A Perfect Birthday Treat
"Lees, come here, baby." Tim pushes a chair away from the dining room table. "You said you wanted to help decorate Mama's cake."
"Mama needs lotsa sprinkles!" Leah scrambles up into the chair, kneeling so she can reach the table, where Tim has set a plainly frosted cake, a bowl of icing, and bottles and bags of candies and toppings. He had considered piping bags, but opted to keep things relatively simple.
Of course, if simple were the goal, he'd have gone for a store-bought birthday cake. But sprinkles are easier to wash out of his 6-year-old's hair.
Probably.
They've got to be easier than glitter paint, at least, and everyone survived the making of Lucy's birthday card (and the subsequent bath time).
"Alright. What color do you want to frost with?"
"Pink! Mama loves pink! Like her 'trawberry cake!" Leah bounces up and down in her seat. "And blue, like her blankie for on the couch! And brown, like Kojo!" Leah sucks in an excited breath. "Daddy! Can Kojo help with the cake? He can get the sprinkles with his nose!"
"How about we make the cake a Daddy-and-Leah project, and Kojo can help Mama with something else for her birthday?"
"Like what?" Leah cocks her head.
"Like …" Tim flounders, wishing he had an answer prepared. Or that Leah's attention span would expire again and she'd go back to reciting colors and how they relate to Lucy. But of course this is the line of thought that sticks. "Like you know how much Mama loves throwing tennis balls? Kojo can help bring them back, so she can throw them again."
"Oh yeah." She nods seriously. "That's a good idea. Mama loves balls."
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