5 Years Old Today!!

Well, 5 years old and one day to be precise!
I'm continuously amazed at how time waits for no one. I shall be pushing up daisies soon, better get on with living then ne?
Nevertheless!
Our not-so-little Amma turned 5 yesterday, the birthday, as always was counted down and eagerly anticipated. The day, unlike its predecessors was different, radically so in a number of ways, but the same in a few very important ones...

As excited as she was about the day, opening her presents, getting her cake and so on, she missed her friends and asked both Hayley and me where they were, why they were not here to share the day, and when she would see them. This was a tough one! We did tell her the truth, and I can't say it surprised her, but I think the dissapointment was there.
Anyway, she will be having a celebration with the new friends at school on Firday and hopefully we can make a bit of a splash out of that.

Another significant difference is that she got 2 gifts. This is lean in comparison to the dozens that she and Sarah are accustomed to, not to mention the absolute shower of presents from the accomanying parties and special days with jumping castles, Snowscape or whatever and all the friends around making merry.
The important things however remain - she knows that she is about as precious as any one person can be to another, and that she regularly extends even that. She loves her gifts and can't wait to play with them when they get home in the afternoons. I don't think she really noticed that there wasn't a mountain of presents...

The last difference is that the cake was the simplest one ever, a chocolate cake in the shape of a heart, made in the Wood tradition at midnight on birthday eve.
I baked it, and forgot one of the ingredients, oil, so although it turned out looking great, its predictably a bit on the dry side. Never mind, not so fattening, although, having said that there is a quarter pound of butter in the icing... fat schmat.

Below is the cake in question, decorated with a hundreds and thousands "A" and a white icing sugar butterfly and adorned with a wonderful candle 5 that we didn't have a match or lighter to light!!!!! Aaargh. For this auspicious occasion I had to buy all the baking kit, mixer, pan, spatulas and so on, being the now lean-woods we didn't even have anything to attempt this kind of thing before the occasion insisted upon it...

Matches are on my list!


We got them both a pair of roller blades, Ambers have a set of ice blades so that you can swap with the wheels when you want to go off road on the ice - very nice. Sarah's don't, but thats only because I couldn't get her size in the brand that carries the option. Anyway, when it is time to go to the rink, I suspect we will be somewhat competent on wheels and by then if not hiring skates, we can buy her a pair.



As coincidence would have it Mishcat Sykyped in and, just in time was able to watch the cake cutting ceremony on video and sing happy birthday to the birthday girl. Wonderful!
Michael was quite animated at the idea that he and Amber are the same age.

Mishcat and kittens watch the cake cutting ceremony using the miracle of the Internet and webcams...

Since they got their skates the kids have been glued to them. As soon as they get home they are in them and we battle to get them out of their skates for bathtime. This afternoon we took them outside to skate a bit on the paving and tarmac below us. We're in a culdesac and there is a nice broad price of road thats really low in traffic - perfect for skating babies. I must say they both seem quite able, I was expecting a lot more bum thumping, but they are quite adept. Albeit holding our hands, they are able to skate from chair to door in the house and only fall occasionally.