Marshall Turns 8

Dear Marshall,

This year your birthday was so close to a graduation party, a father’s day party, and the July 4th weekend that we decided not to have a separate party for you. Instead we piggy-backed the celebration onto the father’s day party for your father’s side of the family, and onto July 4th weekend for my side of the family. We also gave you a present and some cake on your birthday. So, like Livia, you got three celebrations, which seemed only fair.

I ordered a big cake to bring to the Father’s Day party. You were supposed to go to that party while I took Livia to a separate birthday party. But then your father had to run out to take care of a work emergency, which totally changed our plans. You had to come with me and Livia to the birthday party, and then we had to pick up your cake and head over to Auntie’s house.

Well, that other birthday party was fun. There was a bouncy house. You really enjoyed that. But afterward, at the grocery store, your cake was not ready! Apparently the order never got printed, and there was no one there to decorate a cake for us. The store tried to make it up to use by giving use some free cakes and balloons. The cakes were not exactly what you wanted, and they didn’t have your name on them, but I didn’t mind having saved some cash, especially since it turned out that we didn’t need nearly as much cake as we had ordered. There were about a dozen fewer people at Auntie’s house than we had expected. That’s OK, though. I am trying to adapt to the Portuguese way, which is to always have way more food than you could possibly need.

At Auntie’s house you got to go in the swimming pool, have cake, and open presents. On your actual birthday, I gave you a big Pokemon card set. It was ridiculously expensive, but I figure that you only turn eight once. Plus, since I got your cakes for free, that pretty much paid for the gift. You loved your new cards.

The best part of your birthday celebration came later. I had topped your present, as well as the small one I got for Livia, with glow stick swords. The two of you decided that they were magic wands, and you started performing magic on Daddy. Marshall put a spell on Daddy that made it so Daddy could only say, “I am poopie!” This was just about the funniest thing ever. It had me in stitches. Then I suggested that he change the spell so that Daddy could only say, “I am EXTRA poopie!” That got me laughing so hard, I think I actually drooled. I took a little bit of video. Maybe you will get to see it later in life and laugh yourself into a drooling state, too.

Before I went to bed that night, I checked in on you. You were sleeping with the sword clasped in your hand, hugged close to your chest. You looked like an enchanted king with a magical sword. May all your birthdays be so enchanted!

Love,

Mom

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