Magnolia Romana: First great gift

Technically this is the second great gift, but the first, from my friend "sjcyogi" will wait till I take a photo.

Chosen by my son, Jules (above), Magnolia Romana, a heady, intense potion from Eau d'Italie that evokes the scent of the garden of the Villa Borghese in Rome.

I love that he ventured to the perfume boutique, Noor, and chose carefully.

He's had a "nose" since he was tiny- we used to see him smell his food avidly, little nose twitching like it had a life of his own, over his baby food. He never lost this facility.

He and Etienne, his twin brother, presented their gift early at our family party on the boys' birthday, Wednesday evening. (Our birthdays are three days apart. Bad enough luck sharing with your twin, let alone your mother!)

We booked a table at the SkyYard of The Drake Hotel, a sexy rooftop patio, had rounds of mojitos. Those of us working the next day called it a night early. The one with the day off set out for further celebration and was spotted rolling in at 7 am., ah youth!