We sang Happy Birthday to Kalina Oldham tonight, in honour of her zero-eth birthday party, she being a mere 3 weeks old.
Her birthday cake was decorated with a trombone, a valve trombone, as differentiated from the slider trombones that her parents play.
Just under the word "birthday" on her cake are four finger marks in the icing, marks that are the same size as the fingers of her three year old cousin Audra.
A bouquet of pink roses greeted the guests as the door.
Most of us came in the house during a bullet thunderstorm, the kind of rain that has the gutters full of water in about five minutes and sirens from fire-engines and ambulances screeching along the streets.
The house was filled with grandparents, uncles, aunts and friends of the parents, along with a few young cousins.
The food was plentiful, and laid out buffet style.
I only managed to take a picture of one side of the table, but there were four other quarters and pop and iced beverages flowed plentifully through the evening.
As you can see, if you didn't attend, there was still plenty of food for you.
I didn't spot the chicken salad on tier two of the four tiered tray until the evening was long spent.
That is what happens when a person let's their eyes feast on the cashews, the chocolate covered almonds and the M&M trays, when they should be concentrating on the foods that have real vitamins in them.
The presents were plentiful.
Little outfits that say "daddy's girl", onesies for the summer, blankets and books -- including that
Paper Bag Princess, a story that belongs with the best of the nursery rhyme and finger play books.
Zach and Gabe were off at their swimming lessons.
Landon was at the party.
He can hold his head up now.
So cute to see his little chin, always glistening with a few wet drops of saliva from his mouth.
There were lots of babies at the party -- most of them riding on their father's hips.
"It is easy for me," said one of the guys who plays in the Army Band with Tim and Lurene. "I can tuck the baby into the same crook in my arm where I hold the euphonium when I march with it in the band."
Audra's piece of cake was on a plate.
She stood and ate it, she use the family trash can as her personal side table.
She ate it two ways -- first, cocktail party style.
Then she went to it with her hands, which my favorite way of capturing her with the camera.
She had a lot of room at the party, for she is down low -- well below the knee level of everyone else in the room.
What better place to stand and polish off the cake that no one would let you touch earlier in the day.
How can she do that? Get her whole hand there to her mouth and not leave a crumb of chocolate cake anywhere to be seen.
Arta
