2012: Week 39

2012: Week 39, a photo by MAStapleton on Flickr.

One of our greatest family traditions is having cake for breakfast on our birthdays. So we did again on Saturday. And it was good.

Happy Birthday Thing 2!

Happy 9th Birthday Thing Two!

Another year has passed, and it's another milestone. This one is the last single-digit birthday he'll ever have. Time flies when you're having fun.

Just as I do every year, I went back to see what I wrote about Thing Two a year ago, to see how much has changed, and how much  has stayed the same.

The more things change:

1. We went through a huge "Tudor phase" this year, such is the pitfalls of living in England, and particularly in Greenwich, the birthplace of King Henry VIII. We visited Hampton Court Palace twice and the Tower of London, all within six weeks. I'm proud to say that I can now name all of Henry's wives and what happened to them. (Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived.)

2. He certainly has learned how to travel and get around. The other night, when I asked him how he would get from Heathrow to home by himself, he said, "I'd hire a taxi." Well done.

3. His sense of humour and sarcasm is extremely robust. The other afternoon, we walked past a young child whose balloon had just popped. Apropos of nothing, he said, "The balloon popped. And so did someone's happiness."

4. He's becoming a more adventurous eater. The other day he wanted to try sushi, "Just to try something different," he said. (In the end, he opted for the safer option: The sausage sandwich.)

The more they stay the same:

1. He is still, and will probably be forevermore, Mr. Movie.

2. He is still, I'm very happy to report, Mr. Math.

3. He still loves to help me in the kitchen when I'm cooking. Even better, he now occasionally wants to cook for everyone. Happy days.

4. Green is still his favourite colour, tigers are his favourite animal, and Arsenal is his favourite team.

5. His tenacity in trying to get better at the things he can't do is pretty impressive. He's not enthusiastic about it all the time, but at least he gives it a go.

Happy Birthday Thing 2. May you have many more.

2012: Week 9

9:2012, a photo by MAStapleton on Flickr.

Happy 44th Birthday to my husband, who was only two days away from being a Leap Year Baby when he was born on 27th February 1968.

Hard to believe the iPhone could do birthday candles in a dark room. The focus leaves a little to be desired, but it's not bad.

The cake is Orange Cassata cake, or, as we call it, "Sophia Loren Cake." It's a firm favourite in our house and utterly delicious.

HOORAY! This photo got picked by The Guardian in its weekly roundup of photos for the week. You can see the others that they picked by clicking through this hyperlink sentence (now that is a sentence with SKILLZ.)

Happy 12th Birthday, Thing One!

Hey! Surfer dude! How cool are you?

Thing One is now 12. One year away from being a teenager. Sigh. I was just saying the other day, how slowly the time seemed to go when the boys were little, and how quickly the time goes by now that they're older. There must be some law of physics that covers this.

It's been a big year for Thing One. As the credits rolled in the last Harry Potter film in July, he turned to me and he said, "Well, that's the end of an era." I could have said the same to him, as it was the same time he was leaving his primary school and heading into the great unknown of secondary school. He's now happily settled in his new school-- playing rugby (see below), learning new subjects (like Latin) and making new friends (of the girl persuasion).

The more things change:

1. Girls!

2. He's learning how to play rugby.

3. He has a mobile phone, and he's not afraid to use it.

4. He has to wear a tie to school every day, which literally ages him about 10 years. I still can't get used to the sight of it.

The more they stay the same:

1. Science and math are still his favourite subjects.

2. He's still a fantastic big brother.

3. He still loves to read, though the books are getting quite a bit darker. (I think Stephen King might be just around the corner.)

4. He's still incredibly thoughtful. The other day, we passed a homeless man on the street. A little bit along, Thing One had stopped and was rooting around in his pockets. I was impatient to get home and nearly (though luckily didn't) asked him why in the world was he holding us up. He finally found what he was looking for-- it was all of his spare change to give to the homeless man. I was speechless. Children do have the capacity to amaze adults, and this was one of those times.

Happy Birthday to Thing One!

Next Up: (Cue ominous music): The teenage years!