We all know how quickly kids grow and change… another year has flown by, and my little Madame turned four on Saturday. My mum and my sister came to visit for a few days, which makes a birthday feel rather special indeed!
We took the skinheads bowling. (Okay, they’re not skinheads. They’re knuckleheads.) Ava Scarlett + three of her school friends, someone’s baby sister, and her own brother, Oliver = hilarious times at the Rose Bowl.
I wish I had better pictures of the day, but the lighting is extremely low in arcade-style places. Besides which, these children never hold still long enough for me to capture their shenanigans.
After showing the small kids the basics on rolling the ball underhand, (and NOT hurling the balls overhand) we let them try. Two turns at the pins each, before moving on to the next in line.
At first, they rolled the balls soooooooo slooooooowly, I swear, you could have gone off to get yourself a cup of coffee and returned before the ball was anywhere near the pins. We were lucky if the ball didn’t wind up in the gutter before it was a meter down the lane anyway. And we had to remind them not to roll the next ball until the first one had reached the pins… it was completely and hysterically funny.
(It took about half an hour for that ball to reach those pins…)
Anytime one of the little people knocked any pins down, the other three would swarm the good bowler, and assail him or her with hi-fives, and hugs and kisses, and they’d clutch each other, jumping up and down, each so proud for the friend in question. What a lovely and generous little gaggle of geese they are! God bless their loving little preschool…
After a snack of French fries and apple juice, we headed to a place called Parentheses, for cupcakes and coffee, truffles and tea. It’s a fairly new facility, child-centred, and gorgeous with its modern bistro decor, where everyone got to choose the cake she desired most (vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, and carrot were on the menu) along with a cleverly-disguised cup of unfiltered apple juice (in lidded Illy coffee cups, since you know how likely kids are to whimper and whine if they see their precious apple juice all cloudy within…) and for the adults, the hot chocolate with a shot of espresso was divine. What a splendid afternoon.
We returned home to open these…
… and I do believe the Swedish Berries might have been her favourite gift in the pile. When it comes to this girl and her candy? Don’t. Mess.
She’s a little bit taller, and her baby-ness is almost completely gone now… her vocabulary is expanding, and she’s quite thoughtful about what she wants to tell you. (And she has something to tell you every twenty seconds or so, holy crap.) She winks (from either eye) and gives you a thumbs-up when something is aces. She can snap her fingers on both hands. She can waggle her eyebrows, too.
She still loves chillaxin’ in costume, with a play skirt and some kind of chapeau:
She walks everywhere now, though I’ll hold onto the umbrella stroller for a little while still. No signs yet of giving up her thumb-sucking or her blanket, but I suppose she’s still kind of wee… it’s nice to be little.
What a goofball.
She’s truly a lovely girl. We are lucky to have this little creature in our lives. Oh my, it’s going by so quickly… my darling girl child, we love you so very much.
Happy Birthday, Ava Scarlett!!
xox
Love it. Take the skin head bowling… I can never ever take my kids bowling without that song in my head. Your girl is too cute for words. They grow so fast. My youngest just turned 5 and I want to squish him to keep him small….
omg she looks like such a character, which I love!
Can’t believe she’s there, and Bun will follow this year.
Mourning the cheeks already…
Thanks, people! Man, I just can’t take the FASTNESS of it all!!
Love the pictures! Looks like a great time! Happy birthday!
What a blast! Happy birthday Ava!…and will someone please re-vamp those bowling shoes? I swear the nearest bowling joint to us hasn’t replaced theirs since it opened 40 years ago!
Love her sly little sideways glances 😉 What a doll. Happy Birthday 4 year old!
and i sob…it’s just such a cusp, that 4. just out of chubby toddler, entering a whole new stage of kid. they think they’re old enough but you know they’re not and then you try to keep them small…but you know you can’t…then you feel guilty for wishing they’d hurry up already and get bigger and then now, you’re wishing you never said that.
apparently i have issues 😉
she is awesome and i know i could just put on the madame channel and laugh my butt off for hours! happy birthday to you, madame!
Sounds like such a wonderful birthday for such an amazing little girl! She’s beautiful and full of spirit.
awesome all around! Happy Birthday to your gorgeous girl!
ahhhhh – god she is beautiful and just looks like such a riot. We need to get our monkeys together – think of the insanity!