A few short weeks after she started full-time education our second child Amélie turned five. This makes her one of the oldest in her class and her parents feel older than they think they are! Since this was Amélie’s first birthday in full-time education I decided that it would be nice to take the day off so that I could be there to take her to school and then be there when she arrived back home. This was doubly important because the weekend before Amélie’s birthday one of the MCR operators got married, this coupled with other commitments meant that we were a little short in staff levels on a busy weekend. This is my department, therefore I could not justify taking leave either for Matt and Sharon’s wedding nor to celebrate Amélie’s birthday.
Amélie however did have special visitors at the weekend in the shape of Nanny Fran and Aunties Liz and Mary. Since Nanny Fran and her aunties had come a long way and it was only the day before her birthday Amélie was allowed to open her presents. She, therefore, had two birthdays or, more accurately, celebrated her birthday for 48 hours – I am sure that is allowed! Nanny Fran waited until I arrived back from work however this did mean that she got caught in traffic and it took her 3.5 hours to return to West Bromwich, which made it an awfully long day.
So the big day arrived and to her credit Amélie didn’t wake too early. The promise of being able to open her presents if she got ready for school early spurred her on and both she and Éowyn were ready by 0815! If only it was like that everyday! Some of her presents duly opened she headed off to school (with a smile on her face, for the first time in a week) wearing her ‘I am 5′ badge.
The girls’ school has a healthy eating policy and therefore there are no sweets or cakes to be given out in class for birthdays. Although that is admiral if you can’t have a cake or some sweets on your birthday when can you? There is no policy, however, to stop one giving sweets and cakes out to classmates outside the school gates. Therefore, like some nefarious drug-dealer (and let’s face it sugar is a particularly bad drug) Amélie handed out bags of Haribos to her classmates as they left for home.
As I mentioned in the last write-up, Amélie has been getting herself upset in a morning saying that she hasn’t wanted to go to school. Much of this is because Amélie hasn’t made many, if any, friends. Most of the girls in her class have come to school via the same nursery therefore friendships have already been formed and Amélie has to break into this circle. She will. When she has been upset she has mentioned how much she has missed Georgia her friend from pre-school who attends another school and unfortunately Lucinda and Georgia’s mum had not managed to swap contact details while at pre-school. With a some luck Lucinda bumped into Georgia’s mum last week at one of the playgroups that she takes Ezra and her childminding ward and so snatched the chance to invite Georgia over for a birthday tea.
Amélie was shocked to see her friend walk up the driveway. Georgia was also pleasantly surprised as her mum had not told her what was happening or where she was going and this was Georgia’s first playdate so they were both very excited little girls. Sometimes birthday surprises are better than birthday presents.
Georgia wasn’t the only birthday visitor that Amélie had on her birthday evening. Nanny and Granddad came round with Uncle John and Auntie Margaret. Auntie Margaret received an education in current girls’ toys, in the U.K. at least. She learned all about Pinypons, Monster High Dolls and Fright-Mares. She will take this knowledge back home to see if this is same in Australia and thus be the cool Nanny in her granddaughters’ circle of friends.
Before they sat down for a birthday tea there was still room for more visitors with Uncle Michael and her cousins Lauren and Maddie popping in with more presents and a quick game of Ludo. What an exciting day!
The heavens seem to celebrate too for the day began with a lunar eclipse, that coincided with the moon at perigee (a so-called supermoon) and ended with N.A.S.A. announcing that liquid water has been found on another planet, our neighbour Mars. A very auspicious day to celebrate your fifth birthday.
Happy Birthday Amélie
Love
Mommy and Daddy
