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Mal’s birthday was a rather understated affair. In the morning we got some fancy balloons courtesy of Nana and Bapa. Then we drove out to the New Hope, PA children’s museum. Spent a couple hours having fun playing doctor and other things (we’d been there once before), then had a decent lunch at a nearby brewpub. After a scenic drive home along the Delaware river (trying to give kids a chance to nap, though it didn’t work), we got to the important work at hand: frosting the homemade cake and letting the homemade chocolate ice cream soften up a bit. Oh, and presents. Mal loved everything and had a great time. She says it was her best birthday ever. And I suppose that’s true for her. For her parents, maybe it was just a nice reminder of the best birthday ever, 4 years prior, and all the richness we’ve shared since. And the cake and ice cream? Pretty darn good.