A very ‘Happy Birthday’ tea party

 

It’s amazing how time just flies.

Scary actually.

One minute you’re nursing a tiny, beautiful newborn baby in your arms, and the next, your tiny baby bundle has turned into a cheeky, mischievous and energetic little wrecking ball!!

Last week was Ellas first birthday party. A wonderful day of celebrations and laughter, but also a sad day in the knowledge I’m not much longer going to have a baby as such, as she starts taking her first steps into that new category of toddler.

We chose not to have a big elaborate bash, as she really wouldn’t know what was going on, so instead decided to celebrate at home, with a little tea party and with our closest friends and family.

And to our delight, the sun came out to play too.

All of our friends now have their own children too, aged between 6 months and 8 years, so a get together is always full of fun and laughter, and never a dull moment.

Lots of nappy changing, squabbling, spilt drinks, snatching, squashed food, playing and shouting!

I had good intentions of being ‘the perfect mummy’ and baking my own cakes and decorating them etc, but I’m afraid I failed miserably in this task due to all the job hunting stuff that was going on.

I’d been practising for days with sugarpaste by making bees and bugs, cupcake toppers etc to adorn the cakes, but these too failed to materialise for the day.

So yes – I totally cheated and scoured the supermarkets instead 🙁

The shop bought ones went down a storm though, and at least no one got food poisoning or chipped a tooth, so in the end it was only my pride of being a mummy that was hurt!

I set out the food on our dining room table (expecting the weather to be typically British!), with a small selection of bits and bobs to suit both kids and adults alike. Though instead of eating around the table or inside on the carpet, we fetched out the picnic blankets and decided to take the food platters outside to enjoy the beautifully warm spring day.

All the mummy’s sat on the rugs and chatted (holding tightly onto drink cartons, clearing up whatever had just been knocked over and rubbing sore knees after minor bumps) whilst the kids ran amok in the garden. I’d got out the play tents and tunnel, the trampoline, garden games, the sandpit and the playhouse, so they had lots of fun just running around and playing for a couple of hours.

I must admit I was rather naughty, and put out some sweets on the dining table also.  So it was very funny to watch, when all went quiet in the garden, and our little children filed silently in and out of the dining room patio doors, like a line of ants or James Bond on a mission, to keep sneaking a sweet or two from the tub!

It’s so lovely to see them all play so amazingly well together.

I have a very close, tight knit group of girls that I’ve grown up with from around 15 years old.  We all now have our own children, (99% being girls too) so it’s just wonderful to watch and wonder if this next generation will grow up so tightly also!

And you never know, perhaps one day it will be them sipping wine and eating canapés around a kitchen island in one of their own homes.

So whilst we all stayed outside enjoying the warm rays of the sun, the husbands all decided to sip beer and watch the cricket indoors! Only leaving the comfort of the sofas, every so often, to grab yet more platefuls of sandwiches, crisps and cakes!

In the end, we managed to prise and peel the boys off the sofa, and all gathered in the dining room as it was time to light the candle on the birthday cake and for us all to put on our best voices to sing ‘Happy Birthday’.

My mum had very kindly offered to make the birthday cake, which was a lovely buzzy bumblebee!  (I don’t know why, but I really have a thing for cute bug parties?!?!)

Ella looked in shock when we all stood there singing at her, and the children all helped to blow out the candle as little E really didn’t know what to make of it all!

Afterwards, the boys sprang back to their seats, whilst I made white wine spritzers for the girls – much to my husbands dismay as I used the Chablis to mix with the soda.

But heh!

It tasted nice!

Especially in the sunshine!

So we then just sat back, caught up some more, wore out the kids and sipped upon our drinks until it was time for everyone to head off home (all the adults were meeting up again in a couple of hours for a well overdue night out – but that’s a whole different story!! I’m still trying to remember half of it!!)

All in all a lovely afternoon.

Ella had a great time with all the older children, and all the older children had great fun with Ella!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful little girl.

xx