belated birthday post

My dear Firstborn turned eleven last Friday. Eleven. I can hardly bring myself to write it or believe it. I see him maturing in many ways: becoming braver, more mindful of ways he can help others, more interested in "adult" conversations, and yet, he is still a mischievous, fun-loving little boy. I am savoring the moment, holding on tight to what we have right now.

Here he is on his birthday:

Firstborn described it as his best birthday ever. His baseball team's huge victory which finally brought an end to a 4-game losing streak certainly helped brighten the day in a big way.

And for those who asked to see it, here is the ice cream cake I made at the Birthday Boy's request:

Simple and very delish. We paired white cake with Neapolitan ice cream, but the possibilities are endless. I think all of the crew put Ice Cream Layer Cake on their birthday request list now. By the way, sorry for the mediocre photo, I barely remembered to take a picture at all.