It’s hard to believe that fall is here, that magical season when the air turns crisp, trees ignite with color and Amazon packages begin stacking up on my doorstep higher than the piles of leaves in my yard.

While many Americans traditionally think of autumn as the harvest season, in my house it’s primarily the birthday season.

That’s because my wife and I were foolish enough to have both of our children during the busiest holiday stretch of the year. I guess we were thinking, “Hey, we only have Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas on the calendar. How about we throw in a couple of kids’ birthdays too? That will give us something to do if we get bored between back-to-school and New Year’s Eve!”