Melanie Turns Much Older Than Six

The last time I wrote, I wrote about Peter’s sixth birthday. But even earlier than that, I had promised to come back sometime and write about Melanie’s birthday, which took place a month before Peter’s. In the spirit of “better late than never,” I’m now writing a brief blog about the delightful day that was Melanie’s birthday.

The birthday girl herself.

Just as Melanie would do with Peter’s birthday presents, she arranged her own birthday presents on the dining table so that when she awoke they would be there for her. Yes, Melanie did this for herself. She did all of the decorating for herself. Yes, I guess that makes me a jerk. But I’m not all bad. Just stay tuned. Here’s the photo of Melanie’s gifts on the table, with two excited boys standing nearby:

Because it was a school day, I drove Edison to school in the morning. This actually worked out nicely for me because I could stop at the store and pick up some fun extras. I bought Melanie flowers. I know roses are traditional, but I always go for what looks the neatest to me, and very often that is something other than roses. In this particular instance, it was carnations.

I also picked up something fun for breakfast from the Publix bakery. Melanie knew I was doing this, and she told me what she wanted. They didn’t have exactly what she was asking for, so I got her two things that seemed to be at least in the general ballpark. One was a pizza-like flatbread with mushrooms on it. The other was a pizza-like bagel with pepperoni. They’re not meant to be served warm, which almost seems strange to me, but they weren’t for me so who was I to complain? I also picked up an ice cold Fountain Dew (which is what I affectionately call Mountain Dew when it’s available on tap. Diet, of course.)

Later in the day, Melanie opened her presents from her parents and from me. Mine weren’t on the table, but I had plenty, and the kids helped pass them out (and adopted some as gifts coming from them). Per usual, Melanie was treated to movies, music, and a handful of books. When it came time for dinner, Melanie opted for Coosh’s Bayou Rouge, a nearby Cajun restaurant. I don’t really remember what we got, other than some cute photos.

Right next to Coosh’s is Gigi’s Cupcakes, a highfalutin cupcake shop. We hadn’t ever tried it before, and Melanie decided she wanted to. So, we stopped in and each chose a cupcake. If I remember correctly, Melanie got a “chocolate salted caramel” cupcake. I got a “blackberry cobbler” cupcake. Eddie and Peter got “double stuff” cupcakes (basically like Oreo cupcakes), and Creegan got a “wedding cake” cupcake because it was the most plain looking. (He always wants things plain. He doesn’t even like frosting on cake very much.) In my opinion, they were decent cupcakes but too sweet and with too much frosting, and hence not really worth the bloated price tag.

Creegan said this was his "happy face" and insisted on pulling it for the picture.  It makes me laugh.

And that’s about all I can remember to say about Melanie’s birthday now that it’s been several weeks. The end!