a birthday & a baby

Yesterday was Maria's birthday. 

(I say yesterday because it is now after midnight, and while I'm sitting here playing with pictures, the birthday girl is still downtown having a rip-roarin' time)

But while I could go on and on about how much I love this girl, the real star of the evening was her niece, the incomparable Eleanora Violet. 

lovin' on her uncle mark

this kid makes the best faces

she had to peruse the menu thoroughly before ordering

making funny faces at mama 

we had a scowl-off to determine who would take on clint eastwood in the semi-finals

those eyes... my god, those eyes

i promise, she was consoled immediately after these photos were taken

she loved looking at herself in the camera

sandwiched between birthday girl & baby girl

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Happy birthday, my Maria! 

Thanks for being born so we could all have dinner, gush over that baby and watch your brother gently horrify anyone in a four table radius!