Altrusim Aside

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After all, there was more to the birthday celebration than sweet gift requests.
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Like the food, of course. Carmen asked for french toast for breakfast, which Jaclyn was thrilled with (I don't make it often), and Steven opted out of (the reason I don't make it often). For lunch Carmen wanted poutine. She'd had a single fry from a friend once, but how that was enough to know that it was what she wanted for her birthday lunch, I don't know. This escalated the birthday lunch request to a new level, because it meant I bought fast food and brought it to the school, which I haven't ever done before. I felt like a real hero walking through the hall of the school with the other 5th graders calling to me and remarking on how lucky Carmen was. At dinner time Carmen wanted to go out for sushi, and when you like attention on your birthday there is no better place to go than Kinjo. The owner has a big personality which makes any dinner there an *event*, but with the 3 song serenade, free dragon sushi, fruit art, and Pocky sticks you know you had a birthday.
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Carmen had me make Aunt Kelly's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake recipe. It was beautiful and delicious and way too much dessert for our family, so she is taking the rest of it to her class today. Wait, what's that I see glinting on Carmen's ear? Do I detect an earring?
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Oh, yes. A privilege that comes with age 11 in our house.
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And one that couldn't possibly wait until Carmen was 11 years and a day. So we headed to the mall after school with Chloe and our carpool friend, Tristen.
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Nervous, but not nervous enough to call it off. Claire Bear (sitting on Carmen's lap) has her ears pierced - how bad can it be?

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Beautiful! Chloe couldn't get over the change. She kept saying, "You look so different!" And then when we were in line to pay she told Carmen, "You could be a model now!"

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Tristen's dad met us at the mall just after we were done, and in the blink of an eye Tristen convinced her dad that she could get her own ears pierced that day, so we stayed for Tristen's big moment as well. I got some sweet pictures of her dad pouring over the earring choices, but they're not for me to share over the web. I might give copies to his scouts though - hee!

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I dropped my girls home, and made it to the last quarter of Steven's divisional play-off's basketball game. Like I said, the earrings couldn't wait a day. Especially not for basketball.