She is one whole hand now*

E decided she wanted Rosetta from the new Tinkerbell movie to be on her birthday cake this year. I told her that was a great idea because I figured I could get one of those edible picture things you put on the top of the cake and that I would add some flowers (she is the Garden Fairy) and sprinkles and we’d be set. The problem there is that the movie has only been out for a month or so and Disney hasn’t had a chance to cover every possible surface with the Fairy’s faces yet and so there was nothing even remotely close to Rosetta to decorate the cake. We were now onto Plan B which had me drawing Rosetta free hand with gel icing. My hopes were shot down really quickly when, using this for reference:

I did a practice try and came up with this:

Um, yeah. It kind of looks like a praying mantis in a skirt or something. What can I say? An artist I am not.

I did a bit better on Saturday night when attempting the real thing. I made a mistake on the first try, but it was a layered cake so I just made the mistake the middle and started again on the new top. After a very long, slow process I came up with this:

This will probably be the ugliest cake I’ll ever make, but E loved it so I’ll mark it down as a success. Or it was until I woke up the next morning to find her hair had all slid down the side of the cake, but whatever. Here are a couple other shots:

As for the party? It was great. This was E’s first big(ish) party and she had so much fun with all her friends. After everyone arrived we had a total of 10 kids, 14 adults, 4 teenagers and one little baby. My not so big house had a hard time fitting everyone in, but did manage.

We played some games: first a balloon race:

::snicker::

(As you can see most of the kids were a bit too shy too play. K gave it a whirl, but just ended up running around the yard with her balloon while happily screaming when the race started.)

Next we played Pass the Parcel. This was the first time I’ve ever wrapped one of those suckers up and is it ever a pain in the ass. I couldn’t not do it, though – the kids EXPECT to see a parcel and it had better be passed.

Then there was some playing, chatting and a lot of eating and last, but not least, it was time for the cake. I loved having so many people there to sing for E and I think she did too. She blew her candles out…

…the cake was devoured (plus the cupcakes that made up Rosetta’s garden), we passed out the Christmas themed loot bags (for my Christmas baby) and we were done.

After preparing the day before, the actual party time, and cleaning after I was freaking exhausted, but so pleased E had a great day. This was her first milestone birthday so it was worth all the effort.

HAPPY FIFTH BIRTHDAY, E!

*OK, so not for two days, but she started calling herself five from the day of the party so I will too.

KFG

I often point out birds having baths or showers when it rains to the girls because I think it is cute and they get a kick out of watching them flap around. Today we were in the car on the way home from running some errands and it was pouring down with rain. I saw a Galah on the power lines stretching his wings out nice and wide catching the rain, having a shower and what appeared to be a great time. Then he got so excited that he spun around on the power line* and, since there was no one behind us, I slowed down and said, “Look girls! Look! The bird is having a shower! And look at him spinning…”. That was when I noticed that his wings were still open, he was still upside down and he was swinging – just not in a natural kind of movement.

The bird was being electrocuted.

I slowed down and made my girls watch a bird be electrocuted! (Not that they realized.) I sped up, and headed for home and didn’t mention it again.

*I have actually seen birds do this for fun.

Last day

E had her last day of preschool today. I’ve said it before, but I’m going to say it again: Time flies! She is going to be five in nine days!

I didn’t think I would be sad saying goodbye to E’s teachers, Ange and Libby, but as I was beginning to talk I felt like I was going to tear up. I ended up leaving with what probably came off as a completely asshole-ish farewell, just a quick thank you and goodbye (we gave them presents this morning and the cards said enough for us…I hope), but I didn’t want the awkward crying or anything. We’ll go back during the school year next year before we move so hopefully we can say a proper good bye then.

Also E brought home a pet rock from school which she has named, “Rocco”, which she came up with all by herself and I happen to (absolutely unbiasedly) think is quite clever.

Do they have rehab for five year olds?

Tonight I was talking to E about the need for her to stop sucking her thumb. Not too long ago we managed to get her to attempt only sucking her thumb when she went to bed at night and it worked, but only for a short time and lately it’s been getting out of control (relatively speaking). E has a “lovie” (and I am using that term very loosely here as it is mostly a bunch of wool) called Aggie. She once told us that if she smells Aggie she can’t help but suck her thumb and tonight I mentioned that if she is not able to cut back we might have to take him away. The following was her response/ explanation (slightly paraphrased because it was a few hours ago and I can’t remember crazy preschooler logic):

If you take Aggie away I will still suck my thumb because it is in my bones. I don’t know why I can’t stop, but I can’t. I can’t help myself. If I see something white I have to suck my thumb. Aggie is white so other white stuff makes me suck my thumb. See that wall? It’s white so it makes me suck my thumb. I look out the window and see stuff and I suck my thumb. My bones are white so they make me suck my thumb. It’s slightful* for me, it makes me happy. I don’t know why, but I can’t help myself.

She sounded like a junkie trying to explain their addiction. And we’re no closer to solving the issue.

*Delightful, but she would not accept that was the word she was trying for.

Santa Clones

We hear crying from E’s room so I go down to see what happened. She had bumped her eye on the edge of her window.

“I saw Santa.”

When she sees a twinkling star E thinks it is Santa.

“Then I saw another of him and another and another. There is one there and there and there…”

She’s pointing them out to me in the sky.

“I think he must have made a Santa making machine and made all kinds of himself.”

She stops, looks back at the sky and says very seriously, in an almost suspicious tone:

“I don’t know why he did that.”