Knowing the Knolls: Double Trouble: Our 1st double birthday

Alright, so last year was, technically, the first double birthday. But since it was Ada's actual birthday, that didn't really count. Rather, it counts as something totally different.

This year, we got to celebrate Paul's 3rd birthday - wahoo! - as well as Adeline's 1st birthday - hurrah! - on Sunday, January 25th. We got started a little early with a wowza of a Saturday the 24th, finally putting Paul to bed around 9pm, totally worn out, and a little unsure of Mardi Gras. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

First up, I must mention that we had family in to help celebrate. Nana, Pappy, and Ginny came in from Houston, and Peter came all the way from "across the bridge" on Friday for poboys on our living room floor. I loved the commotion, centered around food, of course.

Saturday was Paul's little party. I say little because I'm not for throwing an all-out shabang, with all these bells and whistles (read: price tags and stress) that kids don't care about. He was turning 3, so he invited 3 friends; and they all, accompanied by their parents-in-tow, walked to the local New Orleans Fire Department firehouse for a short talk&song, followed by play on an engine. And then they got a call! For real. So we all rushed aside, the sirens were put on, and they were off. Ginny said, when you see a firefighter hustlin, ya kinda get outta the way quick. Then we realized our strollers and gear were all inside the locked firehouse. Started walking back home, saw the fire truck heading back already, so we turned around, picked up our gear, thanked them again, and walked back home for backyard play, build-your-own PB&J (for the chilluns), and chocolate birthday cake. Squee! It was cute.

Now, quick! Nap!

Because at 2:30, we had to line Paul up in his very first Mardi Gras parade! We decorated his lil trike, and we walked in the neighborhood parade. It was a tiny thing, mostly for kiddos, with things made from garages ... though there were 2 real floats and a band! It was pretty cool. Except Paul hated it. I mean, he liked the music and people and all that, but he hated the disorder. Of beads on the ground, of throwing things where? just randomly in that direction? No. He wanted to re-collect all of the thrown things and put them back in his trike trunk. Alright, alright, so we woke him up from a very short nap after a crazy busy morning? Yeah, yeah, but it's Mardi Gras! The parade went right in front of our house about halfway through, so we just called it quits, waited for him to stop crying, gave him a sucker, and walked together to the after-party at the local Episcopalian church for champagne, king cake, and lemonade. That part he liked.

Paul's birthday dinner request was pizza, so Dylan was busy busy (because he also made both of the kids' cakes) getting that dough ready, I made the sauce, and - bam - homemade pizza with exactly the toppings he wanted. Where's Ada during all this? Oh, she's just generally having a ball doing whatever everybody else is. She cannot yet voice her birthday dinner requests, so Paul had this covered.

Sunday - their actual birthday - was a full morning, too. We had Mass, pressies, Ada's birthday cheesecake, and then another king cake party in the neighborhood. This one was at the Lutheran church and served beer instead. I don't play favorites. Then nap time - a real one. That night we all just relaxed together, played with new toys, and had leftover birthday pizza on the Special Day plate. It was lovely.

And while it was chock-a-block and really busy, it still wasn't quite as busy as having a baby on a child's birthday.

I still can't really believe it...