Happy Birthday Phil, and "Grover Pie"

Yesterday was Phil's birthday! He's sitting in front of a big chocolate cake...

 ...but I also made a white chocolate-blueberry cashew "cheesecake."

 We decided that it shouldn't be called a 'cheesecake'--it's misleading and doesn't do it justice. At the party, on the fly, we were trying to come up with an alternative name. The first suggestions all had my name in them, which I discouraged, because it's not just 'my' creation...But for this crowd it is, and they were persistent! Based on my nickname "Elamonster," they were coming up with "monster" something. And it finally settled as "Grover Pie." Because it's a "blue monster" pie! I didn't grow up with Sesame Street, so this was totally out of left field for me, but for now, it stuck! And it was delicious, as was the entire celebratory dinner.

Phil's had a funny 'jester hat' for a while, most fittingly, but when we were in Anchorage on Saturday, we went to our boutique--Value Village--and he found another jester hat, complete with bells on, that fit me, and insisted I had to have it. So here we both are.

 There was lots of laughter at his party.

I think Amy was the one responsible for the "Grover Pie" appellation...

 One of his gifts was wrapped in Scarlett Johansson. I don't know whether to be disturbed by this reaction...

I gave him new binoculars for his birthday--seeing, and seeing far, is so important to him, and with the eye surgery last winter he's been through some challenges with that this past year. I also got some bird-feeders, so that we can entice even more amazing bird-life into our yard for him to look at with the binoculars!
Here's my recap of his birthday last year!