They're officially older

George the elder was responsible for photography this year. We're gonna have to get him some lessons or something. But - yes, the boys are officially one year older! Henry = 11 George the Younger = 13. Yes, after 16 years between the two, we now have another teenager under our roof.

Given the circumstances of the shared birthday, I had the boys pick a number between 1 and 10 to determine who would have their birthday dinner on the "real" day and who was going to take the alternative. Henry won the game, but still decided to have his b-day dinner the day before on the 1st.

Henry, as in previous years decided on a sushi feast for dinner. I personally applaud this decision as it means that I do not have to cook. I need to make a phone call. Certainly, it is possible for one to make home made sushi. It is just not possible in this house.

Henry's dessert decision was a little more interesting. In planning discussions, Henry stated that he wanted a cake, with pudding in the middle and chocolate on the top. I explained that this was called a Boston Cream Pie. He retorted that he didn't want a pie, he wanted a cake. I told this was a cake with a pie name. He wanted to know why. I would like to know the same thing. Surely there's a website that explains the reason, I have just been too busy to find it.

And so, with H as my copilot we made a Boston Cream Pie. If you recall, I put the majority of our household things in boxes and placed them in safekeeping in some dark storage room somewhere in the city of San Francisco while we work through our impending home remodel. What I learned Tuesday was this. If you are thinking that at any time during the year you will need to make a cake or some kind of homemade dessert type thing that requires mixing - bringing some kind of mixer along (be it hand or stand) would be appropriate. I did neither. Henry and I whisked until we couldn't whisk any longer. We were tired. And yet, while the cake was not nearly as aerated as it could have been and the custard was probably not nearly as creamy as it could have been - all in all the "pie" was a success. In fact, the boys had it for breakfast this morning. (And a note to my family members - yes, I did have the eerie feeling that Dad was channeling his love of Boston Cream Pie through Henry... I mean really? Who in the 21st century, under the age of say 70, requests such a confection? And given that Dad's birthday is coming up, do you suppose that he had the perfect conduit in Henry? Me thinks this was too much of a coincidence.)



George the Younger celebrated much the way he did last year by requesting fettuccine with cream sauce, prosciutto ham and peas. Given that he is reasonable sort, he also requested the traditional Baskin and Robbins ice cream cake with mint chip and chocolate cake. That one was easy. Especially since all I had to do was drive to B&R and pay some absurd amount for them to squish that ice cream on top of a premade chocolate cake and ice it with some weird substance that never really melts - what is that stuff?? George the Elder arrived home early to make dinner. I don't know whether it was because he just really wanted to make the cream sauce for his newly minted teen or if he was concerned that if I made the cream sauce it would not be up to snuff. Frankly, I don't care. I arrived home from taking the boys swimming after school to dinner already underway. Yippee!

So, all in all the joint birthday this year was perfect. I technically only made one dessert and out-sourced the rest. A managerial dream. I forgot that I did make two dozen brownies on Tuesday for Henry to take in as his bday treat. But that's just some more stirring since I let Betty Crocker do the rest there. On a sad note, George the Younger was informed yesterday that middle-schoolers are not allowed to bring in treats for their birthdays at all this year. Amidst the happy chatter that followed pick-up yesterday - these words were spoken: it sucks getting older. Yeah, until he wolfed down a mega sized portion of mint chip and opened his new ipod speakers....