Brandon had a huge shelf exam on Halloween, so we celebrated Oliver's Birthday two days late on November 1st instead. We wanted to share Oliver's first cake experience with people, and since we don't live near any immediate family (they're in Utah, mostly), we decided to put together a birthday party for him.
My mom (Nona) was really sad she was going to miss Oliver's first birthday (he's the first grandchild on my side of the family), but she didn't think she would be able to make it. I was disappointed, but I hadn't really expected her to come out from Utah. Apparently, a couple days before the party, she decided she couldn't stand it, and that she was going to be there. My dad (Papi) said he would drive with her if she waited until Friday (I NEVER thought I would be able to get him to come to Portland, and my Mom didn't think so either), so she said: "Ok. Let's do this thing."
They left around 5 p.m. Halloween night and drove all night to surprise us that morning. We had been up for about an hour and were getting things ready for the party, when there was a knock at the door. Brandon went to answer it, and I heard my Mom's voice, and then my Dad's. Shock. Complete shock.
I basically cried. A lot. I'm tearing up now just thinking about it.
We like Portland. We really do. I think we'd be okay ending up in Oregon, but there's nothing quite like family, and being a 12-15 hour drive away is hard. It made my entire year to have my mom and dad there with us to help celebrate Oliver's birthday. They were only there for the one day, and left on Sunday, but we loved having them with us for every minute they were able to be there!
#best{grand}parentsinallthegalaxies.
I was horrible about taking photos because we were running late getting everything ready, and I never fully recovered. Luckily, I got a few from my parents and friends.
When it came time to break into the cake, Oliver was fastidious. He ate it crumb by crumb and didn't really get his hands dirty. He nibbled at it for a few minutes and then was done.
He liked the Gingermen though, mustaches and all.
Happy Birthday Oliver! Thanks to everyone who came and made it a great day and a great party!
