Day 93, Year 9: Sam is 7—Happy Birthday
Date: Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Weather: Overcast with Snow, Temp in the 20’s F, NNE Winds 25-35 mph
Location: Brewer Fiddler’s Cove Marina, North Falmouth, Massachusetts
Light snow started falling this morning and continued off and on all day. The temperature was in the 20’s, not terribly cold, but the strong NNE winds add a biting chill. Unfortunately Ollie has a full-blown cold (and Jonah, too) so we stayed tucked away inside all day watching the “no” fall through the windows. When Sam got home from school he was very excited about his birthday. He immediately got dressed up for dinner in a shirt and tie and he even picked out a shirt and tie for Jonah. Heather calls Sam her little Republican. None of us knows where he gets his sense of dress, but he loves nothing more than to wear a shirt, tie, and pin-striped vest. Unfortunately when he tried to put the vest on tonight, it was way too small. He seems to get a little taller each day.
The forecast called for the snowfall to increase after 7 pm, so Heather and Jed decided to let Sam open presents before dinner so we could eat and run. Jonah and Ollie had their Little Brother presents as well as Sam’s birthday gifts, so it was like Christmas all over again. Heather and Jed got Sam all sorts of project presents—things he will have to build or put together. Jed’s parents, whom the boys call Papa and Grammy, fostered Sam’s artistic side with a sketch book and pastels. They also included an envelope with eight $1 bills in it (seven and one to grow on). I wish they could have seen his face when he opened the envelope. It was true excitement. And then he got very serious and examined and counted each bill. So Sam. Jonah and Ollie loved the books they got from Papa and Grammy and Jonah was over the top excited about a Preschool Workbook that Heather and Jed for him. She called it his Homework Book. He has been begging for homework in the evenings so he can be just like his older brother. So now he has an official Homework Book. We went with Legos for Sam and Jonah and a drill for Ollie so he can work like his big brothers. Sam loved his Coast Guard patrol set and he and Jed immediately went to work putting it together. We got Jonah a Lego Coast Guard diving boat. He was head over heels with the little diver who comes equipped with a dive tank, dive mask, and fins. Granddad helped him put his kit together and then Sam and Jonah played so cooperatively. Sam had the big ship, but Jonah had the little dive boat and his diver could get in the water and check things out for the crew on the bigger boat. Of course, Ollie wanted to be in on the action as well, and they invited him to join them. The Coast Guard would have been proud!
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| 140121 Day 93 Cape Cod, USA–Sam's 7th Birthday |
The birthday dinner was fantastic. We had pulled pork which is one of Sam’s favorites and then we sang Happy Birthday and Sam blew out the seven candles on the cupcake cake. The cupcakes were simply laid out in the shape of the number seven.
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| 140121 Day 93 Cape Cod, USA–Sam's Birthday Cake |
I don’t know where Heather got the idea, but it was perfect. I think Sam had a very happy birthday and when he got the news that school has been cancelled for tomorrow, I’m sure he was even happier—an extra little birthday present. He’ll have all day tomorrow to do projects with his new gifts.
School was cancelled because the snow is expected to continue falling until mid-day tomorrow and the wind will continue to blow at 25-35 miles per hour. Then tomorrow night the temps dip down to near zero. Thursday and Friday will be precipitation-free but bitterly cold. But Saturday looks like it could be a decent day with temps in the 30’s. I guess you adjust your expectations. When temps in the 30’s look good, you know you’re not thinking straight.
