Sarah's 4!

The long awaited, anticipated day arrived for our ex-3 year-old on Wednesday. We've been doing the sleep countdown for about 6 weeks now and its had to span trips, visits and all kinds of "delays".

One morning, about a week before the actual day arrived we heard Amber wake up, and in her characteristically loud whisper (loud enough for it to wake us up, but still a whisper you understand) announced "Seewah! Wake up! It's your birthday!" A few seconds later the usually sluggish-in-the-morning Sarah, bypassing all of her usual surfacing inertia asked in part amazement and part disbelief, "But where are the balloons?!"

Needless to say, before a serious break-down had time to take hold we were out of bed assuring her that her birthday was still approaching on the appointed day... phew! Close one! So, when the day did arrive, I sat in the kitchen busting a gut trying to blow up them long thin balloons, you know the ones that make cute animals in the hands of a pro, just embarrass everyone else and confuse children who can't decide whether you just made them a horse, a giraffe or a daschund! With some grace and the inventive use of a bicycle pump I managed to get this crude rendition of my birthday girls name out...

I thought it was quite cute, but it didn't hold interest for more than a few seconds... well, how do you compete with unopened presents? You can't!

Let the games begin... about to embark on the best part of the day!

With Michael, if you're ever in doubt about what to get him for a birthday, Christmas, or whatever, you can rest assured that anything that flies is going to score you kudos, with Sarah, anything that has 4 legs and neighs, or who does stoutness exercises and eats honey will do the same.

Hayley, the genius that she is, hit the button with this set of gifts... first up, a "Pegasus Flying Horse" Stunning model horse that we get here, there's a range of them, super high quality, items, really great toys.
She likes it!

Notice the theme? This is a "Doodle Pony" a funky looking fabric pony with pink in all the right places, and you can write on it! Comes with markers that wash out, so when you're bored with the way your horsie looks, you toss it into the washer and it comes out clean, ready for the next round.
She LOVES this one!

And without any ado let the doodling begin!

This year a Tinkerbell cake was ordered and given the technical difficulties we'd experienced in the past trying to get figures onto a sloppy icing surface we decided on a new approach - do all the art on grease paper, freeze the figure and then peel it off and move the entire item to the cake - we will be sticking with the strategy.

Hayley is the artist behind Tinkerbell, Saz is a happy puppy

On the way to school - the girls are on the bus sporting the necklaces they made with one of the other gifts



The Tinkerbell cake went to the new school and there was a celebration held in honor of the birthday girl with all her new friends gathered about...


Look at all those candles! You know, there should be speed regulations on how fast children are allowed to grow up. Saz is still putting on more than a cm a month in height, is eating like a horse and the other day even complained about what we think are growth pains.


Teacher Shahla in attendance on the right, Hayley's ample cleavage skillfully obscured by her head...
Since we now have 2 schools with friends at both we need 2 cakes to share with those friends (obviously) so another cake was commissioned, this time, an aeroplane cake, I take what credit is available for the plane... not much I fear, still it was a hit and between them they polished the entire thing off in one morning!

Here are the Czech mates all set about on the grass about to tuck in

Some poses with their art on the sidewalk to color the day in.

To top off the day, Michael and Mandy dropped in to say "Happies" which was greatly appreciated and the kids reached their first ever spontaneous combustion over skype video, normally there is a bit of apprehension, not being used to the media or something, but this time they were in their own little elements, speaking like professional 2-5 year-olds and having just a good old time.