Jake's 7th Birthday

Jacob celebrated his 7th birthday here on September 8th. Can you believe he is already 7 years old? I'd say something about how time really flies, but that would make me feel very middle aged - and with a significant upcoming birthday of my own, I'd rather not think about it.

Back to Jake - celebrating his birthday was a bit more low-keyed than in years past. We were still waiting for our shipment - expecting it any day. We really had no control over it at this point. Steve said it could come at a moment's notice, and it couldn't come soon enough. I was especially disappointed that it wasn't here before Jake's birthday. But I borrowed a cupcake pan and quickly made very plain cupcakes. I just stuck an Oreo cookie on top of each chocolate cupcake and everyone was happy.

I knew Jacob expected a birthday crown at school and wasn't sure if they gave them out here. However, I didn't stop to think about it until the morning of his birthday, so forty-five minutes before I needed to be at the school, I was in the kitchen fashioning a crown out of whatever I could find around the house. The lucky supplies ended up being a green file folder and tin foil!

Steve was delighted to be able to come to his school birthday party for the first time ever. It was pretty typical - pass out the cupcakes, sing Happy Birthday and then go out to recess. Typical, except that we were asked to keep the cupcakes covered until we got to the classroom out of respect for those fasting for Ramadan. I normally wouldn't bring uncovered cupcakes into school anyway, but I certainly wouldn't have thought about doing it for Ramadan.






Here is a very proud Jacob with his teacher, Mrs. Chavez:


Later than night we had a little family party for him. I didn't have a cake pan, so I made a tiny "ice cream cake," a modified version of MJ's delicious ice cream sandwich cake. Afterwards, Jake opened the gifts we brought from the US this summer. Can I tell you how GLAD, GLAD, GLAD I am that we had the forethought to plan for those gifts! I think celebrating your first birthday, the first time in a foreign country without your best friends is tough. And it would have been a million times tougher if you didn't get some of the the toys and books you love. It wasn't a windfall, but we were able to give a couple things that really mattered to him.


We went to bed that night not knowing that the next morning would turn our little world upside down: with one hour's notice our household goods shipment were delivered at 8:30am. Looking back, it would have been a disaster to have had the shipment one day earlier. Aren't we thankful that we don't always get what we wish for?