Birthday Girl

Our sweet Jasmine is five.  Her birthday was last week.  We can see the lovely young lady she's becoming alongside traces of the baby she was.  Snuggly, bouncy, lively, sleepy, talkative, imaginative, purposeful, cheeky, fussy, loving, demanding then helpful.  Using 5 syllable words in the same sentence as ambliance and b'sketti.  Five is such a joyful, exciting age.  I'm energised and exhausted, enraptured and exasperated by my little darling.

Jasmine is such a puzzle.  Sometimes so shy, but when comfortable she's a little whirlwind!  We used to affectionately call her our "wooshka-booshka".  I don't know if that's a new word, but there wasn't an invented word adequate to describe her mischievous, exuberant playfulness.  Almost naughty.  Often dangerous.  Only by the grace of God has she made it to this age without breaking a bone or needing stitches ... thankyou Lord!

Jasmine age 2

We had a couple of Jasmine's friends over for afternoon tea to celebrate her 5th Birthday.  Because of the small number of guests, she only took half an hour to get into the swing of things (in the picture below she's still warming up).  Elijah greeted guests at the door wearing his Knight costume.  The Princesses ate dainty cupcakes, fairy bread and fruit on pop sticks ...

... then played statues, puzzle races, a hula-hoop relay and ring-a-ring-of-rosies.  Jasmine didn't want the same games as Elijah had at his party, and sagely requested the last one saying it would be "good for when everybody's too excited and overwhelmed"!!

Since I'd made 60 cupcakes (new recipe meets absent brain, oops!), the girls each decorated a few extras to take home (or quietly lose, if so wished by the parents, ha ha).  I had made an icecream cake by starting with a frozen Sara Lee strawberry swirl cheesecake, then adding smarties and layers of white and strawberry icecream topped with sprinkles.

Ah, sweet love!