birthday celebration

here is grandpa's chocolate ice cream cake with a huge crowd of baseball players

and here is brett's cake with a cool golfer. brett's high school golf team won his league and his area of norcal and tomorrow they are playing for the northern california championship! go foothill falcons!

shelby tried to jump from the chair to the cakes soon after this picture.

dad did the traditional lighting of the candles. he usually only burns one finger in the process

here dad is singing a special version of the happy birthday song which he created which went "happy birthday-mother's day to you" apparently he didn't want us moms to feel left out.

blow out those candles boys!

don't forget to make a wish!

 looks like brett needed a little help from dad

uh-oh. why aren't they going out?

stupid trick candles!

look at all that smoke!

eventually we just put them out, since trick candles and an 84 year old don't really mix.

then it was time for presents. we got grandpa typical grandpa stuff, golf shirts, a jacket, and a new dvd of cars from shelby so that they can watch it together. he always says not to get him anything. yeah right grandpa!

and brett got new giants stuff: a jacket, shirt, and a blanket.

he got tickets to a game for him and his friends too.

look how pumped he is about it.

grandpa always likes the cards we get too.

it is so difficult to find good grandpa cards since most either have to do with getting old or drinking beer or ladies in bikinis, none of which work for my kind, sweet grandpa. so we stick to golf humor or cute cats saying funny things. his favorite was the one shelby colored all over of course!

brett was born very early the morning of may 11th, so close to being born on grandpa's birthday, may 10th. they share a middle name, Louis, which grandpa uses as his first name instead of norman. funny story, when grandpa was just a little kid, his mom knew someone named norman and didn't like him at all so they started calling grandpa by his middle name louis! he seems like more of a lou than a norman anyway. brett louis and norman louis: fisherman, golfers, and guys who get really great tans. (so unfair that richard and i didn't get that trait.)

and even though they cheer for different baseball teams, they are still as close as a grandfather and grandson can be. grandpa has even forgiven brett for liking the lakers, well, almost. grandpa is a die-hard kings fan even though they are terrible. and he likes the 49ers not the raiders, but for some reason he roots for the A's. while we thawleys and thompsons root for both baseball teams, unless of course they are playing each other and then we go for the giants. sorry gramps. but that green does look very nice on him. hooray for the may boys!