Matteo is 36!

Happy 36th birthday to my dear husband today!  Matt definitely has that Clooney thing going on where he just gets better with age.  I find this to be simultaneously good (since I have to look at him all the livelong) and annoying (because it just doesn't work that way for women).  I first met Matt when he was 16 and yet I don't really think of him as having changed that much.  I guess it's because at core he's still the same wonderful guy and also aging happens pretty darn slowly, all things told.  Anyway, I think Matt had the perfect birthday celebration yesterday because he got to eat Papa Guidos while watching the Warriors.  Lily was VERY into throwing him the perfect celebration and she seemed really proud and happy that he had a good time (even though it was just us and my parents).  I'm not sure what we can do to top it tonight but I'm sure Lily will think of something.

 Lindsay, Josh, & Mishel joined us at Arthur J in Manhattan Beach to fete Matt on Saturday night.  We had so much fun and the steaks and old fashioneds were amazing!

Lily was teaching Jason how to do push-ups.  He was just confused.

She loves reading to him at night now.  It is the sweetest thing.  No one can hold his attention like Lily can.

Lily & a friend going down the slide at Fiesta Hermosa last weekend.  Fiesta is our Memorial Day and Labor Day tradition in these parts and always marks the beginning and end of the summer for me.  I remember that last Memorial Day Fiesta was the first day I couldn't button my pants when I was pregnant with Jase!

And here he is, all born and stuff.  He is such a ham lately.

I can't resist selfies with him because he gets so excited at seeing himself in the camera.  He's all "who's that awesome baby?!"

Matt and lily building something technical last week.

Enjoying a Memorial Day BBQ in Tarzana last week.

Jason reminded me of Lily when we first moved to LA and would put her in the same spot.

Lily belting it out at her Patriotic Sing on Tuesday. 

Desperately trying to crawl.

Lovin' life.

Playing at the park on Saturday.

Stuffing pinatas for Matt's birthday party yesterday and Aunt Kim's bachelorette party this coming weekend.  Lily helped pick out all the right candy and appointed herself the party planner of Matt's birthday.  Yesterday morning I overheard her calling my Mom to "hire" her to bake Matt's favorite kind of cake.  She is too much...

Speaking of the bachelorette, I am very excited but also freaking the f**k out at the prospect of leaving Jason for 3 nights.  I didn't leave Lily until she was a few months older than he is and that was only for 1 night.  He's almost 6 months old but I'm still nursing and feel that physical/hormonal longing when I'm away too long. I have a feeling I'm going to make it 2 nights and then have to leave early.  But I'll give it a go and see how long I can make it.  Hopefully I won't be crying into my frose all weekend.

If I had to pick one thing I was most looking forward to about the weekend, it's the idea of having conversations without constant kid interruptions.  Lily is at that age where she wants to be a part of every conversation.  Every.  Single.  One.  This means that all conversations are peppered with questions and random musings and it takes forever to talk about anything.  1/2 the time I can't even keep track of what we're talking about.  On top of that, she picks up on every innuendo and whispered word so we have to wait until she's asleep to talk about anything serious.  By that time we're so tired that we can't talk about anything anyway.  Ah, parenthood.  :)

Surprising Matt when he got back from running an errand.  Lily and I had streamered the front room and decorated it with emojis.

Blowing out his emoji birthday candles.