Quick Takes- Birthday Edition

1. My baby boy is 1 today! Sigh.... How quickly time passes. He celebrated this morning by overturning the dog's food and water and turning the dining room into a swamp of brown mush.

2. After getting both the boys up this morning, we played on my husband and I's bed before breakfast. "Gabriel," I said to my oldest. "Today is Eli's birthday!" He looked up quickly from his toy with wide eyes and replied, "Mama... Cake!!! Cake, Mama! Cake, Mama?" Gee, I wonder what he associates birthdays with.

3. When I was growing up, we occasionally celebrated our birthdays at a restaurant. I was always terrified that my parents would clue in the restaurant staff and I'd get sung to. I DID NOT want a birthday song. A sombrero, free dessert- sure. But NO SONG. So one year, even though my bladder was so full I thought I'd pass out, I refused to leave the table. To ensure that there would be absolutely no singing. And guess what? I still got dessert. Suh-weet.

4. My most memorable birthday present was tickets to see my favorite band, Eisley, in concert. I was horrified-thrilled when they announced after their set that they would be signing autographs and hanging out in the theater basement. But I was more horrified than thrilled and couldn't go down there. My husband pleaded with me, finally went down by himself and got a poster signed for me, then came back and practically threw me out into the aisle. "They're your FAVORITE band, Lenae," he said. So I did. And I probably acted like a Twilight fan meeting Robert Pattinson, but it was worth it.

5. Gabriel just came over to inform me: "Why-Why's birthday. CAKE." Amazing persistence he has, that one.

6. Speaking of which, I've had it in mind to make a Dr. Seuss-themed cake (E's nursery and birthday invitations were all Seuss-ey.) Problem: I have no idea how to go about that. So far I have several boxes of cake mix and food dye. That's it. I think it's going to end up being a rainbow-themed cake that I will fiercely insist is Dr. Seuss-themed.

7. I love birthdays. I try to celebrate them more than most people do (doesn't everyone deserve to have sky-writing on their day of birth?) but I've failed to convince anyone that birthdays are as huge as, say, inaugural events. Along those lines, though, I guess it's good that I'm not President because every day with be a holiday and we'd all be fat from the c-a-k-e (can't say it aloud, you know... Gabriel's nearby :)

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