1 - Nicholas Eugene Collura, who turned one, and had a great party on Long Island. Pablo from "The Backyardigans" showed up and we had lots of fun with other kids. Particularly cute was Aidan, who as you can see as he holds his balloons, doesn't come to the smiles easily.

2 - Jen Bencivenga, who turned the big 5=0, and our friend Mike had a big party that was a cowboy party, with hats, bandanas and fun line dancing. We saw old friend we hadn't seen in a long time, but unfortunately, had to leave before we could get any cake.

3 - Nicholas Langella, who turned one, and had an intimate gathering up in Washington Heights. Lots of French was spoken, but the two Nicholas' just spoke the language of fun.

4 - Lori Lynn Bridenstine [aka Mom]. who turned 38, and we just had friends Amy and Dave over for some cake. Dad made a large Geman Chocolate cake, which despite following the directions, was a tad dry. Damn! Oh well, Mom seemed to like her silly gifts from Dad, NJ and the cats. Favorite gift - shoes from Amy and Dave. You can't win them all...

Labels: Bencivenga, birthday, collura, lori, Nicholas, Nicholas Langella, parties

What a spectacular Christmas trip the whole family had! Chicago, South Bend and Detroit. We saw lots of family, exchanged and received wonderful gifts and even had a blowout tire. What more could one ask for during the holiday season? It was great to see everyone, and you can see it all here, with a few select pictures of the family trip. Now let's start 2009!

Labels: Bridenstines, Chicago, Christmas, Detroit, Dincolo, holiday, Matthews, South Bend, train, trip