It's fun to be one!

Today we went to Ely's first birthday party, though regrettably (and rather rudely, though we had no real control over this) we were about two and a half hours late. We made it just in time to see Ely open his last few gifts (and from the looks of it, he got some nice stuff! He'll have fun playing with all of his new toys, I'm sure.), and also to be there for the birthday cake.

I don't remember turning one - I believe my first memories are from when I was in kindergarten, so I was, what, five or six? - but from the looks of it, being one is a lot of fun. Ely, though exhausted from all the excitement, took great joy in all of the people and toys. Perhaps his most favorite toy was the bunch of balloons just for him. Have you ever before seen a face this happy about balloons? The look on his face is priceless as he smacks the balloons back and forth in front of his face. And laughing to beat the band. What a cutie-pie.

And here's the cutie-pie wondering why he's sitting face to face with a monkey.It's because that's his cake! Can you believe it? What a masterpiece! It was made by his mommies. If I ever give birth, my child unfortunately will not have a cake like that - the talent and creativity needed to think it up, cook it up, and then decorate it, is more than this woman has.

So what has been going on around here in the way of fun? Well, I am managing to amuse myself at work each day with these two little guys: Chicken and Farmer Brown are rubber duckies that I got at a time-management workshop, and while I'm not sure how they're supposed to help me better manage my time, since I tend to zone out while staring at them, I do appreciate their ability to brighten my days. I also appreciate the ability of internet Christmas shopping to brighten my days. I've been busy: Here's the thing about internet Christmas shopping - it creates so much packaging waste, but it's so easy. And for people who are on limited time this holiday season, it's the only way to get it done. I do not have time for the mall, do not want to deal with crowds, and can take a quick break from the budget or another one of my work projects to make a purchase. And then I'm done! Amazing. I'd say 80% of the gifts Doug and I are giving this year will have been purchased from the Internet. Thank you, Internet, for making my Christmas dreams come true.