Quarantine Birthdays

Well, the twins’ birthdays were during quarantine this year. This was particularly painful as they turned 17, the age kids in New Jersey get their driving licenses. The way it works here, a driving company makes the appointment for the morning of your birthday and then drives you there for the test. We know of twins who both go and then only one passes the test. This was a worry at our house. We did not think to worry that the DMV would close and that our driving company would fold. The twins are bereft and I pretend to be but I am not. Less driving, less risk. The world is risky enough these days.

Despite all of the above, we had a nice day celebrating the twins. We stuck to some of our usual traditions; balloons in your bedroom and strawberry shortcake for breakfast. To acknowledge the whole almost driving thing, we drove in two cars (so twins could practice driving) out to a state park. Close enough not to have to go on major highways but far enough to be an actual drive! We had a picnic there, a short walk and ice cream on the trip home.

Back at home, we all did tie-dye on the back porch. We had their favorite dinner and each had a cake. The final surprise was corona pinatas made at home to look like the virus. We hung them up from the basketball hoop and the kids took turns swinging for them. Both kids had a friend drive over and hang out in the front yard with them. To make it a little more exciting, Adam let off of fireworks in the driveway. Then we got worried about drawing attention to the fact that we had non-family members in our driveway and called it a day. Or a birthday.

In actuality though it was a nice birthday. It was relaxed. No big party to pull together. No worries about who was coming and who wasn’t coming. It really felt like a long full fun day. In the evening, someone said the day was so nice because we had all day together- no school, no work, no sports, no activities. After a couple months of family time, it says something that more family time is good. Or maybe it was the two cakes.