Eleven Years

 Hannah and Jacob celebrated their birthday with friends the Sunday before their actual birthday.  We decided that an appropriate activity would be a cake-decorating competition.  Both groups (arranged by gender) were given a square chocolate cake, a round vanilla cake, icing and several toppings.

 Truthfully, I didn't expect much of the boys.  (Sorry.)  Therefore, I was happily surprised by their creation.  I did, however, expect that the boys' cake would make use of every single topping.  They didn't disappoint.

 The girls' cake was a little less crowded, to say the least.  We judged them on creativity, use of icing, theme, use of toppings, edibility, and (the whammer) cleanliness.  It was the last category that gave the girls the victory.  The girls put their dishes and knives away and wiped the counter clean.  The boys, ummm, licked the bowl.  Thus, the boys lost five points due to their miserable attempts at order and the girls took the competition.  The boys also fell behind in the edibility category due to their foregoing of icing knives, and using their hands instead.  Boys, let these be a life-long lessons to you.

 Can you see the little frogs on the girls' cake?  They cut jelly beans in half and fastened silver balls on for eyes using icing.  Very, very cute.

 Sarah really liked the competition results, as well as the many older sisters upon whose laps she sat throughout the afternoon and evening.

 My Happy Birthday banner.  Dave saw it and said, "So, we're Buddhists now?"  Appropriation of symbols, darling.

 Here they are on their actual birthday looking so very, very grown up.  Jacob is starting to look older than Hannah due to his size.  He got new glasses (just like Dave's), and now he looks like a member of the NASA launch team during the 1960s.  We bought them both a new outfit.  Typically, I am guilty of one huge fail on every birthday.  This year the prize went to my buying (for Hannah) of the exact same coral jeans that I had bought her only one month previous.  She was very gentle with me.

 These vests were a gift from Dave's parents.  Dave and I gave them watches - and now I am aware of time in a whole new way:  "Mom, mass is 32 seconds late."  Thank you, Hannah.

I couldn't resist, sorry.  Can you tell what I am re-creating?  Yes, you're right:  it's the twins in the womb!  Sorry if that's a little weird, but a mother falls prey to strange moments of nostalgia.  Very telling of their cresting into adolescence is that this photo embarrassed them both.  Hannah remarked to Jacob that embarrassing children is part of a mother's job profile.  As long as that is understood.  My dear twinlets, you are a continual source if joy.  Many, many more years.  (Mom, her birthday dress will appear in the Easter post.)