Birthday Days

I am sitting here in my bedroom listening to the sound of the falling rain. And I am so happy about it. I am not a big lover of daytime rain, but we have not had rain in a couple weeks, and my gardens are thirsty, so I will not be complaining today. We had a nice soaking rain for over an hour this morning, and now it is lightly sprinkling. Ahhh....

It is BMV's 12th birthday. 12th!! Where has the time gone? I certainly don't know.

And we celebrated LC's 7th birthday on Sunday.

I remember being convinced BMV was a girl, and LC was a boy. I was also convinced that Freckles was a girl and Meres was a boy. So, obviously I just need to follow the opposites of my instincts.

Both LC and BMV were born soon after a new day dawned. If I remember right, BMV was born at 12:47 a.m. and LC was born at 1:17 a.m..

They both changed my life in their own ways. They both are my firsts-son and daughter.

LC was due on BMV's 5th birthday. She was born two days before BMV's 5th birthday. I had been out of town for BMV's 4th birthday, so I had planned a party for his 5th birthday. His cousins and my parents, and siblings.

I didn't plan on having a 48 hour old baby, accompanied by 48 hour hormones and 24/7 nursing. I was a weepy mess who couldn't make her son a box cake, let alone frost it. Let alone get my junk together to celebrate. It was not my finest hour. I think Mr. Hippie made the cake and my mom frosted it. And I cried in my bedroom. But we all survived.

We still celebrate in a rather subdued way. Homemade or box cakes. Presents. Family. Painting basement walls...(it's raining outside. it just made sense...) Nothing Pinterest-able about the decor or games or food.

LC requested a Guinness cake (here) for her birthday this year. I was happy to oblige. Can a pound of butter taste any better? I'd say not. Well, except for maybe in Hollandaise.

BMV requested his usual. A box chocolate cake with white buttercream frosting. I just couldn't. Here I had made a from scratch chocolate guinness cake, and he wants a BOX chocolate cake. Not going to happen.

I told him that he had to pick a homemade cake from my extensive repertoire. That would be Strawberry Cake, Spice Cake, Hot Milk Sponge Cake or Boston Creme Pie. He picked the Boston Creme Pie.

And as I was beating the egg whites I wondered why in the world I insisted on a not box cake. What is my problem?

Tonight is our last outdoor concert of the summer. Which will be the perfect end to a perfect birthday!