Birthday recap

Edith had just opened her presents from me and Tom on the morning of her birthday and asked if there was anything else. We said no, not immediately, and then the doorbell rang. I thought it was a bit early for UPS--but I should have known it was never too early for the surprise arrival of Mor-mor! Edith's partner in May birthday-dom, she has managed to celebrate with Edith on every birthday except in 2007. It was a great joy to have her here for the birthday proper, the birthday party, and Mother's Day. We were particularly grateful for her sacrifice to be here when it turned out that she was apart from my dad when his mother passed away--my last grandparent, and the girls' last great-grandparent but one (Tom's grandfather, who I think still hasn't gotten the memo that he's a senior citizen).

Hamming it up as she got on the bus on her birthday

Tom, Mor-mor and Alice brought in cupcakes to Edith's class at the end of the day. Edith and I had made the cupcakes the night before, after she told me that the carrot-zucchini muffins we've brought to daycare every year for her birthday are "really dull."

At her 6th birthday dinner--black bean burritos. What else? She and Alice would eat them every night of the week if we'd capitulate. We're trying to hold steady at no more than 50% of the time.

On Saturday we held a birthday party that capitalized on the date and Edith's continued interest in horses:

We hit the jackpot weatherwise--no small feat in Colorado in spring, we're quickly learning. Of course, I'd overplanned the games and activities and underestimated the kids' preference for running around. It was a bit harried, what with two of the obligatory birthday-kid meltdowns, little sister trying to stay in the thick of it all, one guest losing her car keys, and one child dragged over reluctantly by his mother, who tried once to run away and when thwarted by Tom, didn't fail to inform us throughout that he was having a terrible time. Over half the guests couldn't come, but in the end, the smaller number was probably a good thing. In retrospect, Edith declared that she'd had a great time.

Designing their jockey silks

We took the easy route and ordered pizza. I even ordered the cake for the first time, fearing my  rudimentary cake-decorating skills might not be up to the scrutiny of a six-year-old equine-lover.