Happy birthday, Ben, but this weekend was all about Dorothy.

We knew we'd spend Ben's actual birthday mostly in the car and running the kids all over the place and celebrating Dorothy at The Little Gym, so we kicked the weekend off with a lovely and debaucherous bowling birthday party for Ben.  I don't have many pictures because everyone got super drunk.

Well, not me.  I had a couple of cocktails before dinner at 6:00, but then I stopped drinking and ate a bucketfull of fried food so that I could be a sober driver at 12:30.  Good thing, too, because WE GOT PULLED OVER dropping some friends at the golf course bar because Ben's FREAKING HEADLIGHT was out in the Prius.  He was like, oh yeah, my left headlight's out just as I turned on a really dark road, and seconds later. sirens and flashing lights.  We have 10 days to fix it and mail the officer a receipt or we get a ticket.  And by we I mean Ben who got the warning even though he wasn't driving.  Ha!

Poor Ben.  His suspicions proved true: after Friday night, he was no longer the focus of our attention.  We spent the rest of the weekend feting Dorothy, our sweet little Ides of March girl, with a trip to Frolic With the Fairies and her first friend birthday party.

 The above picture was me when we got in the car to go to my parents' house on Saturday morning.

Below is me 14 minutes after we pulled in.  I pulled that shit together, in other words.

 Like we did last year, we dressed Dorothy in her fairy best and headed to the most adorable little toddler rave in the world.  Like last year, SHE LOVED IT.

 Fairies successfully frolicked, we met back up with Ben and the boys for presents (Ray Bans for Ben to lose on vacation and Barbies for Dorothy to start what I hope is an extensive collection)

 And then we headed to the Burger Barge, which has the best hamburgers in the world and Chuck E. Cheese-like games.  But I was shocked to see a Cosmo on the retro cocktail list.  I mean, really?  Wasn't Sex and the City like yesterday?  (I AM SO OLD).

 Cooper ordered a Swamp Thing and then threw a 20-minute tantrum for a root beer float.

 Dorothy ate a basket of homemade chips and about 3.4 a bottle of ketchup.

 Jack spent at least $35 in quarters and got enough tickets for this squeezy tube of weird candy.

 Cooper's barely touched root beer float.

 Ben is super dad.

 This made send in my head. The candles were tens and then a one and a six and 3 tens equals 37  Duh.

 Dorothy was practicing blowing out candles for her big day

 This is her on the way to her party, a total sunbeam.

 OH MY GOD!  IT'S HER PARTY  (that was pretty much her attitude all day)

 After the party we tried to get a cousin picture, but the kids were losing it (just our kids-- Baby Henry was a delight).

 Do you like Jack's outfit?  Dorothy stole his pink boa.

Henry didn't like wolf mask.  Go fig.

Ben and I just demolished leftover birthday pizza, and I ate 2 pieces of Dora cake.  Now we have a good bottle of wine and some terrible TV.  It's shaping up to be a good birthday after all.