As you can probably ascertain from the title above, it has been eight years since we became parents welcoming Éowyn into our lives. Yes, our eldest child has completed her eighth circuit around the sun and as the tradition dictates she is entitled to a write up all of her own; this is it. It has been slightly delayed due to the lack of internet in deepest darkest Dorset – but more of that in its own write up.
Éowyn’s birthday fell this year on a Monday, a school day and a Brownie meeting day and unfortunately a day that Daddy was unable to get off work. Therefore, and Amélie had set the precedent three weeks previous, Éowyn decided to stretch this birthday out to encompass the weekend before.
As you may recall, when we had asked the girls if they wanted a party for their birthdays, Amélie had jumped at the chance while Éowyn was nonplussed. Therefore Amélie had her pool party for her birthday celebrations and although Éowyn came she was not allowed to invite any of her friends. Instead, she wanted her two best friends to come for a special party: a trip to the cinema followed by pizza and her only stipulation was that Amélie and Ezra were not invited.
Although I was working on Éowyn’s actual birthday I was off the weekend before. So Éowyn’s birthday celebrations started on the Saturday lunchtime. As luck would have it Ezra had been invited to his own pizza party that Saturday, by his girlfriend for her fourth birthday. So while Mommy took Éowyn and her two best friends: Kavya and Aaliyah to the cinema to watch Storks and Ezra was enjoying his girlfriend’s birthday party, Daddy took Amélie for a special pizza date of our own.
Éowyn and her friends thoroughly enjoyed the cinema but drove Mommy a little crazy at the pizza parlour afterwards as they were hyper on excitement and sugar. Indeed I think Mommy was glad when they had finished their meal and could walk Kavya back home before returning with Eowyn and Aaliyah, as Aaliyah was having a sleepover. They dropped Kavya off and began the walk home when the heavens opened and they were drenched by an Autumnal shower. This drenching did not calm the hyper mood that the girls had got themselves in and we were quite glad when they finally went to bed.
Amélie and Ezra woke at their usual early hour, but thankfully Éowyn and Aaliyah were a little later to rise. Nevertheless they were all up and ready by the time that Nanny Fran and Auntie Liz made their way through the rain and down the M40 to join the second day of Eowyn’s birthday celebrations. Auntie Mary joined us a little later. We allowed Éowyn to open the presents from her Bagnall relatives.
Éowyn has always shown an interest in taking photos. I think I have ruined her chances as a model as I have taken so many photos that she no longer enjoys having her photos taken. Taking photos, however does interest her and she has a natural flair for taking photos. Obviously she has to learn the technicalities but she has an artist’s eye and will quite often take unusual photos because she found the angle interesting. We bought her a kiddie camera a couple of years ago but Nanny Fran thought that it was the right time to buy her a ‘proper’ camera. She had asked Éowyn if there was anything she wanted her camera to do and all that Éowyn asked for was that it had a zoom and it would be nice if it was waterproof. Amazingly Nanny Fran managed to tick both boxes and it was blue! Éowyn was over the moon and immediately began to take photos.
She then wanted to open a few more presents so we allowed her. Taking the newly opened presents she disappeared into her bedroom with Aaliyah to play with her latest bootie.
The third day of birthday celebrations and her actual birthday was the Monday – a school day. She got up early and got ready in double-quick time to open the remainder of her presents before going to school – it is a good incentive.
Now she is 8 and in year 3 it is no longer the done thing to hand out birthday sweets on your birthday so there was no need for Lucinda to meet her at the end of the day with bags of sweets for her classmates. However, after school was her usual Brownie meeting and it is somewhat a different rule: it is expected to bring some treats and fairy cakes fulfilled that criterium.
So although Éowyn did not have a big celebration it was definitely a case of quality over quantity with her best friends and family and presents that she really wanted. Perhaps it is a sign of getting older that she is becoming more discerning. Don’t grow up to quickly Éowyn!
Happy birthday Éowyn
Love Mommy and Daddy
