A Month of Birthdays
Though February is the shortest month of the year, it is full of merry-making. It is known to our family as “the month of birthdays,” as no fewer than four of us celebrate our debuts within these twenty-odd days. Here is a belated peek into some of the festivities.
The first honoree of the month was Littlest Brother. We siblings stayed up late, setting a special breakfast table and preparing the traditional family card. We were up early the next morning, baking blueberry muffins and toasting bagels. When all was ready, we donned our paper hats—for the girls, beribboned pink henins; for the boys, Lincoln-green caps stuck with scarlet feathers.
According to revered birthday tradition, the guest of honor must be blindfolded and escorted into the dining room where he is met with a burst of song as he unwinds the cloth to see the decorations. Usually, the “theme” is a surprise, based on current interests of the birthday person; but I think Littlest Brother got a clue when a princess helped him put on armor.
After his coronation, the newly-crowned king received a royal proclamation of our love, and wishes for a very happy birthday. I had (carefully) burned the edges of the page to achieve something of an aged look. His Royal Majesty the King looks thrilled.
You may remember this incident highlighted in a recent entry of “Overheard.”
We had a medieval theme for Littlest Brother's birthday. Biggest Brother and I, with the mandolin and flautino (as the recorder would have then been called), were traveling minstrels come to regale the king with "Happy Birthday to You." Our presentation was begun a bit prematurely. "Wait," Next Sister interrupted, "for the video camera." Biggest Brother shook his head. "Those haven't even been invented. We'll be waiting a long time."
After breakfast we posed for a siblings picture. We had a little fun with this shot. You can see a more reasonable one at the top of the page.
(L to R: Biggest Brother, Second Brother, Third Brother, Littlest Brother, Littlest Sister, myself, and Next Sister)
Mama came in time for lunch, bearing gifts for the king. A new, rather ornate crown was set upon the royal pate, his fingers were adorned with edible jewels, and he received toasts with golden goblets of root-beer float.
Littlest Brother had several movies on his birthday schedule (IO1 Dalmatians, Hoodwinked...), and we were all looking forward to “Root Cause,” the latest episode of Person of Interest. (Mama prescreens these for us, and she told us that it was so exciting she had a stomach ache.) I have a recurring nightmare about computer hackers, so I was just as disturbed as Finch when he discovered his system had been compromised.—(and just as disturbed about the monosodium glutamate in the chips he was not going to eat.)
Michael Emerson as Harold Finch, and Jim Caviezel as John Reese.
After his favorite dinner of tortellini and garlic bread, Littlest Brother decided he was too full for pumpkin pie. (It made a fine breakfast the next day.) Next on the agenda was opening the wrapped gifts that had been prominently and temptingly displayed all day.
Littlest Brother was starry-eyed over his red plaid robe. He also received a “treasure box” (a plastic bin for his special things), money from Grandma and Grandpa, and....
...Superman pajamas! Watch Littlest Brother star as the super-hero in “The Robber Report,” a film by Next Sister with help from her green screen and original television footage.
For the next birthday, we welcome every-beast to...
Second Brother is a HUGE fan of Brain Jacques Redwall series. (I rarely use capitals and bold type, so you know I am serious.) It was no cinch as to what should be the theme for his birthday. We transformed the dining table into a woodland floor, arranging rough branches and scattering dried leaves, and placing a few stuffed otters and Jacques’ books. The festive scene was lit by a chandelier festooned with fresh ferns, ribbon, and paper lanterns. The iPod was tuned to English medieval tunes.
The birthday menu consisted entirely of recipes from the Redwall Cookbook, prepared by Second Brother with Next Sister. The rich odors—scallions, shrimp, butter, pepper—were carried from the kitchen through the house and outside, where the rest of us were enjoying the breezy weather in true Sunday-fashion.
We called our chefs outside when Papa caught sight of this adventurous turtle sailing down the canal on a coconut. This diverted us for half an hour at least.
There was a general rush in response to the dinner call. Everyone heaped their bowls with delicious, hearty “Hot-Root Stew.”
These tasty “Squirrel Bakes” were buttery mashed potatoes rolled in seasoned breadcrumbs and baked.
Golden goblets brimmed with refreshing, ruby-hued “October Ale.” There was also a creamy “Strawberry Fizz.”
Conspicuously missing from the birthday atmosphere was a wrapped present. In true Redwall-fashion, we had prepared a riddle for Second Brother to solve. His memory of the various characters would prove valuable in discovering the secret location of his gifts. Fortunately, all the books were handy for reference.
We got bored waiting. (To do Second Brother justice, it was a quite long and difficult riddle.) While others chatted or even snoozed, Biggest Brother collected everyone’s golden goblets and constructed an impressive but flimsy tower. I look amused but also trepidatious.
After a false finish that would have the presents hidden beneath a “terratagd,” Second Brother solved the riddle and found them concealed in the compartment beneath the terrarium. Our “Beau Brummell” was well-pleased with a pair of wool-lined slippers and a bottle of cologne. Littlest Brother appears less well-pleased with the fragrance.
Finally, we could have dessert. We sang “Happy Birthday,” and Second Brother made a show of blowing out his candle. Yes, pumpkin pie is, strangely enough, a birthday favorite. For the “sugar-freeks”—Papa and myself, thoughtful Second Brother prepared fresh strawberries and dark chocolate.
The evening was closed with a long and spirited Game of Life. Here the players tally their assets. Papa wins!
Littlest Sister’s birthday was next. She has great interest in fashion and couture sewing, so it was easy to decide on a theme for her breakfast table.
We had fun dressing these “Haute Coutoure” mannequins. Like all mannequins, they are a bit scary.
Even Diamond the beta-fish dressed for the occasion.
We cheered heartily for Littlest Sister’s breakfast choice: Papa’s whole wheat banana pancakes—three plates of them, and plenty of maple syrup and whipped cream. Weekend birthdays are the best!
In an outing appropriate to her birthday theme, Littlest Sister bought a beautiful blue outfit at one of her favorite clothing stores.
When she came home again, we enjoyed a refreshing lunch: egg salad on bagels, pretzel sticks, and root beer.
After cleaning the kitchen, we played an elaborate acting game—a request of the birthday-girl. The house became a hotel, and we the mysterious guests. Our various roles (hit-man, victim, undercover police...) were secretly drawn, and then we dressed for the occasion. I was the victim, and my paranoid behavior eventually attracted the attention of the hit-man and the police—at about the same time. I barely escaped with my life.
(L to R: Littlest Sister, Littlest Brother, Next Sister)
Then we played several (loud) rounds of Rummikub, a favorite game. We’re rather a suspicious lot, though: No one wanted Third Brother to photograph their tiles and perhaps reveal them to an opponent. It didn’t really matter, though, since we’re always sticking our heads round to advise someone on their next move. :-)
After a “Cuban dinner” of black beans and rice with barbequed chicken, we sang “Happy Birthday,” and had slices of ice-cream cake for dessert.
How does your family celebrate birthdays?
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LITTLEST SISTER said...
February is always a lot of fun! We end up with a lot of variety.
Wednesday, March 21, 2012 05:42 PM
RACHEL and DANIELLE said...
All the pictures are great, and we loved the themes. The turtle was HILARIOUS; we had a good laugh! How do you come up with all the awesome decorations to go with your themes? We hope to see more fun birthday pictures soon!
Love,
Danielle and Rachel
Thursday, March 22, 2008 01:36 PM
HANDMAIDEN said...
We couldn’t stop laughing over that turtle...
How do we come up with decorations? You need three girls up past their bedtime. The resulting compound of excitement and crabbiness is highly conducive to creativity. ;-)
Saturday, March 24, 2012 04:42 PM
Tuesday, March 13, 2012