Brynja had her eighth birthday yesterday, if you can believe it. I hardly can myself. We started the day with presents and finished up with birthday cake, just as it should be. (The cake was not my best effort, I admit, but at least she didn’t catch her hair on fire blowing out the candles.) In between those two high points, the entire family–including Lydia and her boyfriend–spent some hours at the indoor playground, taking a break from the frenetic play only long enough to eat dinner. This morning the birthday girl pronounced herself satisfied with everything, again just as it should be.