Birthday Week

So with Mae's birthday this Wednesday and mine the next, we kicked off Birthday Week with our second annual combined birthday family party with Eli, whose birthday was January 30. So last Saturday, we headed out to Nana's and got down with it.

That's our hockey themed table cloth. Eli and I decided on a hockey theme and Mae went with dogs so we had little dessert plates and napkins with dogs on them. And when it came to presents, well, we got ourselves a doozy. Mom and Dad got us Pie Face, which we immediately opened up and got into. I went first - I rolled a three, turned the cranks three times and, alas, nothing happened.

Things heated up quickly, though, as Papa took himself a turn.

And then Pax was talked into it after a little bit of reluctance.

So after all the fun and games, we moved on to the cakes. This year Mae requested a dog cake from Nana (every year Nana makes and decorates our cakes to whatever we request). Mae wanted a chocolate lab, and I'd say she got one.

I decided on a music themed cake with a piano and guitar, which Eli and I shared. As you can see, Nana could start quite the cake decorating racket if she needs any side cash.

Good times, good party. Birthday Week kickoff was a big success.

Finley's Music Festival

So there's this thing on the Mac computer called Garage Band and basically you can make your own songs by just picking instruments to play and then layering the tracks, etc.

Well, Dad was showing it to me the other night; he would play instrumental parts and I would pick the ones I wanted.

You should give this a listen - this is the track that I created and we call it Finley's Festival. We threw a couple photos over it so there was something to look at while you listened (but only a couple, seriously, just two).

The first photo is of me holding a chicken, which I thought went appropriately over the banjo music. Then the second photo is of me smiling really big and beautiful, which I thought went well over the big and beautiful piano solo.

Anyway, enjoy, this will probably not be the last time DJ Finish (that's my DJ name when I rock the 45s on Wednesday nights in Bucktown) mixes up some sweet melodies and gives you a listen.