"I is growing up, Mama."

"Yes, my sweet Little Miss, you are. Now, what kind of cake would you like for your birthday?"

"A snow princess cake…with tiny strawberry sandwiches in her pockets."

I took this to mean she wanted a strawberry shortcake, with fresh whipped cream, fresh strawberries, and cream cheese frosting (the only frosting any cake should ever have). Hence, the jewel of a cake above, so precious.

"Look, Abigail, it has sparkling princess kisses on it!"

"No, Mama, no. That’s glitter."

"Oh."

"Now, my first born son, what kind of cake would you fancy?"

"A train! With a tender car! And a turtle."

"A train with a turtle?"

"And a blue whale!"

My interpretation? Chocolate turtle cake. Blue whale place card (and stuffed animal). And a big cattle car shipment of Thomas The Train cars and tracks (glued properly to a table by Grandpa). Know what else Lucas got for his birthday? A clean bill of health from both his pediatrician and his brain surgeon. All aboard! See ya next year docs.

Or course on the day of their birthday Lucas had his followup doctor appointment, which meant yanking him out of school at 10am. I’d wanted to bring in cupcakes for the class, but that’s a no-go these days. "Too sweet. No cupcakes." I spoke with their teachers and learned the rules were these:

You cannot bake anything, but you can bring in ingredients and we’ll bake it here. But then I’d need to spend the day there helping the class bake, which obviously couldn’t happen given the doctor’s appointment. Or you can bring in mini-muffins, nothing too sweet or with frosting, but they need to be from a store. I’m guessing this has to do with my unkosher oven. I could, however, without any problem bring in Banana Nut Muffins. Yes, nuts. Because their class has no food allergies, our children are permitted to bring nuts, nut products, and nut mothers to school with them. And that’s just what we did.

As for birthday "parties," Phil is against them, believing they’re more for the parents than the kids. And while that’s true when kids are more excited about wrapping paper than the actual gift, so what? It’s an excuse to get together with friends and make the center of attention your little centers of joy and whimsy.

Last night, at book club, a friend asked me what we did for the beans’ birthday. "Well, we don’t really believe in throwing a party until they’re old enough to remember it."

"By ‘we’ I’m guessing you mean that’s what Phil thinks, right?"

It was an innocent enough comment, coming from a close friend. But I was taken aback for a second. It’s that transparent how domineering he is, huh? I felt like one of those women who says, "I’ll have to check with my husband first." Or maybe it’s just that no one who knows me would buy the fact that I’d ever pass up the chance to have a big silly party for my sweet ones. I’m not sure it matters, either way, because at the end of the day Lucas Beckett and Abigail Ruby were on an adrenaline and sugar high for days. The whole thing was precious.

Little Miss’s Princess Cake & Kind Sir’s Turtle Cake both by the talented Coco Paloma Desserts. FYI for those in Austin area: Coco Paloma Desserts is currently accepting holiday cookie orders, too! Almost too pretty to eat… almost.