A very, very unbirthday...

July 27th...that's Carter's 1/2 birthday. This is something that Bryan and I started when Carter was 6 months old. We bought him one of those cars that you push, and learn to walk, from there a tradition was born. I can recall almost everything we bought him...and for the last 5 years we've taken him to Freebirds on that day (with the exception of last year, when my in laws did because he was with them).

This year, Bryan is going to be out of town at a conference on the actually date, so we decided to celebrate early. This year, the theme was Harry Potter. This kid will NOT stop talking, questioning, watching, and learning all he can about the boy wizard. So I started Friday night making cupcakes. He didn't know what they were for, so that made it better, since he forgot :). They were Devil's Food Cake flavor, and DELICIOUS.
This is what my boys do while I'm making cupcakes or cake...
...and this is Bryan's idea of the perfect cupcake. Devil's food cake with cake batter on top. :|
I was going for wizard cupcakes, but didn't have the right piping, sooooo I opted to decorate like this, and they turned out more like gnomes. They were supposed to be red/yellow (Gryffindor colors), but they turned out a little pinker than I'd like.
Then on Saturday, we let CJ pick where we ate, and since we'll eat at Freebirds on Wednesday for his actual 1/2 birthday, he opted for his second favorite place: Buffalo Wild Wings. He hardly ever takes a picture without making a silly face. Then we went and saw Captain America: First Avenger. It was really good.
Then we headed home to eat cupcakes, open gifts, and I made one last surprise "Butterbeer." If you've seen any of the Harry Potter's you know that this is a drink saved for special occasions.
It wasn't very good. Each of us drank about 3 sips, and called it quits. Guess you have to be a Hogwart's student or member of the wizard world to appreciate it.
Then it was time for presents. I had to improvise on a box because Bryan keeps throwing my empty shoe boxes out. He owned up to it at least!
Inside the box was a complete surprise for Carter. He LOVED it - even though it was just a shirt. It was a great shirt :)...
...it was a BTHO Voldemort shirt. For those of you "non-Aggies" the phrase "BTHO" applies to a traditional yell that we do at every game, event, and any time we want to fight something. It means "Beat the Hell Outta...." fill in the blank, whether it's another team, cancer, Bin Laden, or in this case Voldemort.
Then for present #2...
a book mark and Harry Potter chess. He's been playing a lot of computer chess lately, and kept hinting he wanted this for Christmas.
So it was a great day, and glad we got to do it before Bryan left. Wednesday, we'll probably see another movie, and go to Freebirds. Happy 9 1/2 birthday to our wonderful son, Carter Jackson.