Am in the middle of the usual slushy birthday post which will appear in the side bar at some point. But to the actual day…
Ady heard Davies get up in the night and go downstairs, he listened out assuming he had gone to get a drink but when he didn’t come back up Ady got up and went to check he was okay. He found him in Scarlett’s bedroom, gently shaking her awake saying ‘Scarlett, it’s your birthday, wake up!’. He stopped him and guided him back to bed as it was 3am!!!! 😯
I was woken by both Davies and Scarlett at the rather more sociable hour of 730am. Along with the trip yesterday and money in the gift shop we had got her a digital photoframe with a couple of cards – one I had already put photos on for her, the other one we sat and filled together this afternoon. She loves the frame and has gone to sleep tonight watching it flick through all her favourite pets, friends, day trips and holidays – perfect gift for her really and nice and small to bring along containing her favourite photos with us next year :). We also gave her a fishing rod, two different sized latex duck shaped moulds so she can make models of her beloved Sploosh and Lucky and a couple of Playmobile sets from Davies – a chicken coop and a cat scratching post with several cats. Davies got Toy Story 3 on dvd.
She was really pleased with all of this and spent time after opening each thing to fully explore it before moving onto the next gift. I’d promised whatever she wanted for all meals today and her breakfast choice was pancakes so I needed to walk round to the shop for eggs. Scarlett came with me and as we walked up the glittering pavements hand in hand with dragon breath in the cold air I marvelled at where those eight years had gone. Later the same day I had her I felt the urge to get out of the house all alone so had nipped along to Sainsburys while she slept, leaving both the children with Ady. I was gone less than half an hour and I remember standing in the queue thinking ‘I gave birth to a baby this morning!’. Being in a queue with her eight years later all big and chatty and lovely is just amazing really.
Back at home I made pancakes, lit a fire and had a quick phonecall with Julie to arrange for them to come over to us for a couple of hours. We watched TS3 and the kids played with playmobil while I made a cake. Scarlett wanted a victoria sponge with Sploosh and Lucky on the top. Except my car won’t start and I had no blue food colouring, no black food colouring and no icing to make such things with. Instead I made a double layer sponge, put it together with green buttercream, smeared more over the top and created a duck shaped stencil with a piece of paper then sprinkled icing sugar through to make Lucky and cocoa powder to make Sploosh. It passed muster later 🙂
Julie & co arrived and we had a nice catch up with each other – it’s a couple of years since they were last here. I showed Julie the van and we did candle blowing and cake eating.
They left and Davies started to feel rough so he curled up to watch more TS3 while Tarly and I looked at photos and she had a pile of cinnamon french toast – her late lunch food request. Ady arrived home bringing a Christmas tree and plaster so we can cast some ducks tomorrow.
We all got ready and drove to the Harvester to meet Mum, Dad and Frazer who pulled up at the same time as us. Scarlett got yet more cash (she now has over £100 which she says she wants to bring WOOFing with us rather than spend – I have a horrible feeling she intends buying an animal with it… 😉
The meal was the usual Harvester fayre, acceptable and OK. Davies and I played boxes on his kids activity sheet thing and Dad showed Tarly how to play it too, then I got bored and set up 10 pencil bowling standing pencils up on their ends and knocking them down with an empty butter pat container. Dad was the best scoring several strikes and scores.
Scarlett told the waitress it was her birthday earning her a sparkler in her jelly and ice cream 🙂 Davies did really well to last the night I think as he was looking pretty ropey but adamant he didn’t want to spoil her birthday. We came home for coffee and cake and Davies went up to bed and was asleep really quickly. Scarlett showed Mum and Dad her photo frame before they left and then I sat with Tarly in her room for a bit looking at her pictures with her.
Love that girl, love being her Mumma, having her as my crazy daughter, celebrating her eight circles of the sun with love, laugher, animal related stuff and many cuddles.
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