Birthday girl

Eliot turned two today. While she opened her presents from grandparents on Anselm's birthday and has had great fun with them, today she got ours-- a tea set and a Radio Flyer scooter (this falls under the Bharathiesque category of "things I do to drive Blaise crazy"). Both very popular. Fortunately she forgot her only request, a small blue skateboard.

We took the opportunity of the birthday and our moving in anniversary to invite our neighbours and a couple of classmates for a party.. very successful. We just made simple, good food-- I let all the complicated ideas like treasure hunts and entertainers and multilayer cakes slide through this busy week. The kids played crazily and had a great time; yet, broke nothing. Simplicity means sustainability-- thirty or forty people, but not exhausting and overwhelming. Occasional light rain cleared to allow for cake and candles outside. Cakes were minimal: the request was for "pink". (Then, "a funny face", but once the pink cake was instantiated, no funny face was permitted. Anselm couldn't allow naked frosting so he helped out with some inspired sprinkling.) And as Ant and Bee would have it, They all had a lovely time.