Simple Birthdays

What is your best birthday memory growing up? What do you remember most on your birthdays?

Mine would have to be my birthday cakes. When I was growing up, there were times when we hardly had anything and then there were times when we had almost everything. Across all those varying times and family financial state, I always had a birthday cake. And whenever I think about it, to this day, it makes me smile and feel special. Now, I may have outgrown birthday cakes for myself but it’s definitely a tradition I wanted to carry on with the kids.

I’ve seen Aiden hit milestones on his birthdays. I remember the first time he learned to actually blow the candles and how happy he was. I remember he went from being oblivious to birthdays to learning the word “birthday” and then to picking his own birthday cake, and more recently clearly having fun!

Oliver recently turned 7. This boy deserves so much for everything he does for the family but his Birthday list was so simple. He wanted a (1) new characters on his Nintendo, (2) Raspberry Cake, and (3) to eat Ramen. Of course, he got some extras from us but nothing too crazy. I asked him, “Do you think we spoil you and give you everything you want?” He simply responded, “Not everything.” I asked him after he blew his candles, what his birthday wish was. He said, “My wish is to be together with my family forever and ever.”

All this time, I thought I was carrying on the tradition of birthday cakes. I didn’t realize, the real tradition is the simplicity by which we celebrate birthdays with just US. Just the four of US through the years. And every year it gets better and more meaningful.