Nicholas Turns Two!

Champagne. Chocolate cake. A Royal Park. Friends. Sunshine. Laughter. Onion dip. Submarine sandwiches. The Greenwich Meridian line. Leftover Easter candy.

We found that these were the ten essential things for an unforgettable second birthday party on Saturday.

Friends gathered in the Secret Garden at Greenwich Royal Park, astride the Greenwich Meridian line, 0 degrees longitude. We drank Nicolas (Feuillatte) champagne (Yum!), and then when that ran out, we acknowledged Nicholas’ dual heritage by drinking Pimms. In a culinary nod to his American roots, we ate submarine sandwiches—also known as hoagies or heroes, depending on where you are in the U.S.—and onion dip, which our British friends LOVED and found quite exotic. After a dodgy start to the day, the sun made an appearance at the party and stayed for the duration, until we all had to get home to put the kids to bed. In the goody bags, the children were awarded with Incredibles toys and leftover Easter candy. Yes, you read that correctly. I have no shame. But since everyone there knows me, and since I included a witty note about it, I just didn’t care about how that appeared.

A grand day was had by all.

If only all children’s birthday parties could be so simple. One of the terrible truths that no parent passes on is how a simple celebration to mark another year becomes A Very Big Deal once they hit age four. Maybe it’s a reflection of living in London, where everything is competitive. All I know is that Andrew’s sixth birthday is four months away, and I’m already trying to figure out how we’ll mark the occasion for his friends.

On Saturday, one of the highlights of the afternoon was a Nicholas Trivia Quiz. The winner got to take home a bottle of Nicolas champagne. (Congratulations Tom and Kirstin, who got 9 out of 10 correct, plus the bonus question right). If you’d like to try your luck, here’s the questions, and you can post your answers and I’ll tell you how you did.

1. When is his birthday?
2. How did Maureen get to St. Thomas’ Hospital?
3. What colour are his eyes?
4. What is his favourite fruit snack?
5. What did he do on his father’s last birthday?
6. What did Tim do on Nicholas’ first birthday?
7. What is the name of his swim teacher?
8. What is his favourite film?
9. What was his first proper noun?
10. What is his middle name?
Tie-breaking question:
What colour is his toothbrush?