A Tale of Two Birthdays

Wombles is Seven!

Last year, we were juggling a teaching day with our desire to celebrate his sixth birthday. While I taught a class, J hoofed around Rome (having finished his teaching for the day) looking for a toy store. For birthday presents. On the actual birthday. (Amazon Prime, how I missed you). When J got home, we went about fulfilling Wombles' birthday wishes. In Covington style, they revolved around food and fun.

Poor Wombles--or Lucky Wombles? Two years in a row, he gets to celebrate his birthday far from home. He's the only one of us (besides yours truly) to get to do that. And since we are already spending much of this fall thinking and saying, "This time last year..," I thought I'd play a little comparison game.* Poor Wombles or Lucky? You decide!


Last year's breakfast: No idea. Can't remember anything. Probably something sweet from the store?
This year's breakfast: The traditional made-from-scratch strawberries and shortcake... with bacon.

Last year's lunch: McDonald's across from Termini. Happy Meal. The boy just wanted some American food.
This year's lunch: Stacked pancakes (homemade, straight out of Farmer Boy) with little smokies (technically Lit'l Smokies). In a nutritional contest, I think this one's a draw.

Last year's activity: Going to the Colosseum.

This year's activity: Going to Terhune Orchards. Think cider, a corn maze, and lots of running around outside. And apple cider donuts...and apple pie...culturally on the other end of the spectrum from the uber-urban colosseum, except for each being so very representative of the local ethos.

Last year's supper: Oh, my word. An odyssey. You would think that we would be able to get sausage pizza in Rome, of all places...but no. J walked to six different pizzerias at the end of a long day, hoping to fulfill W's wish--all to no avail. Other kinds of pizza, yes...but no sausage pizza.

2013, the year of the lone pink candle

This year's supper:  Wombles, in an unusal spark of optimism (or perhaps a characteristic display of pertinacity) has asked for sausage pizza for his birthday supper AGAIN. Maybe we'll get it right this time.  New World Pizza, I'm looking at you.


Last year's cake: That chocolatey thing I bought from the bakery down the street. With the one pink candle and the Italian word I didn't understand on top.
This year's cake: by request Funfetti with green frosting and a car race on the top. Cars provided by Hot Wheels.

This year's wrapping paper: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The irony is not lost on me that this time last year he was also looking at [the works of] Michaelangelo, Donatello and Leonardo. High Culture! Low Culture! Hooray!
Last Year's wrapping paper: Checked plastic picnic tablecloths from the home store across the street from our apartment. I kid you not, it was the absolute best I could do. see photo.

Last Year's Mama: Stranger-in-a-strange-land, crazy, and crazy-for-Wombles. And wearing this blue shirt.
This year's Mama: Ditto. Down to the shirt. I found this photo as I was going through looking for cake pictures, and every single thing about it is unnerving.

At least one thing is same-old, same old!

Overall I would say there's more equilibrium (and presents!) this year, and last year had a more exotic flavor including the pizza. At least, I would be tempted to think of it as more exotic, if I weren't increasingly convinced of the adventure of the ordinary and the uniqueness of each day. But here we are on the East coast, in perhaps the most garden-like part of the Garden State. We get to experience different seasons (both of the year and of life). And we get to celebrate another year with Wombles. God has been good to us this year, indeed.

I can't believe my sweet boy is SEVEN! Happy Birthday, Wombles--and happy adventuring!




*Also, the battery in my camera is dying and I lost the charger during the move East, so I don't have any photos from this year. But I do have photos from last year, so...
**This year's photo of Wombles lifted from J's Facebook page.