Alex is 11!

I call that a pretty good birthday. We were lucky to be able to snag the little gazebo in the 67th St. playground in Central Park. Our decorations (bandanas and a big red-white-and-blue thing) looked really festive. Our picnic basket got a great workout ferrying cupcakes and pink lemonade and napkins. Coincidentally, Ned was wearing an Old Navy flag t-shirt. Jeff was wearing a navy-and-white batik shirt. Alex chose a red, white and blue-striped t-shirt.

Alex's birthday is also Flag Day

Grandpa gave the hit present: a boxed set of twenty (count ‘em, 20!) Matchbox cars. Alex played with them and was completely mesmerized.

Aunt Julie gave inspired gifts: a green plastic wire thingy that’s hard to describe, easy to love. It’s intriguing, and I showed Alex how great his jungle animals look if you put them in there. Also these open-ended puzzle pieces. Alex, Ned and I had a pleasant half-hour this morning playing with them at the dining room table.

We're glad Flag Day is so near the 4th of July.

This morning, Ned gave Alex a detailed, realistic-looking toy elephant that he (Alex) had expressed interest in on a trip to the toy store yesterday. He was so delighted with it that he actually took an older elephant and tossed it in our recycling area. (I felt sad for it, so I rescued it and put it aside for our yard sale.)

Every year since Alex’s birth, Jeff has written him a letter. I guess this year my own rituals for Alex’s birthday are starting to emerge: A simple party. Cupcakes, pink lemonade. We spin out the presents (we still haven’t give him his MP3 player, which I loaded with songs I think he’ll like, or the picnic basket) so he doesn’t get overwhelmed. Every year we push him to celebrate a little more; every year we look back on the day of his birth and remind ourselves how far we’ve all come.