Less is SO much more!

Two or three years ago, Amy put together an elaborate birthday celebration for Daniel, where we hosted a significant number of smallish, energetic boys at our house, with all kind of decorations and games and prizes.  There was something Daniel wanted and didn't get in this endeavour - some prize or party favor or such - I think maybe one of his friends went home with one extra which Daniel had been hoping he could keep for himself - and as a result, this was his worst birthday ever.  He reminded us - especially Amy - of what a spectacularly bad birthday he had had for a year or two afterwards.

This year, things were much scaled down.  Being as new as we are to Colorado, he doesn't have a big circle of friends the way that he did in New England, and we're still getting our bearings about how to celebrate birthdays and revive other family institutions in our new  setting.  So this year's birthday was not elaborate, but his friend from next door, Aidan and his father took him to the movies with them, and after that, Aidan came over, the two lads played video games in Daniel's room, and in the evening we all went out for pizza.

As I was about to put Daniel to bed, after this very nice but somewhat modest birthday, he made an observation I never would have expected:

"I think this was one of my best birthdays."

(November, 2016)