My daughter Evelyn’s fifth birthday started with balloons and the kind of laughter

The kitchen smelled like vanilla frosting and coffee. Pink and gold balloons floated near the ceiling, bumping softly against each other whenever someone walked by. Streamers hung a little crooked because my husband insisted on helping, and he never measures anything. Evelyn was still in her pajamas, her hair wild from sleep, carefully lining up her stuffed animals on the …

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