birthday x 2

I'd love to be one of those people who has their kids birthday parties on Pinterest.
How fun to make all those crafty party favours and decorations and cartoon characters out of fondant.

But alas, despite my sizeable Party! board on Pinterst,
I usually end up running out of time to hand bake squillions of
pretty cupcakes and tie die calico take home bags.

I remember all the parties we had growing up and the fond memories
come from the silly games, the balloon blowing, writing the guest list
and the extra trolley full of junk food bought the preceding Thursday.

Oh sweet sugar.

If your birthday party was featured on the Pinboards POWER TO YOU.
I wish i WAS you.
But we had loads of fun anyway.

We celebrated the girls birthdays with friends and family.
I baked a cake each for them.
A watermelon cake for Smalls and a "pink and yellow cake
as per request from the big girl. We played suitably silly party games.
Pass the Parcel, Eat the Snake from a String on the Washing Line
(gotta come up with a better name for that), Pin the Tail on the Monkey
(thankyou Playschool), and the Lolly Man.

Lolly Man is a long running tradition in my family.
Any suitable male relative would don a plastic bag sticky taped all
over with lollies and run about while screaming sugar enhanced
children would give chase like hungry zombies, grab the lollies
and tackle the lolly man to the floor.
It's a great game and while the toddlers and preschoolers lacked
the necessary vigour to floor the lolly man, the dads were only too
happy to lend a hand.

I tried to get a nice smiley photo of the girls but was chatting and playing hostess too much to give it much of a good go.
Smalls was wandering round in a constant state of bewilderment that
there were so many people in our backyard.
Lu did her regular imitation of a hedgehog until she felt it was safe
and then the life of the party she did become.

Lu and I made party bags for all the kiddos to take home including
very colourful lolly kebabs.
When we made them she had her super sneaky there'slolliesintheroom
face on and kept telling me that I was supposed to share.
Nevertheless. kebabs were made and party bags were painted.

I think back on the days before we had children and can't help but notice the light and life and fun these little girls of ours have brought into our lives. It's so much fun reliving my childhood in these parties we throw for the girls but better because I get to see the joy on their faces.