I know that every year I say I can't believe how old Vivi is, but really, 14 is getting ridiculous. Thank goodness though, she still remains our sweet and lovable Vivian. Yes, there are flashes of teenage angst and moodiness, but most of the time she's happy and good natured, and I recognize what a gift that is.
Summer birthdays are always a challenge, because friends are scattered around. Plus, this year we didn't have Jeff, so I tried my best to make it feel fun, starting with presents for breakfast!
Elena was also trying to make Vivi's birthday as special as possible, and so she had made some extra decorations.
Viv very obligingly agreed to wear the birthday hat for opening her breakfast presents.
She wasn't so sure about her first present. It's a mirror that says you've got this! I meant it as encouragement for high school. I think she secretly really likes it.
She had asked for rings, and those got a good reception.
But the costume jewelry pearl bracelet I had gotten for her on a whim got an even better reception.
The best though, was her reaction to the flapper costume which she has been asking for for a while now.
She immediately tried it on with the bracelet, and it is fabulous.
For her actual birthday celebration, she wanted to do an afternoon tea. My mom and I looked at different ones in the area, but they were all expensive and most of them had such "fancy" menus that they didn't have regular scones. As always, Safta came to the rescue. She found a pretty simple recipe to make scones at home and got out all the fancy china. I contributed by making crustless sandwiches, and ta-dah! Afternoon tea is served.
I had saved the present Jeff sent her for the tea, which is a good thing, because she was hoping for more presents.
She had asked for a film history book, so Jeff found her a comprehensive one on Hitchcock's films.
My mom had also made our traditional birthday cake, but we were so full of scones with clotted cream and strawberry preserves, that we couldn't manage cake at that moment. After dinner though, we all found some space, and we sang and feasted once more.
We all did our best to make Vivi feel loved and special on her birthday, and I think we succeeded.
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