I’ve already talked about one of the biggest parts of James’s birthday celebration, the baseball game, but there were a couple of other features.

Presents! Of course, presents. They have an interesting tradition in the family of arranging the presents in the shape of the person’s new age and having them waiting for them when they emerge from the bedroom on their birthday.

In keeping with his enthusiasm for the game, but also cognizant that everything had to be toted onto a plane back to England,  James’s presents included several small baseball related items – some cards, glove oil, batting gloves, etc. and a new mitt from his proud grandparents (i.e. myself and my husband). Along with some games and puzzles, his parents also gave him a card for a trip to a local zoo, with the privilege of feeding the gorillas.

The baseball trip described in the previous post consumed much of the day, but later at home, we did celebrate with cake, candles, and a round of “Happy Birthday.” Note the baseball-themed cake, with decorations created mostly by his sister Freya.