Monday, May 28, 2018

Teen Takeover

Okay, I'm about to tell you all about my week and Susie's birthday but first - I'm sitting here at the computer in my den and I keep smelling aftershave. No one in this house uses aftershave.

Do ghosts smell like Old Spice, by any chance? Or maybe I just have a very well-groomed intruder?

So! Susie - the baby of our family who was cute enough to lose her own arm in her dress when she was 2 - turned 13 on Friday. THIRTEEN. We feted her, as is our custom, with homemade cake (not volcano-shaped, though) and cheaply wrapped gifts. I proudly present to you the magnificent strawberry/whipped cream confection that our group effort produced:


Shout out to Rachel, who sliced those strawberries on the side paper thin.

It's a beauty, right? Here's a close-up of the top:




In case you haven't noticed, there are 2 circles of exactly 13 strawberry slices on top of that cake. Which might lead an astute reader to think, "Hmmm, is it possible that someone possessing an aerospace engineer's eye for detail was involved in this creation?" That astute reader would be correct! David flew home Wednesday night from the Texas desert, where he has been helping test rocket engines this semester, bearing gifts and his preternatural cake-decorating abilities.

It was a good weekend for this mom, is what I'm saying.

We did all the birthday things: the cake and the wrapped gifts, the Belgian waffle breakfast, plus Larry and I decided to break the bank, as it were, by taking everyone out to a real restaurant (meaning, NOT ChikFilA) to celebrate not only Susie's birthday but also Brian's imminent high school graduation and David's upcoming Big Birthday - 21.

Remember? The kid who was always trying to make things fly? He turns 21 in June and does that for real. People PAY him. Verklempt does not even begin to describe how I felt this weekend.

Where was I? Oh, yes - gifts:

Michaels has really pretty wrapping paper for only 2 bucks!

And the unwrapped version:


That IS another 5-lb bag of gummy bears. SHUT UP.

We also bought Susie a tenor ukulele last week (in case any of you were wondering at the fact that  our teenager wanted only candy and a tub of Polynesian sauce from ChikFilA for her birthday). So yes, we are now a 2-ukulele household. Not something I'd ever thought I'd write, but hey - I do try to roll with the times.

David gave her the Blue Origin merchandise. Apparently, they have a gift shop - who knew?

And, no, Susie isn't snippy with us yet. Oh, we know better than to let our guard down, but it WAS a relief to see she still recognized us as her parents when she woke up on Friday. 15-year-old Rachel obliges by more than making up for Susie's lack of attitude, though, so we're still well-grounded in  teen reality here, don't worry. She just hasn't passed the baton to Susie yet, is all.

Cynical? Moi? Nah, just beaten down. We're on teenagers numbers 5 and 6 here, with 3 still living in the house. 2 of them look at us every day with expressions of wonderment that people as old and stupid as ourselves can manage to function. I'm sure the youngest is not far behind.

We just want to survive, is all. Preferably with some modicum of self-esteem...




7 comments:

  1. Happy Birthday to your baby!!!!!
    13!
    My baby is getting up there. She is 8. and a half.
    I so enjoy your posts.
    And your birthday cake is the stuff dreams are made of.
    My soon to be 18 year old has requested a Dairy Queen cake this year!
    Go me!

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  2. Love this! The cake is divine. Feel you on the teenager stuff. I have 4 teenagers, the youngest one of that group is Mini - the only girl in the bunch. She is still pleasant most of the time. Messy, but pleasant. I have very little hope that this will last. We rarely do the restaurant thing either, but for the last few years we do a breakfast or lunch out with one of the kids once a month. Are you doing the math? That mean each kid gets alone time with Coach and I twice a year (whether they want it or not). During a budget type discussion recently, one of the kids suggested that the breakfasts get cut. No way. I think that might be the best parenting move ever. Happy birthday, Susie!

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  3. Happy birthday to your baby!! My condolences to you on having three (did I count that right?) teens in the house at once.

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  4. Two teenagers staring at me like I'm a dope is more than enough for me! Apparently everything I do is cringe-y! Oh well, I guess that's how life is!

    We make our own Chick-Fil-A sauce. There is probably a recipe online somewhere for a copycat of their polynesian version too.

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  5. How can little Susie be a teenager? She was just a little, little girl a few years ago! Your kids are growing up too quickly (says the woman whose baby is graduating this Saturday).
    I'm really impressed by that cake. I'm also impressed that so many of her gifts are consumables and not things that will clutter up her room/the house. Of course, that adorable sheep is NOT clutter!

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