Happy Birthday, Joel!

Last week was Joel's 9th birthday. He is such a great kid. He works hard at school, practices the piano like CRAZY, and is always trying his best to make people happy. He has a sharp wit, and a real gift for humor. I love this boy. Pretty much everyone loves this boy.

I asked Joel what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday. He said, "Hmmmm. I think some kind of bird would be nice. Maybe an american goldfinch. No, no. I think a mallard. A male mallard." So I had to figure out how to make a cake that would sort of look like a male mallard. There are 2 couples of mallards who come to our backyard morning and night for dinner, and the male mallard is Joel's favorite bird. I was worried that Joel would think the cake looked a little--well--like a Kindergartener made it. But when he came home from school and saw my creation he said, "Mom, I really like how you did the details!" Sweet

Joel got binoculars for his birthday. Not just cheap toy ones. Real birding binoculars. He has been out on the patio each morning at 6:00 with his jacket, bird book and binoculars to see what new birds he can add to his list. This weekend was a good one. We had the great blue heron, osprey and bald eagle all fly by to say "Hi" to Joel.