weekending :: the big 0-five

so there were a couple other things going on this weekend.  she and her papa worked together on building a small play platform (his special birthday present to her), and the sap started to flow so we tapped the trees (and are now trying to figure out when on earth we'll have time to start boiling down all of that sap since he's teaching a class all week and I work every afternoon, hmmmm…).  but mostly, this weekend was about her turning five.  FIVE.  it's kind of a big deal, right?  she woke to balloons scattered about and a small pile of gifts by her seat at the table.  one of them was a tiny (naked, unfinished) doll I started making her over a year ago that has long sat untouched.  I figured if I just went ahead and gave it to her already she could help me choose the hair, the clothes, etc.

my mom came to join us for a birthday breakfast of french toast and fruit.

she made a beautiful quilt for the birthday girl.  a couple weeks ago she asked Claire what her favorite colors were and was told "pink, blue, purple, green, orange, red, yellow, dark blue, black……." and on and on.  so this works nicely.

Mike threw me a surprise 30th birthday party almost five years ago and for some reason got two chile pepper pinatas for the occasion.  one has been in our basement ever since and we decided it was high time to use it.  after debating a bit about what exactly to stuff it with, I decided to go with individual bags (crayons, herbal tea, lollipops, honey mint patties, and plastic dinosaurs) with some loose legos, hair bands, and stickers thrown in for effect.  she very much enjoyed helping to fill it.

she wanted to go somewhere she'd never been for dinner, so we went out to a new French/Argentine restaurant in town and had delicious tamales and empanadas.  she insisted we all dress 'fancy', so Mike wore a shirt and tie and I put on a sparkly tshirt and jacket and she wore many many layers, a bracelet, a necklace, and her purse.  we were a pretty awesome sight, I'm sure.  she opted to skip the dessert crepes and have chocolate ice cream at home instead.

(the party 'plan')

since year one, we always make the delicious carrot cake from Feeding the Whole Family (though I highly recommend cutting the salt down to about 1/4 tsp, lest you want salty cake, and we top it with a cream cheese frosting instead of the apricot glaze in the book because, well, because cream cheese frosting), and this year I decided to add a second 'fancy' cake that was basically a cinnamon-y chocolate cake with whole pears cooked in the batter.  I think it turned out a bit 'meh', but there was a bit of the whole 'ooh-aahhh' factor when you slice into it.  not bad, just not great.

there was 'pin-the-ear-on-the-cat',

the piñata,

and the rope swing, for all interested parties.

something about watching your kid as they are being sung to by their people, the ones who voluntarily (as in, no family obligation) come out to love them and support them, to help them make their way in this world and figure out who they are and where they fit in to all of it…… well, damn.  it makes a mama tear up a bit, you know?  yes, you know.

(holding her newest prized possession- a locking diary with a picture of a horse on front)

(first thing to go in the diary, not long after the party- a drawing of her on the rope swing)

Happy, happy, happy birthday dear, sweet girl.
oh, you are loved.  you are so, so loved.