Sunday, April 24, 2016

E10's birthday

I was going to post this back in March, but then I got sick. It isn’t the next boy’s birthday yet, so I’m not behind!

My parents had arrived the day before E10’s birthday, and we asked him which of the items on our must-see list he would like to do on his birthday. He picked swimming with sea turtles – not a bad choice! It was spring break, so the parking area and every other free parking area within half a mile were packed, but we finally found a place that wasn’t too exorbitant and hiked along the resorts and beaches until we got to the “hidden lagoon” (which isn’t as hidden as it apparently used to be when it was named). It did not disappoint: in addition to seeing sea turtles and a variety of pretty reef fish, there was an endangered Hawaiian monk seal napping on the beach, surrounded by caution tape which had been erected by a super informative volunteer. We went to Pizza Hut for a late lunch, and then my parents bought E10 a bike at Walmart while I went home and decorated his cake.

 
After he had figured out how to ride (it didn’t take long), it was time for the piƱata. He and P11 had been planning this for months, and in the week before his birthday they made the entire thing by themselves. It was a great success!


Everyone (except little E1) got a turn.


Once the candy had been scooped up and partially consumed, it was time for him to open the rest of his presents. I really liked one with paper models of Escher’s artwork to assemble in 3-D. He was particularly excited by a new fishing reel.


After dinner, it was time for cake. I was really thrilled with his request this year: he had read a biography of the Wright Brothers in school, thought they were amazing, and wanted a Wright Brothers Flyer cake. This is the child who, 3 years ago, could not read two words together without doing a somersault in between them – it’s wonderful to see how he’s matured! My rendition of the Wright Flyer using white icing, pretzels, and chocolate icing for the propellers, was not as aerodynamic as theirs, but it was more delicious!