lambscapearchitect: birthdays

Another birthday here and gone.

The thing about birthdays as you get up there in years is...they are kind of dumb. I mean, for the most part they are just like any other day.

I was still awakened by crying at 5:45. I still had to wrestle the eye drops into Harriet's eyes. I still had to make breakfast for everyone and get out the door and to school on time. I still had to do all the mundane usual stuff--dishwasher, laundry, diapers, couch sitting.

I am a full time mom and even though that makes birthdays seem like just another day, it also makes them extra special. When I knocked on Eloise's door the morning of my birthday she handed me a piece of paper folded up at least 30 times into the smallest piece imaginable. When I finally got it open it simply said HAPPY BIRTDAY with a double exclamation point smiley face. It was the best.
Then, there was the cake.

Eloise has been talking about making me an ice cream cake for my birthday since my birthday the year before. She had the whole thing planned out and would interview me about it all the time all the while trying to keep it a secret. She would say, "Mom, what are your two favorite ice cream flavors, for no particular reason?" She and Mike snuck around like ninjas trying to execute this cake without me finding out. They sent me out for a couple hours and I only got two texts: one inquiring about a spring form pan and another about chilling a bowl before making whipped cream. What I imagined was going on at home was keeping me pretty entertained.

On Sunday night we all went out to a very early dinner. God, I think it was 4:30. Once home, I put Harriet to bed and came downstairs to a darkened kitchen and heard suspicious giggling under the table. The cake was on top, candles were lit, and Eloise was beaming all through singing "Happy Birthday to Mom..."

Even a dumb birthday can be pretty swell.