Birthday Boy

Over the years I have celebrated my birthday in some pretty cool places.  One year I was visiting the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain.  Another year I was at the Mayan ruins of Palenque in Chiapas, Mexico.  Last year I celebrated the day with my Swiss cousins in Switzerland.

This year was the first time that I was in Mexico City with Alejandro and his family for my birthday.  We went to his parents' house.

It is traditional to serve "mole" for someone's birthday, and this "mole" with chicken was especially delicious!

They had a beautiful birthday cake for me.

(That's real fruit on the top.)

This was the first time that I had "Las Mañanitas" (the traditional Mexican birthday song) sung to me.  And of course there is the tradition that the "cumpleañero" (birthday boy) gets his face pushed into the cake.

Alejandro's nephew and sister did the honors.

I have always been touched by the hospitality that Alejandro's family has shown me, and I was especially touched when, after the birthday party, Alejandro's mother said to me, "You are a part of the family."

A big "gracias" to my Mexican family for making my birthday so special!