Birthday Celebrations - Part 2

Anna was woken on Wednesday by the sound of her Mummy and Daddy singing 'Happy Birthday' kneeling down by her bedside. I'm sure Anna mistook the sound for a few cats fighting outside but. thankfully, she woke up with a huge smile on her face. In fact, it was a beautiful smile and made me feel rather warm in the heart as 3 years ago I was giving birth to this beautiful gorgeous girl.

As soon as she was dressed, we went downstairs and Anna suddenly let out a gasp as she saw the huge present in front of her. However, curiously, she decided to save that one (I thought most children would dive on the biggest present first but not Anna) and, instead, opened the tiny present first (some Peppa Pig painting stamps). It was only after she had opened the helmet (She had insisted that, when riding the demonstration scooter in Toys R Us, that she needed a helmet before she got on the scooter itself. I'm not sure who has taught her this important safety message, as we had never felt the need to teach her that before now, but thank you to whoever did!), she then opened the scooter and let out another gasp of pure delight. We then spent the next 30 minutes with Anna going round in circles because she had her scooter permanently on right lock. A quick lesson in steering was needed. Unfortunately, breakfast and drinking her milk was far less important than her scooter so got abandoned.

I felt like a very mean Mummy when I told Anna that it was time for pre-school. I felt even meaner when, on the way to pre-school, the skies opened and the rain poured. I was drenched within 5 seconds (despite wearing a raincoat as the water just dripped off the hem and hood like a cascading waterfall). Anna must have seen a weather forecast as she had grabbed her umbrella on the way out that morning so was slightly drier albeit damp! In fact, Anna had great fun as she copied her idol, Peppa Pig, and started to jump in all the puddles.

I was sure that there would be tears on arriving at pre-school as she would insist on returning home to play with her birthday gifts and I had even bullied James to come with me (He has the week off work to do many things including celebrate Anna's birthday, prepare for 2 parties, stop me from worrying, look for possible houses that we could live in and have a few well-deserved lie-ins (which he hasn't managed to do yet!). However, I was very thankful when one of the pre-school supervisors shouted 'Happy Birthday' to Anna as she opened the front door. I hadn't reminded them that it was Anna's birthday but they had noted it and Anna was more than happy to go to pre-school if it meant lots more attention piled on her.

When it was time to pick her up, she came out very excitedly clutching a handmade Peppa Pig birthday card and telling me that everyone had sang Happy Birthday and basically made a big fuss. The supervisor then came out looking exhausted, informing me that Anna had been more than energetic this morning.

We then headed to the local soft play centre where Anna had her favourite meal of Sausages and Smiley Faces before leaping about on the slides, ball pools and tunnels for the next 2 hours.

We then went to the local Ice Cream Farm. This place is divine and Anna loves it. Basically, as well as having a massive outdoor playground with a climbing frame perfect for toddlers (albeit too wet on this particular day), an automatic clown blowing bubbles (Anna adores him and tells everyone visiting the farm that they must go and say Hello to him!) and a duck pond, they also have an animal corner complete with farmyard animals. There is also a milking parlour where you see the cows being milked before the milk gets taken to the converted barn to make into ice cream (which can be viewed on a big screen in the ice cream parlour. I have always insisted that Anna goes to the animals first as I then feel less guilty about buying her an ice cream if she has had some educational input about farmyard animals. By now, Anna has worked out the rules of this game so headed straight for animal corner. For a second, I actually thought she was keen to learn more about the animals but alas no. Instead, Anna zoomed past each pen in 10 seconds at most saying 'Hello goats, hello pigs, hello donkeys, hello pony, hello cows. Let's go for ice cream now.' I don't think she glanced at each animal for more than a second!

So we then headed for the ice cream parlour. Now, this is not just ordinary ice cream but indeed Cheshire's finest ice cream and comes in a range of flavours including Malteaser Flavour strawberry cheesecake, Banoffi and Baileys. It is extremely creamy and extremely high calories but has to be done every once in a while. Anna chooses chocolate every time and then proceeds to devour it in record time. The melted chocolate spread from cheek to cheek is really quite a sight but the massive grin on her face is also quite a sight too!

So after playing with the bubbles, devouring ice cream and making mess, Anna decided it was time to go home. Now, Anna never normally volunteers to go home but today, she had an agenda. 'Mummy, Can we go home now because I want scooter time'. (We had originally planned to take Anna to our favourite country park on the afternoon of her birthday but the torrential rain put stop to that).

As soon as we got home, Anna went straight for her scooter and, in fact, has played on nothing else since. There are still a few lessons in riding a scooter that has to be taught yet though. One of these is the lesson that you are actually allowed to go more than 30 centimetres on it. In 'Toys R Us', the space to ride the demonstrator scooters is quite limited so I told Anna that she could only go a few steps with it. She has now taken this on board and will only go forwards and backwards in a 30 centimetre radius (Yet, when I remind her to take her cup to the kitchen on a thrice daily basis, she forgets within 3 seconds! Strange!) She also insists on wearing her helmet at all times but then refuses to let anyone adjust it so the helmet is permanently falling off her head! I think she genuinely thinks that helmets falling off your head is all part of the fun of riding a scooter.

You can tell how much of a hit it is when she wakes up the morning after her birthday and immediately says' Where's my scooter. Let's go downstairs now. I need my scooter'. I honestly think that Anna would have the scooter in bed with her if she thought she could get away with it!

To contend with the scooter being driven around the living room (It is still far too wet to take it outside), we also have a massive sand pit taking up the floor space in our living room. Grandma Lynn and Grandad Flob, generously, has given Anna a Ladybird sandpit complete with lid for her birthday. Unfortunately, due to the weather and her birthday falling in the winter, it isn't really suitable to take outside yet. However, this hasn't stopped Anna from having great fun with it. She is now insisting that she sits in the empty sand pit to watch TV, read her books and also hide her toys in it. She is also quite fond of hiding in it herself!

Our living room really is a sight for sore eyes at the moment, what with scooter, every Peppa Pig toy known to man, Sylvanian family caravan and car, leaf blowing game (which is the other gift that Anna adores, especially when the leaves go whizzing around the room so that her Mummy has to get on all 4's to retrieve them from the oddest of places) and a massive sand pit. All of this and, in some way which I have no idea how at the moment , I have to get ready for the big party on Saturday where 26 guests descend on our small house in anticipation of fun! At the moment, I am only anticipating chaos and mayhem but, as long as everyone has a good time and the birthday girl herself feels special , then something will be achieved. Even if I do have several thousand grey hairs and worry lines on my forehead!

Anna's 3rd Birthday Party - Part 1

Anna's birthday is obviously a huge occasion in the Gibson household and, being the popular girl that she is, means that celebrations can last all week.

Due to my side of the family being in Herefordshire, James's side of the family being in Manchester/Liverpool and friends spread everywhere including Wales, Birmingham and Cheshire as well as having a house that just couldn't fit everyone in, we decided to have several parties, spread over the week.

The first party was last weekend in Herefordshire with my side of the family attending. Her actual birthday was a smaller affair with a little party at pre-school followed by a birthday lunch at the local soft-play centre followed by a trip to the Ice Cream Farm (One of Anna's very favourite places!) and then the third party is planned for this coming weekend with James' family and her little friends (and the most traumatic as I play host without my mother to organise me, as in previous years!). A busy week then!

On the morning of her first party, I explained that it was her birthday and that, to celebrate, Nanny and Grandad was going to have a party at their house with various family members. Anna seemed suitably excited and I thought she understood as she rushed downstairs to tell her Nanny. It was only when she started singing 'Happy Birthday Nanny' and continued to sing it all morning that I realised she may not have grasped my in-depth conversation with her! Even when we had set up for the party, complete with Peppa Pig plates,cup, napkins and assorted party ware , Anna was still convinced that this was all for her Nanny (Well, who wouldn't want Peppa Pig plates and paraphernalia at their party!!). There was only one thing we could do, in order to convince Anna it was her party and so, with a quick dash to Hereford, James and I returned with a massive number 3 balloon and a Peppa pig balloon for good measure. After presenting them to her, I think it suddenly dawned on her that this was her party and excitement was soon clearly evident with Anna running around the house and eagerly awaiting her first guests.

It was when James was helping Anna get dressed in her princess dress (It wouldn't be a party without a princess dress) that Goo-Goo (Anna's great-nan) and Uncle Phil arrived, soon followed by everyone else. At this point Anna was just running from one person to another with the biggest grin on her face and giving a running commentary of what everyone was saying. She also thought it was wonderful that Zim, the Bassett Hound, arrived at her party too.

A theme soon became very clear when opening the very generous presents and I think it is fair to say that Anna now owns every Peppa pig toy ever created! Anna was inheaven and was giving 78 year old Goo-Goo a full education of Peppa and her family, using her toys to demonstrate. Another gift that must be mentioned is the unique hockey top presented by Auntie Carolyne and Uncle Steve with Carolyne's hockey club logo emblazoned on it and 'Anna' printed on it too, just like the proper hockey players! The back of the top reads 'Leominster Ladies Hockey Club' so it is now official... Anna is now a member of the Hockey club and begins her debut hockey game next weekend (She is still eagerly practising with her professional hockey stick and is alarmingly quite good on target!!)

I think the highlight for Anna was when the cake was brought in, with a big number 3 and her name iced on it and, after we had all sang 'Happy Birthday' at the top of our voices (Anna insisted!), Anna did a very good job of blowing her candles out and cheering before doing her solo performance of singing Happy Birthday to herself.

It was well past 11 when Anna informed me that it was time for bed. So, after getting dressed in her pyjamas, Anna gave everyone a goodnight kiss and thanked everyone for their such generous gifts without any prompting from us, before climbing the stairs to bed. Well, even party girls need to sleep sometimes.

A short while later, I crept upstairs to check on her and she had a huge smile on her face. Anna is definitely a girl who likes to party!

Happy 3rd Birthday Anna

Has it really been a year since Anna's last birthday???

Doesn't time fly when you are having fun!

It has been a momentous us year. Anna was bridesmaid... twice! She has started pre-school, flown on a plane for the very first time, been to another country (not that Anna really noticed!), gained her very first cousin and numerous other events that will come flooding back as soon as this post goes public.

I fear that this blog post will simply be a repeat of last birthday's blog post. However, sometimes, the sentiment needs to be said and shouted aloud for the whole world to hear.

So another year has sped by and, with each passing year, our darling daughter becomes even more beautiful, clever, funny, thoughtful, mischievous, cheeky and just gorgeous beyond belief. Every year, I find myself just gazing and wondering at how my daughter is growing up and how much happiness she brings, to lots of different people for lots of different reasons. She continues to wow everyone, no matter where she goes and, as her Grandad Peter said only a few weeks ago, 'Anna makes everyone love her, no matter where she goes'.

As for her Mummy (and Daddy)... I love her so much that I never thought possible. She is my world and everything in it and she makes me so very proud on a daily basis.

Happy Birthday Darling Anna.