don't like giving gift cards but he was so happy to receive them!

We have a tradition of having an ice cream cake from Baskin-Robbins for birthdays and Sean has picked this same polar bear cake three times (go here and here).  We had so much fun celebrating with Sean and I hope that he had a very happy birthday!

Happy Birthday Tashena

Last night we celebrated Tashena's birthday early (it is actually at the end of the week) by going to dinner (Chuck-A-Rama), having cake (the traditional ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins), opening presents, and playing Shanghai Rummy!

I can't believe that she will be 22!

Sean's Sixteenth Birthday!

Yesterday my family celebrated my nephew Sean's sixteenth birthday (his actual birthday was last Thursday).  Sean picked hamburgers and fries for dinner and then we had a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake.

I got Sean a game for his X-box (he specifically requested it and even sent me a link for it on Amazon) but it is not going to be released until Thursday (I have strict instructions to bring it to him the second it is delivered to my house because he doesn't want to hear any spoilers from anyone online).  I wanted him to have something to open so I got him an X-box gift card.  He was not expecting it so he was pretty excited!

Sean really loves The Flash (he is actually wearing a shirt with The Flash on it which we thought was hilarious) so Marilyn made him a quilt featuring his favorite character!  It turned out so cute and he was really excited to get it!

Marilyn bought a Flash pattern for her embroidery machine so my parents had her embroider it on some towels, a beanie, and a hoodie!

I suspect that he will want the Flash symbol embroidered on everything he owns!  I can't believe that he is 16! 

Tashena is 20

Yesterday our family celebrated Tashena's birthday (her actual birthday is Wednesday) with dinner, birthday cake, and presents.  It is really hard for me to believe that she is 20 years old because it seems like yesterday we were celebrating her fifth birthday (her first birthday with our family).  My sister makes a copy-cat version of Cafe Rio salads and that was what Tashena picked for dinner.  It tastes just like the real thing!  After dinner she opened her presents.  She got some new shoes, a gift card, some money, and a train case for all of her makeup.

Happy Birthday Tashena!

Birthday Private Screening

My sister and I have birthdays a week apart and we often celebrate them together.  She has always wanted to have a private screening and I have really missed seeing movies on the big screen so my parents arranged for our immediate family to see a movie at the Megaplex to celebrate last night.  It was probably the best birthday present I have ever received!  It was so much fun!  We were able to pick from hundreds of movies ranging from classics to newer releases and we eventually chose The Goonies because that appealed to everyone.  Incidentally, I read an article about the Megaplex Private Family Movie deal and the most popular movies being picked are Jurassic Park and The Goonies.  We really enjoyed this movie and we said many of the iconic lines ("Hey you guuuuuys!") out loud because we were the only ones there.  We were also able to pick the date and time (they may require as many as seven days notice depending on the movie you select).  The deal included a large popcorn and a large drink for everyone in our group and I have to say that I have really missed movie theater popcorn!  The Megaplex staff had everything ready to go for us in the lobby and then a staff member escorted us to the theater where there was a hand sanitizing station.  We could sit anywhere we wanted and, once we were all settled, they started the movie for us.  After the movie was over we were directed to a specific door to exit.  Everything was handled very smoothly and it was such a great experience!  I loved every minute and I highly recommend booking a private screening for your family (go here for the details).

Fifteen

Sean turns fifteen tomorrow but we had our family celebration of his birthday yesterday!  The birthday boy chose to stay at home for dinner and he picked burgers and french fries which tasted delicious!  Afterwards we had the traditional ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins.  We all laughed because he had the exact same cake last year!

He was pretty spoiled for his birthday!

Tashena gave him a gift card to Amazon (she flew back to school in Washington after his party and I already miss her).  Sean was so thrilled he almost gave her a hug...almost!

Marilyn gave him a video game and a book series.

Grandma and Grandpa gave him Motion Controllers for his PlayStation.  I don't know what they do (it has something to do with what he wants for Christmas) but Sean was absolutely thrilled to get them!

I got him this video game.  He was very specific when told me that he wanted Assassin's Creed Odyssey (the Gold Edition) and he told me that there was only one left on Amazon so I had to get it quickly!  When I told him that I would get it, he got mad because he wanted to be surprised!  He cracks me up!

His Mom and Dad got him a sofa for his room (he has the coolest teen hangout room ever) but they also got him his own Megatub that he doesn't have to share with anyone else at a movie!  Sean won't let anyone eat popcorn from the shared Megatub until the movie starts so this is really just a gift for all of us!  I can't believe that he is fifteen!  I sure do love him and I hope he had a great birthday!

Birthday Dinner at The Garden Restaurant

My sister and I have birthdays one week apart and we have a tradition of celebrating at The Garden Restaurant at the top of the Joseph Smith Memorial building downtown.

The Garden Restaurant has a casual atmosphere, with stunning views of downtown, and and upscale bistro menu.

Spinach & Artichoke Dip ($11)

Classic Burger ($13)

Berry Cobbler & Ice Cream ($8)

The Garden Restaurant is a great place to celebrate an occasion (there is a special menu for Father's Day).  The food is really good and reasonably priced (entrees range from $13-$20) and the wait staff is very efficient and friendly.  It is open Monday - Thursday 11:00 am to 9:00 pm and Friday - Saturday 11:00 am to 10:00 pm.  Reservations are accepted (go here).

Sean is Fourteen

Yesterday we celebrated Sean's fourteenth birthday (his actual birthday is tomorrow).  He wanted to stay at home have hamburgers and fries for lunch, which tasted delicious.  After lunch we had the traditional Baskin Robbins ice cream cake and he picked a polar bear design.  It was absolutely adorable (the ears were made of Oreos).

For his birthday he only wanted one (really expensive) thing so we all pitched in together and got it for him!

We got him a PlayStation4 and he was so excited!

After he opened it he took it to his room and started playing with it!  I love this kid so much and I hope he had a great birthday!