My day started a few hours before the kids woke up. Michele picked me up at 8am, along with Janemarie and Stephanie. We went to Carrefour to do the major shopping for the epic Seafood Dinner. Crab legs, scallops, two types of salmon, mussels, shrimp, and seafood paella. There would be a big salad, and veggie tray and hummus too, of course.
We all went home to get a few things ready then met back at Michele's house by 4 to start prepping and cooking. Makenna helped me make the fruit pizza and also a bonus surprise cake for Jessica. We made carrot cake with an 11 on top made from green sprinkles. Isaac kept Jessica distracted by playing their Terraria video game together. In the car, Isaac and Jessica at in the back, Jess holding the fruit pizza. Makenna sat in front with the carrot cake on her lap and her hoodie draped over her arm and should shielding it from view. We thought we were being rather obvious, but Jess acted truly surprised and later claimed she had no idea. We drove them to Stephanie's house so the fruit pizza could stay in the fridge, then we all back it to Michele's to start cooking.
The seafood didn't need to be prepped early, but there was chopping for the salad, starting the rib roast, making the hummus, and plenty of silly chatting as we talked food.
After fireworks on the roof, we pulled out the surprise cake, lit with 11 candles around the edges and almost 30 people sang to Jessica to her pleased embarrassment.
Side note on Matt. He started feeling a bit crumby the 30th and the girls' bug was coming on in full force on New Years Eve. Luckily he made an uneventful drive home from work and put himself straight to bed. After we got home, I straightened up the mess we had left, put up the birthday banner, hung some balloons, and crept to bed sometime around 3. Everyone slept in till about noon. Jessica's birthday breakfast always seems to be served in the afternoon.
We all went home to get a few things ready then met back at Michele's house by 4 to start prepping and cooking. Makenna helped me make the fruit pizza and also a bonus surprise cake for Jessica. We made carrot cake with an 11 on top made from green sprinkles. Isaac kept Jessica distracted by playing their Terraria video game together. In the car, Isaac and Jessica at in the back, Jess holding the fruit pizza. Makenna sat in front with the carrot cake on her lap and her hoodie draped over her arm and should shielding it from view. We thought we were being rather obvious, but Jess acted truly surprised and later claimed she had no idea. We drove them to Stephanie's house so the fruit pizza could stay in the fridge, then we all back it to Michele's to start cooking.
The seafood didn't need to be prepped early, but there was chopping for the salad, starting the rib roast, making the hummus, and plenty of silly chatting as we talked food.
Me, Janemarie (our Scot), Michele, Stephanie
I tried Paella for the first time. It was a seafood version with mussels, shrimp and calamari in it. Yum.
Stephanie made the hummus extra fancy. Can you tell she used to decorate cakes as a side business?
Michele photographing the food as we started putting it out on the table. I forgot to take one once it was loaded because starving teenagers descended upon us.
Jack, Will, Tarek, Isaac, Zaid, Finnely, Teagan, Makenna.
The younger three (Jessica, Sarah, Grace and Adam ate at the food table with the adults)
After we ate, we headed over to Stephanie's for part 2. After the terrible traffic last year (Matt got stuck trying to meet us 1.5 hours before midnight and was stuck there till after 1a.m.!), we wanted to get to Stephanie's early. Due to her location (east side of the freeway) and the scaled back, non-world-record setting fireworks, traffic was a complete non-issue. Two more families joined in for this part. Mustafa's (of Turkey trip fame) and the Heads, also scout friends. So we arrived and pulled out the desserts and drinks--every kind of fizzy juice combos. There was a trampoline, ping pong, basketball, pogo stick....etc. to keep folks entertained till midnight.
My fruit pizza, designed by Makenna
Janemarie's Christmas Cake, made lovingly over a couple weeks in Scotland and carried in her lap on the plane (in a special box) to Dubai to share. It's a special fruit cake inside, not really my cup o' tea, but it was so beautiful. An English girl, Mustafa's wife, said it was the best she has ever tasted. So there you go! Janemarie's scallops were the best I ever tasted. I know she is a chef extraordinaire.
Isaac pogoing
I couldn't get Jess to leave the tramp except for drinks and bathrooms breaks.
She blew all the candles out on her first go!
Happy New Year BatJess11!
This was right as we were leaving sometime between 1 and 2. Isaac decorated Tarek's head with discarded party hats. I couldn't decide if he looked more like Superman's baby spacecraft or a piñata.
That sounds like a serious party!
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