They awoke by finding the birthday girl’s special birthday books on the table, and they were all eager to look at the pages, the photos and the stories that tell the tale of this little girl who was turning five.
The books were started because of a tradition at their Montessori school where the child does a Walk around the Sun on their birthday and the teacher shows photos and tells stories about their life, separated by years as they take one walk around the sun for each year of their life. I get all sappy about birthdays and I tend to do it up big. So for us, these books have turned into mini scrapbooks of their lives that each one of them have. Every year on their birthday, another year gets added and they wake up to the excitement of reading what it says.
The table was set with a tablecloth (which is not the norm here), a new birthday table runner was sewn by mama the night before as well a matching chair cover that said 5. The breakfast treat on the menu that morning was cinnamon rolls and strawberries. It was all an early morning surprise.
On the surprise table with the books was a new birthday outfit, with a special 5 headband and a mama sewn skirt, with a specific request for pockets.
After a hug from her dog Lulu the birthday girl was out the door, eager to see her friends and have her special day at school.
While she was away I was busy at play. I sewed accessories for her gift, which was a stuffed dog she requested. Oh – the dogs this gal loves! My work included a bed made of felt, a blanket of flannel, a bone and a rag toy for the stuffed dog who instantly got named “Flufee Gilbert.”
Gifts were wrapped. This one, a pair of roller-skates from the grandparents, got wrapped an old curtain panel that I previously sewed for our living room, and a ribbon from a project that never happened (because I DO run out of time).
At dinner we had a small celebration with just the five of us. We picked up cupcakes from our local favorite bakery and I officially became the mom who reused a 5 candle for the second kid. Yep that’s me! And yes it sat in the drawer for the last two years. And yes I threw it away so it won’t get used a third time, in three years when the third girl turns five. The birthday girl did however get a new shinny green 5 candle in her homemade cake for her Saturday party with her friends. And that one did get put into the drawer.
It was the first away from home party for this girl. She begged and begged to have it at a little gymnastics place. So I picked up her crystal cake stand (we have a tradition of each girl having their own birthday cake stand to be used on her special day) and rode to the party with it on my lap, cake and all. That yummy, awesomely, wow striking cake is made from the recipe that comes with this cookie pan that I won in a secret santa gift exchange last year (I can assure you the gift I brought was not that good).
And even though the party was away, we took our homemade goodies, tablecloths, treat bags, and much-loved birthday banner with us.
Happy birthday my sweet, quirky five-year-old. I’m glad you had fun. I think I had equal amounts of fun doing all this for you!
