Zoe’s 3rd birthday party

My niece Zoe’s been waiting so long for her birthday. In her own words to her mum:

“Me waited for Ruby’s birthday, me waited for Christmas, me waited for Caleb’s birthday, me waited for Chinese New Year!”

Finally, finally, her birthday is here! She’s turning three and having a purple party!

Jac and I are in charge of the balloons for the party. They’re purple balloons, of course. We set ourselves up in the laundry where Jac fills the balloons up with helium and I tie each one with purple ribbon. Ruby and Zoe pull their chairs over to watch us through the fly-screen door. Apparently, it’s riveting viewing.

Purple balloons filled with helium

Purple balloons filled with helium

The guests start arriving and the kids line up for face painting.

Zoe sucks her cheeks in and sits perfectly still while her face is painted. A lucky golden horseshoe on her left cheek, a beautiful rainbow on her right. Zoe and Ruby’s friend Georgia (whose mum is the face painter) sits next to Zoe, helpfully holding the mirror. “Look, Zoe, look!” Georgia says. Zoe, deeply focused on keeping still, moves her eyes and not her head.

Zoe sucks her cheeks in and sits super still for face painting

Ruby gets her face painted too – she’s a butterfly! Both girls have purple dresses on specially for today. When we arrive, the girls immediately notice we’re wearing purple T-shirts. In fact, the whole family’s got right into the purple theme. The girls are impressed and Zoe is thrilled.

Happy sisters – Zoe is wearing her new birthday bling, including elephant and flower brooches, flower headband and various bracelets and necklaces

The girls’ dad, my brother Mark, is busy making balloon animals for the kids. He can make dogs, rabbits, giraffes, snakes and eels. He has a special technique for turning an ordinary balloon dog into a puffy tailed poodle.

My brother the balloon artist

My brother the balloon artist making a balloon dog

As usual, friends and family bring along food for the party feast. There’s heart-shaped fairy bread…

Fairy bread

Fairy bread

…and lots of fresh fruit.

Fresh fruit

Fresh fruit

Puffed corn, which I can’t stop eating!

Puffed corn

Puffed corn

And chocolate crackles, a big favourite of the girls.

Chocolate crackles made with real chocolate

Chocolate crackles made with real chocolate

The jelly shots were very popular at Caleb’s birthday party and we’ve got them again for Zoe’s.

Jelly shots

Jelly shots

With faces painted and pony party hats on, the girls get right into the party food.

Zoe eats a chocolate crackle (the first of many!), Ruby eats a raspberry jelly shot

Jac is in charge of cooking the main course – the sausage sizzle. It smells fantastic.

Jac cooks the sausages on the barbecue

Jac cooks the sausages on the barbecue

While the sausages cook on the barbecue, the kids get busy with some colouring-in.

Colouring-in session

Then it’s time for pin the tail on the pony. The girls’ Auntie Juji has drawn the pony on a sheet of purple cardboard and made it a beautiful bushy tail. The kids take turns to be blindfolded and place the tail on the pony. Everyone who has a go gets to choose a jellybean. We all giggle at the funny places the pony’s tail is placed.

Pin the tail on the pony

Pin the tail on the pony

In the end, the winner places the tail almost in the perfect spot! Zoe and her mum present a special bag of goodies to the winner, saying “Well done!”

The pony

The pony

It’s now time for lunch! My mum has cooked up a batch of her famous fried rice noodles with cabbage, carrot and pork.

Mum's fried rice noodles

Mum’s fried rice noodles

The kids have special ‘salads’ in individual containers.

The kids' salads

The kids’ “salads”

I take a peek at one of the special kids’ salads: there’s tomato, carrot, pineapple, corn and cheese.

A kid's salad

A kid’s salad

The sausages are hot off the barbie. There are soft fluffy white buns to eat them with.

Sausages

Sausages

We have spinach, cherry tomato and feta salad…

Spinach, tomato and feta salad

Spinach, tomato and feta salad

…and coleslaw.

Coleslaw

Coleslaw

The girls sit down to eat their lunch on purple plates with purple cutlery.

Daddy brings the tomato sauce

Zoe tucks in

Zoe tucks in

As Zoe eats, she looks up at her purple balloon and beams with happiness.

Happiness is… eating your birthday lunch with a purple balloon tied to your arm

I get myself a plate of food including two sausages in a bun with lots of tomato sauce.

My plate

My plate

After lunch, the kids gather around as Zoe opens her birthday presents. Ruby’s right by her side to help. Zoe’s not about to let anyone else tear open the wrapping paper! “Only the birthday girl,” she warns the others.

Opening Zoe's presents

Opening Zoe’s presents

But where is Caleb?

The girls’ baby brother’s been sleeping all this time! He makes his first appearance at the party with his signature spectacular shock of hair. It doesn’t take long for him to join in the fun.

Caleb at Zoe's birthday party

Caleb at Zoe’s birthday party. L-R clockwise: Mr Bed-head; Just another day with the paparazzi; in Nanna’s arms with bread in one hand, soccer ball in another; distracted as usual

When Zoe’s mum asked her what kind of birthday cake she would like, Zoe told her she wanted a purple pony.

After much thinking and research, mum Angela found a pony cake design and template at the Betty Crocker website.

So here’s Zoe’s “purple pony”: a chocolate pony with a purple mane and tail, purple hooves and purple saddle with number 3 on it. The cake recipe came from the Country Women’s Association (CWA) cookbook, with a few personal tweaks by Angela.

Zoe's pony cake

Zoe’s pony cake

Zoe is mesmerised by her cake. She gazes at the pony while her dad strikes up a match to light the purple and white striped candles.

Zoe's pony cake

Zoe gazes at her pony cake

It’s all very exciting! We sing Happy Birthday and Mummy and Ruby help Zoe to blow out the candles.

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7062/6948975909_172b321cb1_m.jpg

Blowing out the candles

The girls watch in anticipation as their mum cuts the cake. “Me want the eye,” says Zoe.

Zoe and Ruby watch as Mummy slices the pony cake

The eye goes to the birthday girl, but the pony cake is eagerly eaten and enjoyed by all!

Ruby eats birthday cake

Ruby eats birthday cake

Zoe enjoys her birthday cake

Birthday girl Zoe enjoys her birthday cake

The cake is lovely and moist. I’m sure I can taste a hint of cinnamon in it. My favourite part is the icing!

A slice of Zoe's birthday cake

A slice of Zoe’s birthday cake

Each of the kids gets to take home a pony party bag.

Pony party bags

Pony party bags

Ruby and Zoe get party bags too. Ruby discovers the bubble mixture in hers and shows me how well she can blow bubbles now. She’s been practising!

Ruby blows bubbles

Ruby blows bubbles

Zoe’s had a wonderful time. “Me birthday girl,” she whispers.

The birthday girl

The birthday girl

Facebook comments

comments

,  1

Share this post