Birthday Party

A little while ago we celebrated A's birthday. We tried to put some restraints on the general hooplah, A being a modest woman with little desire for center stage. Nonetheless, there was cake. E and I spent the afternoon baking and filling his favorite cake pan, which is an elaborate as-seen-on-TV product that creates a domed shell of cake and a separate base, and then you fill the dome with some luscious creamy filling. E followed the recipe and directions expertly, and we kept the kitchen pretty tidy as we worked. As always, baking together with E was a great success. For D, we can talk forever if we're playing catch or shooting baskets. For E, it's kitchen time that draws out conversation. We had time to reminisce about successful past birthdays, like the one last summer when he turned 10 and took over the movie theater with friends, a tradition for us by now and always a crowd pleaser. The best present ever was at that birthday, he recalled -- a knight's helmet, an utterly wearable, displayable replica, heavy as anything made from thick, shiny metal.
But getting back to the A birthday, one notable highlight, aside from all the presents and laughs, was the kick-off of spring cocktail season, featuring festive pink daiquiris with bright blue cherries.