We celebrated a milestone age for the big sister - who couldn't wait to open gifts this year - and had specially requested a UNICORN cake (to which I replied, nonchalantly, "of course!").. 6 hours of happy toil, and a good chilling in the fridge overnight - we had our very first (of many) requested shaped birthday cakes. Okay, so there've been a couple before, but this was the first time someone actually remembered that she requested it! To be honest, I'm a bit frightened of what I'll get asked to create next year - but mostly I'm enjoying the creative direction the birthdays are taking.. Our gift to her was a new pet fish (if you can call them 'pets'), Boris the Betta fish. He's a handsome fella and mostly gets fed by his owner, but doesn't protest too much when he skips a meal here and there.. We also took the girls 10-pin bowling for the first time, and everyone had a great time! Noelle was overly determined to carry her very own ball to the lane and eventually got very irate when Grandpa used her pink ball!! Needless to say, Kyra beat the kids and Grandma beat the adults.. They should tour!!
We also ventured into the land of 'kindergarten registration' this past month...(insert eerie music here)... I tried to dig up my experience from way back, but nothing really came to me about Kindergarten..oh, except for our class bunny getting loose in the hallway and pooping everywhere while the caretaker Mr Nelson yelled at it. Memories are funny things sometimes... Needless to say, this didn't instill much confidence in the nervous Neo-scholar but she soon relaxed after an evening of kindergarten activities put on by the school. The next morning she was thoroughly disappointed to have to go to back to Preschool!
Noelle has been a topsy turvy little angel/monster these months.. Lots of stubborn ideas about food, activities and personal hygiene... She still refuses to eat cheese but will eat Babybel (she doesn't consider something in a little wax pocket to be cheese I guess), she always has to find mud and jump in it (today she made 'mud' angels in the rain - did I mention that I hate laundry?) AND (wait for it) she won't poop on the toilet.. She waits until bedtime when I put a diaper on her, and she poops in it instead... argh.. I've tried researching a cure for this, but have come to no avail. Short of issuing an enema, I wait patiently for this phase to come to an end. But dammit, it's a looooong phase.. sigh.. In the meantime, we continue to contribute to the landfill with her one/day effluent/diaper package and carry on focusing on the cuteness of her.. Tonight she used a piece of asparagus as a magic wand, flinging balsamic vinegar everywhere while chanting magical words - it's worth the laughs she gives us..
And until summer returns to us - I guess we'll be seeing a lot more of those umbrellas...maybe I really should go buy some rubber boots afterall (if you can't beat 'em..join 'em!). Happy puddle jumping!
