Aneliese turned six last week. I keep looking at her and wondering just when the little baby turned into this tall wiry girl with adorable freckles scattered across her nose.
A couple of weeks before her birthday, Aneliese had been telling me how fun she thought a play kitchen would be. Little did she know that we were working on just that for Acorn Cottage (their playhouse). She told her auntie on the phone that we don’t usually get them much for birthday gifts but that this year, it was a huge one. That combined with her birthday bike from her Gramma and Papa as well as several other little gifts and some birthday $, had her feeling quite rich that day!
Our birthday cake tradition has become that the birthday girl gets to decorate her own cake. The girls absolutely love it and often plan months in advance just what they want. I love it because it keeps the cake simple and is something fun and creative that they look forward to on their birthday. This year Aneliese requested a butterfly cake which was easily attained by cutting a round cake into four pieces and turning the rounded corners in. A very simple base for her colors which she applied while skyping with Gramma!
With the family friends that she invited, her requested roast chicken dinner, Aneliese felt that turning six was pretty great. I love seeing her enjoy her day and I love the little things that we can do to make it special and meaningful for her. Six. It feels like we’re moving into a whole new phase of life with her but maybe I’ve felt that every other year as well and am just forgetting. Either way, she is a lovely, precious girl who delights us with each year that we spend with her.