now make a wish

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. And, as Ezra got a job at the local market (he carries boxes around, opens them, etc.), we were able to obtain a few items of food to help make her day a little more special.

Zoe and I cooked a beef (thanks to Ezra) and rice dinner. By itself it would have been quite bland, but it's really amazing what a few spices can do. We also made some fresh bread, which turned out quite well. Uncle Zack and Azalea came over and they brought some juice for the dinner.

While we sat and ate, we each said read outloud what our birthday cards would have written in them had we actually had material ones. We then gave mom our gifts. Zoe and I bought a nice selection of yarn and two pairs of knitting needles. I remember that while my mom was pregnant with Zeke, she would knit, so I thought that since she'll be at home a lot now, she could use some entertainment. My dad bought her a nice comfy pair of slippers to wear around the house, as we don't have carpeting and her feet are always cold.

After dinner finished, we cleaned up and then relaxed. I'm glad that the evening went well, as I'm starting to worry about my mom. While we lived in Zahrville, we stayed with her brother and his family. Their son/my cousin Lorenzo ran off to join the ZPF, which was a big shock to the entire family. When we decided to leave Zaharia, we invited them to come with us, but instead they stayed, hoping that at anyday now, Lorenzo will return home. My mom has a sister, but she married a Concordian and took the opportunity to escape move to Port Royal. I never got to meet her, but since she upset the family by leaving Zaharia, I don't think she'll be coming back anytime soon. So, back to the main point here, my mom has no family here, whereas my dad has his brother Zack, and I think it's been really depressing for her. I hope that the knitting will be a good distraction for her for a while.

I made a graphic of my family tree. Click here to view it.