Her Special Day

Marmot Dad and my sister both have birthdays this month, so we've been celebrating. This weekend we celebrated part 1 of Marmot Dad's birthday and discovered that Marmot Babe has some sweet baby dance moves.

Tonight we celebrated my sister's birthday and discovered that the marmots are really pro whiners.

One summer in high school I spent a week with my sister at Penn State where she was in grad school. And I kept a list. Of all the bad things she did. The only thing I remember from the list was that she poked me with a fork. I will now give you a list of the marmots' baddie behavior from tonight's birthday celebration. Most of it revolves around my sister's cupcakes--coconut with cream cheese frosting made with FIVE sticks of butter.

Madame E(6) stole licks of frosting from the cupcakes, whined and cried about her roller blades, and pulled a lemon out of the water pitcher with her hands.

Madame M(4) whined and cried when my sister forgot which cupcake she'd selected and put coconut on it.

[M(4) redeemed herself a little bit by being darling with this conversation:

E(6): Mommy, I know what Daddy got you for your birthday, but I'm not going to tell you what it is!

M(4): I'm not going to tell either! (pause) Because I don't remember what it is.]

Tuey spilled his milk across the table (I think E(6) may have been involved), patted all the unfrosted cupcakes with his grubby hands (and I saw him lick one), and threw a fit when Marmot Dad moved the cupcakes out of his reach.

Marmot Babe made such a terrible mess that Marmot Dad had to pop him in the tub before we could eat cupcakes (prolonging the whining and crying for treats from the other children) and continues to mostly dislike me (a bad habit he developed a few months ago).

All the while my sister was making dinner and protecting her cupcakes and frosting her cupcakes and saying, "It's my special day. My special. day."