Preethree Partee

The Old Couple

Do you realize how hard it is to light a birthday cake with ten 3-year-olds hanging around it?

Governor Schwarzenegger needs to call this gang over, put them around the California wildfires, and start singing Happy Birthday. Problem solved.

Ainsley had the ultra-cool idea of holding Ryan's kid-centric birthday party with his friend Olivia (whose birthday precedes Ryan by just three days) at a small children's bookstore in Historic Occoquan. Sixteen kids and their parents crowded into the back of the store, where little tables were set up with munchies; a birthday cake in the shape of an open book that my wife lovingly worked on until 1:45 this morning; and an art project so kids could make their own bookmarks with sticky felt doodads.

One of the store owners sat in a big rocking chair and read Olivia and Ryan's favorite books (or at least tried to read them, since the kids kept standing up and pointing out everything on the pages).

Despite the toddler vortex surrounding the lighting of the candles, it was a very smooth operation, and fun had by all, big and small.

PARTY!