Celebrating 16

We had a pretty low-key, but still very fun, celebration for Ruth's birthday today. She had requested pancakes for breakfast, which was a little easier said than done, since that doesn't really seem to be a thing here in Mendoza. We also don't have any measuring cups in our house, so Ruth just threw ingredients into a bowl and hoped for the best. I then cooked the pancakes one at a time in a frying pan, which took quite a long time but was worth it. The pancakes came out super thick but quite tasty, and even though we couldn't find syrup, we found a number of other acceptable toppings. 

Birthday breakfast

Pancakes upon pancakes upon pancakes!

Later, Ruth made herself a chocolate pie, which also proved to be something of an adventure. We only had an oval pan, and the pie crust we found was more like phyllo dough. Also the handle on the saucepan was just about to fall off and would twist around in her hand every time she tried to grab it, so hot chocolate kept spilling all over everything. And a certain little brother released all the aerosol from the whipped cream canister, so that it came out creamy rather than foamy. But it tasted good and makes for a good story. 

Birthday pie

When we were giving Ruth our gift of many gift cards to some of her favorite places, Clay was sad because he didn't have a store-bought gift for her, even though he had drawn a lovely picture to give her. So, he begged me to take him to the store to pick something out. He is such a giver and a lover, and I couldn't resist his request. He found the perfect thing: a pack of four different writing instruments Ruth could use for school and a package of Ferro Rocher bonbons. He's such a sweet boy, and he does love his sister so!

When you get exactly what you
wanted for your birthday.

There will be some shopping in this girl's future

These two have the sweetest relationship!

For dinner, we went out to a cool place that Ruth picked out called Fuente y Fonda. The restaurant didn't even open until 8, and we were some of the first patrons to arrive. The concept of the place is shareable dishes served family-style. We ordered three different things: Chicken Milanesa, Shepard's Pie, and Steak, which came with sides and bread and desserts. Everything was delicious, and we had such a great time!

Fuente y Fonda

Birthday dinner

So much yumminess!