Maddie is Six!

Maddie's birthday party was Friday, actual birthday was Monday. Maddie had fun. Mommy had emotional turmoil (more on that later).

Our first day in Germany we took a groggy walk and came to a place called KinderWelt. It's an indoor playscape that is all a kid could want: slides, climbing blob, ball pit, slides, scooters.

We decided right then that it would be a special spot for birthdays, so there was no question what MM wanted to do. The invitees were Anika Watts, and Divia and Danny from school. Both girls are in first grade. Danny is in MM's class. They played for hours, had dinner and opened presents. All good.

The only thing remaining that MM wanted for her actual birthday was the ice cream cake we always have for birthdays** recipe at bottom**.

Yet I got up Monday morning with a furrowed brow and tight lips. I imagined that I was standing in my kitchen in Cliveden avenue and not rummaging through a German grocery store trying to find Brownie mix. I wanted to call Malissa for cookie/ice cream combination options. I wanted MM to have her friends, and mine, there. I wanted the Ennises for dinner; this was our first birthday without them in six years. It was hard to focus on the joy of what was instead of the burden of what wasn't

We had already planned to play with an ISS family that morning. I asked Estelle if I could use her oven to bake the crust of the ice cream cake. When we arrived and I told her what the brownies were for, Estelle sprang into action. One of her daughters had recently had a birthday so she was well supplied. She brought out party plates, balloons, Duncan Hines brownie mix!, candles, candies, apple juice. Her three kids plus my three made a great party number, and MM had a full-blown party for lunch. After lunch MM and Vanessa made up an opera and performed it for us. They played all afternoon.

After dinner, the kids ate cake and watched one of MM's birthday presents, Singin' In The Rain--it's one of the kids' favorite movies.It was more than I had hoped for the day.

**Malissa File Ice Cream Cake

--Pick out ice cream and let soften

--bake brownies in a cake pan (I like to take them out a few minutes early. Frozen gooy brownie is excellent!)

--pour a layer of ice cream over cooled brownie, then into the freezer til ice cream freezes.

--break up cookies and layer over now ice cream, then add final layer of melted ice cream.

Kids favorite: cookies and cream ice cream with crushed Oreos

Piper likes coffee ice cream with crushed Heath bar

Andy likes butter pecan with crushed shortbread.