Birthday Blurbology

In honour of my littlest blurb who showed up around this time last year, some Blurbs:

• My morning runs are not as fun any more now that the Christmas lights are down.  Instead I'm running in the dark, and it's cold (so very, very cold). Now the only way to entertain myself is by imagining how much more difficult my runs would be if I was lugging around a space heater.
• Music practice in our home is fraught with perils for everyone involved. Tiny wants to sit on my lap while I practice (either instrument), but I'm terrified he's going to nose dive off right at the end of a long run. Littles tries to build a fort underneath the piano and ends up cracking his head underneath. Then he stands up and whaps himself on the flute. Whatever music I manage to produce is accompanied by falling sheet music, banging on the piano, and fingers being shoved up the end of my flute. Gone are the days when I sat in a tiny practice room, quiet in its solitude. This is way more fun, right?
• This morning Littles tells me: When I grow up, I want to be a stinkpot. Me too, son, me too.
• Not all cupcake liners are created equal. Some buckle under pressure. Also, cake batter is yummy.
• On a directly related note: back-to-back birthdays mean cake mix birthday cakes. Sue me.
• Again with that directly related note: should you happen to make two dozen cupcakes, ice them, and then leave them on the kitchen table while you run out with your husband and sons for a quick birthday dinner, when you come home, fourteen of them will be missing, and the cat and dog (who have joined forces for the first time ever) will have contentedly chocolatey faces. At least the ten they left were untouched. They are considerate to the last. I realize they were just trying to help us out since we're making another cake tomorrow (and do we really want to finish out the first week of January ten pounds heavier?).
• On a continued vein (in? a continued vein?), parents of children with back-to-back birthday (or people of all kinds who have experienced at some point in your life a back-to-back birthday), how? Just: how? Or maybe: how??? Somebody share with me your wisdom. I feel like at least one of the children (but probably both) will get gipped. In reality though, the only ones suffering will be the birthday party hating parents.

And on that note, here are some birthday pictures to complete this birthday blurbage:

The caked up birthday boy.
Yeah, he's already passed out cold.

Last year, tomorrow.
The birthday boy holding his brother.

This year, today.
The brother holding the birthday boy.