The birthday weekend is drawing to a close -- the twins are now officially four years old -- and I am a wreck. Too much sugar, too much food in general, too much fretting, too much fun. We did have fun. Aunt Baba (Barbara) and Aunt Nonnie (Nancy) drove down from the Bay Area, arriving on Friday afternoon just in time to walk to daycare with me to pick up the twins. Boos were so amazed and delighted to see their aunts that they just lost it: covered their faces with their jackets, ran around in circles, refused to leave their daycare room and come home with us. They really love their aunts.
We went to John's Pizza for their birthday dinner, and for a change we ordered off the menu, just getting the buffet for the boos, who never eat anything anyway. The buffet is so awful, it was very special not to have to eat it, even though the wrap that I had instead was just average. We spent most of our time in the games room, spending $5 worth of tokens on skee-ball and the candy claw and the airplane you can ride on (if you're 4).
After the boos went to bed, we started putting together the train cake. That morning, the boos and I had baked two cake mixes (one chocolate, one lemon), in 6 loaf pans (two large, four small), and in the afternoon I had made a batch of buttercream frosting. Now came the moment (or rather the hours) of truth: assembly. I had some instructions and photos that I'd downloaded from the internet, and I'd even watched a Betty Crocker video. Unfortunately, I liked bits of one internet cake and bits of another and bits of still another, and I hadn't thought clearly about exactly how it would all work. Nor had I thought clearly about where I was going to PUT two train cakes. Nor had I made enough frosting. I had enough cake for each train to have several cars, but there really wasn't enough room on my largest cookie sheet for each train to have even two cars and a coal tender (though we squished them all on).
Fortunately, I had two willing helpers (my sisters). And I did not panic. I kept thinking: my only audience is two four-year-olds. They will not notice that the frosting has big gaps on it. They will not care that the engines are falling over. They will not care that it looks absolutely awful. And I was right, they didn't. Next morning, when they discovered the train cakes in the fridge, they were in awe.
When the aunts arrived on Saturday morning, we opened presents and then played with them. Nancy's stomp rocket launchers were great fun, and soon there were rockets in both front yard trees, as well as on the roof. Later we took a walk to the park, came home for lunch (mostly leftovers), and then it was time to go to Trona. What's a birthday weekend without a trip to Trona?
The trip to Trona was designed to accomplish two objectives: a nap for the twins and a viewing of the Trona Pinnacles for Nancy and Barbara. Baby A did take a nap (Baby B no), and we did see the Pinnacles. This was my third trip to the Pinnacles, and I guess I've gotten a bit blase about the bad road you have to drive on to get there, not to mention the otherworldliness of the whole scene.
Barbara and Nancy were horrified by the road, and I think mildly blown away by the whole experience. At one point, Barbara made some comment about this being the middle of nowhere. I said, "Oh come on, you can see Trona from here. It's not the middle of nowhere if you can see a town!" To which Barbara replied, "Trona is not a town." So then I came up with various reasons why Trona is too a town. But I can see how it's a debatable point. So OK, Baba, you're probably right: you were in the middle of nowhere.
Friday and Saturday were so busy, we just didn't have time to do the pinatas, so on Sunday morning, just before the aunts left, we finally did some whacking.
And now I must pack up ALL the leftover goodies -- and there are many many many of them -- and put them in Rocket Boy's car for him to take to work tomorrow morning. The twins don't even know most of them exist, so they won't miss them. Tomorrow we'll play with the stomp rocket launcher, make a puzzle, read a book, and have a nice morning together. In the afternoon I'll get a little peace and quiet. And on we go, into the beginning of their fifth year of life.
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