Hugh turned 21 again 27 yesterday.

Two years ago I threw him a super-hero themed murder mystery party, and last year we had a gathering at an arcade-like bar. This year we tried to revive a birthday celebration from his childhood — a flag football extravaganza called the Hughper Bowl — but we had to postpone due to lack of players in town.

Instead, we settled for a simple Weekend of Hugh.

We celebrated Saturday with chicken pot pie, Hugh’s favorite.

I made it from scratch for the very first time. Cooked the chicken, roasted the veggies, made the roux, whisked it into a gravy, and topped it with a homemade pie crust.

And it turned out pretty amazing, so I didn’t stop there. I made chocolate hand pies for dessert.

They kind of exploded in the oven, but that basically just added to their deliciousness.

Then we played Risk with some friends.

Yesterday, on his actual birthday, I gave Hugh a fishing rod and reel because I’m all about supporting his non-work hobbies. And my parents outfitted him with a tackle box full of fishing goodies which he spent the rest of the day exploring and organizing.

We wrapped up the Weekend of Hugh with a visit to my grandparents, leftover pot pie, and betting against each other during the Grammys. We didn’t stay up til the end, but I’m pretty sure I won.

Though I wasn’t able to pull off a big birthday celebration this year, at least he was well fed. So that has to count for something, right?