Nine, when did that happen? I started this blog when she was a wee little thing and look at her now…… growing up before our eyes, and halfway to adulthood!
How the years fly by and boy has she changed before our eyes. A birthday photo from each of the 8 preceding years – what a difference each year makes……
…… and how to celebrate turning 9?
Last year for her 8th birthday we were lucky enough to be in Vanuatu for Astrid’s actual birthday, followed by a small celebration back at home. This year, it’s lucky we weren’t planning on any overseas trips because Covid-19 meant that we weren’t able to go anywhere. Luckily restrictions had eased enough around Astrid’s birthday that we could have a small celebration with friends and dinner out. Our first time out to a restaurant in quite awhile!
Of course with birthdays come the cake requests. Astrid perused pinterest and decided she really wanted a galaxy mirror cake. Of course she did, always something new for Mum to try at birthday time!
Birthday week was upon us and Astrid and Zinnia were busy baking, Zinnia is an expert beater licker!
Astrid also decided she wanted to do some cookie decorating at her sleepover party and made the cookie dough and cookies in advance of her party all on her own! …. Does this mean I might get out of cake making in a few years??? Zinnia was also happy to assist with cookie cutting (and dough eating of course).
Astrid had decided to make her birthday cake request super-simple, chocolate layer cake with coconut and raspberry buttercream filling and a galaxy mirror glaze. Nothing like testing Mum and Dad’s baking skills, but I think we pulled it off……
Party day…..
After the cake was ready to roll, there was a special present to open. Granny had found the perfect dress for the soon to be 9 year old. A ‘Review junior’ dress, in blue-green velvet (her favourite colours and fabric) and Mum’s favourite brand, called none other than ‘Astrid’! It was perfect and look at the delight when she opened it…..
It looked beautiful and Astrid was one happy girl in her Astrid dress……
Zinnia, not to be outdone thought she’d don one of Astrid’s old dresses, and looked like a spitting image of Astrid from the same age, even comparing herself to the picture of Astrid in the same dress on a photo album 🙂
Then Zinnia found Astrid”s birthday balloons and thought they were the best thing ever! To be fair both Astrid and Soren think Granny’s birthday balloons are the best thing ever too….
Party time
Astrid was having 3 friends over for a sleepover and a few family and friends dropping in for coffee and cake. After months of limited people being allowed in the house it was strange having lots of people around. The advantages of a big house is that the 4 square metres per person rule isn’t much of a challenge for us!
Soon there were more presents from family and friends and a happy and excited Astrid!
Cake time…..
One galaxy mirror cake ready for adornment and cutting. It was indeed shiny and the colours were beautiful, if hard to capture with a camera.
By a happy coincidence the cake even matched her dress!
Stars, a number 9 sparkler and a diamonte ‘A’ were added and Astrid was ready to cut into that cake!
It was certainly pretty tasty and Zinnia managed to wrangle a piece from pretty much everyone!
Sleep-over time…..
Cake and coffee consumed and the house emptied and the noise reduced to a dull roar. Soren was strategically shipped off to Granny’s for a sleep-over so as not to annoy the big girls. Pretty quickly the girls settled into some finger and toenail painting, even Zinnia got in on the action, with Dad painting her toenails, that she was very excited to have ‘blue’….
Then it was onto cookie decorating, with plenty of royal icing being piped about and quite a bit being consumed! Zinnia was not saying no to Aunty Michelle giving her icing to lick.
There was also plenty of loomband jewellery being constructed before tacos for dinner and movies with popcorn. No adult was predicting much sleep (despite the girls telling me they were going to be asleep at 8.30pm 😛 ). I think the last one dropped at 1am before Zinnia decided to be up at 3 and the girls at 5am. I didn’t need the refresher on life with a newborn but luckily it was only 1 night. Somehow Anto had enough brain capacity to make crepes for breakfast. Zinnia approved!
Once some bleary eyed 9 year olds were sent home, Astrid was sentenced to a nap (how I wished I could have joined her!) before it was time for more presents – this time from the grandparents!
It was then off to dinner to celebrate with grandparents and Aunt and Uncles. Our first restaurant meal in over 4 months, so very exciting! Astrid chose Chinese and dumplings and it was tasty, but the kids faded fast after late nights and Mum was waaaayyyyy too tired to even contemplate photos to mark the occasion…….
……….and then she was nine!
Bright and early on a Winter Monday morning and the kids were awake and ready for presents. You can’t open your presents from Mum and Dad until your official birthday but it did mean the festival of Astrid was stretched a little longer. Zinnia was pretty keen to help out too!
There was one happy Astrid! Then it was time for birthday breakfast, pancakes with berries and cream. It had certainly been an eating festival and the birthday had only just begun.
Off to school, armed with containers of chocolate crackles to share with her class, and very glad to be back at face to face schooling for her birthday!
9 years young….
Every year I try to do some special birthday photos, just to mark the occasion. Despite being one of the most photographed children ever, Astrid doesn’t mind more time in front of the camera. Lover of getting dressed up she chose her outfit and across the road we went with the alpacas for a few snaps……
Yep definitely looking grown up, although I’m sure in a few years time I will think she was so little in these photos!
She does love to dance, and who can resist golden light and rainbows to dance in?
Such attitude at times this young lady! The foot stomping, eye rolling and hair tossing are next level but her determination does hold her in good stead at times, there is nothing she can’t do when she puts her mind to it…..
Miss Astrid Elodie – the one who made us parents, drives us nuts, amazes us, frustrates us and makes us proud….. all pretty much on a daily basis! Growing up fast. The baby and toddler days are long gone for her now but I hope I have a little time before the teen years hit. How much wine will I need to get through that?
She does love her pets, dearly misses our cats Mulder and Scully, but is very fond of Inti and Chimu. Not every kid has their own alpaca and Llapaca, just our 3 very lucky kids!
Happy 9th birthday Astrid….. enjoy being 9 and there will be plenty of adventure to come! Covid may have halted our globetrotting temporarily but I’m sure there will be a year of adventure one way or another. There always is when Astrid is involved!
