50 and 11

Mike turned 50 this August. 50! It feels like I should have something profound to say about Mike reaching 50 (particularly as I'm hot on his tail). 

I mean ... half a century? 

More than twice the age we were when we met? 

It's certainly something! 

And perhaps reaching that point myself this December will inspire some sort of thought-provoking words. (?) 

For now, I will just post some birthday pictures of Mike at 50 and his birthday twin Mette at 11.

I didn't give Mike anything amazing for his birthday. (A hat. And Johan Bojer's The Last of the Vikings -- which the two of us read out loud together a few years ago but didn't yet own a copy of.) But Mike bought a mother cow and her baby close enough to his birthday that perhaps we can count them as birthday gifts. And two cows is a pretty good gift. (More pictures later. They are a very fun coloring and she is remarkably gentle.)

I'm not an enormous fan of throwing big, friend-type, birthday parties, but Mette had been begging and pleading, so we let her have one the day before her real birthday. 

Below they had to guess Mette's age in each picture.

Everyone always gives Mike root beer for his birthday. Goldie and Wyatt decided to change it up a bit by bringing dry ice and stuff to make homemade root beer this year.

When you share a birthday with one of your children, it's a fact that most of the celebrating is geared towards that child. (The same was true with me and my dad. Our birthdays were actually a day apart, but we generally celebrated together ... meaning, I generally got most of the attention. :)) But! We did make them each their own cake! That's something!

Happy birthday to these two people!