Another year...

...with only one of my boys on my birthday.
Nick's annual boys backpacking trip just happened to fall on my birthday, again. No biggie. The husband got me an ice cream cake (my only request), enough Lulu gift money to get me through the winter and a bikini wax to get me through the rest of this pregnancy (I've lost sight of that entire area), all before he left last weekend. So I was a happy camper.

I had scheduled Charlie and I a few days down in Aptos, with my cousins on my actual birthday, but only by accident, just trying to coincide with Nick being out of town. Thanks to Kim and Bear for hosting us, it was really nice to be hanging out at the beach instead of working on my birthday.

Charlie and I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium yesterday and spent the morning running from exhibit to exhibit. It wasn't an easy task, being eight months pregnant and running after him all by myself, but he was pretty well behaved considering. He loved the interactive exhibits, where he got to touch some of the animals and play with the water. He also seemed to adore the puffins. I was thrilled, because there was a nice little bench for me to sit at while he stared at the water birds. He had been watching them for about five minutes when a little girl stood next to him and plugged her nose. Only then, did I realize he had just taken a big dump and feigned interest in the puffins so I wouldn't make him change his diaper.
Oh silly boy, you smelled too horrible to get away with that one.

We finished the day with burritos at the beach, with the Bierman clan, including Louie Dog, who is down to his last few days. It is so fun spending time with the boys, Charlie adored them and all their "cool toys."
How gorgeous is this family?