Melissa and Peter and the kids came for supper on Saturday night to celebrate Reid’s birthday. We ate tacos – a favourite of the kids and they’re not *too* messy. Well, not much messier than they’d be with any food. As always, the kids sat at the little table and chairs that Uncle Chris made for Reid. They are so much better behaved when they sit at their own table. They bicker a bit, as kids do, but without the attentive audience of adults it seems less intense. I don’t think it’s entirely the halo effect of me not having to see every transgression but that may help.
I’m turning into a real advocate of a separate kids’ table like we had for big meals at Grandma Joyces. The problem start when the oldest kid gets tired of seeing the little ones open their mouths to reveal their supper. My favourite kids’ table memory is of my niece Melissa (maybe 18 or so) asking when she got to sit at the adults’ table and someone telling her that someone would have to die. In the family I grew up in, that’s funny.
I baked an angel food cake (from a mix – only Melissa would make it from scratch). With a little creative relocation of part of the top, it looked pretty good. It was certainly up to the task of holding three candles and withstood Reid’s blowing. We had to enlist Ben’s help to get the candles out. For her real birthday, I’ll have to cluster the candles closer together.
Melissa and Peter were making movements to leave when I delicately asked if they thought that the kids would like to see Reid open her present. After a bit of discussion, we decided that Reid would like to focus on one present for a couple days before opening others. If it were me, I would space out my presents so that I opened one a day – or maybe one in the morning and another at night. Ken is more of a “the birthday is the big day” kind of guy and so we’re holding onto the presents and cards that she’s received so far for Reid to open on Wednesday.
Reid got some Colour Explosion paper, with markers that write only on the paper, and a craft book of hand trace/ hand print ideas. Reid is all about tracing and painting or colouring her hands.
Stephen was slow to get his shoes on and Melissa said “good bye” and walked out. This troubled Reid greatly. She had tears in her eyes and she asked how Stephen would get home. I’m not sure if she was empathizing about being left behind or worried that her only child status was threatened. Stephen finally hustled into his shoes and left. He didn’t come back and so we went to bed.
As we climbed the stairs, Reid said, “I want Uncle Roger and Auntie M.” Poor kid, she misses her extended family.