Now We Are Six

Six years ago today, on a Saturday, even, Katherine Louise was born. This year, I decided 2 birthday parties 6 weeks apart was too much. I know, it sounds like a decent amount of time between parties, and indeed, it's what I've thought each previous year. It isn't. So, we will do one big `un, early next month, between Kate and Sarah's real birthdays.

That doesn't mean the real deal can't be special. Kate awoke to a bedroom filled with balloons and a giant, singing card with a song specifically sung to Katherine (none of that stuff ever has Kate. It's always Katherine or Katie, I don't know why). She had a special Birthday Princess ribbon to wear all day, dealyboppers touting her birthday-ness, and, per her request, a great many Tiana-related decorations.

I love to do a big deal of a cake for birthdays, but this year I was kind of thinking I'd go light on myself. Usually I start about 2 weeks out, draw what I want to do, visit Cake Art, make any pre-decor items I can and then spend some time each night of the week leading up to the big day working on it. These past 2 weeks have been insanely busy. Kate wanted Tiana, so I thought I'd get the cake topper and throw some sprinkles on a cake - ta-dah!
Wednesday evening, while I prepared dinner, Kate sat on the kitchen floor at my feet and described in startling detail, each cake she's had since her 2nd birthday. I knew then that previous years me had totally screwed this week me and I cursed that little beyotch. I had no plan. So I pulled out all the goodies I had and decided to make do. Then, the cake I baked last night fell. Oh how it fell. So I had to get up this morning and re-bake. Then I discovered, this morning, that the box that had arrived Thursday was not the cake topper, etc, I thought it was because, in fact, Jeremiah'd forgotten to actually place the order, after asking me to let him do it so he could add a couple things. So I got to go to Cake Art after all! I did my best swamp theme, but what was initially meant to be Spanish moss turned out to be frog mucous. When the container says "gel" it means it. Since I was primarily going with frogs for decoration, I was alright with that. The end result was not what I would have done had I taken my usual 2 weeks, but Kate seemed genuinely happy.

Kate's birthday dinner request was...spaghetti. After caking and cleaning from around 7:00 until 3PM, Jeremiah took over for the extra special dinner. Steve and Joy joined us, and gave Kate her gift, a beautiful homemade Tiana dress (she's showing it off in the photo at the top of this post). Kate sat at the head of the dinner table and after we all toasted the birthday girl she said "Thank-you all so much for coming to my birthday celebration!"

Sarah tells us she wants a "school cake" for her birthday. This is really wide open. I have 6 weeks...I wonder if I'll manage to pull it off this time.

Kate loved all the cards and gifts and phone calls. She had a great day, and passed out hard at bedtime, worn out from all the fun. Now, to plan the girls' combo party. That's Kate talking to Aunt Sonya on the phone. She spent a lot of time on the phone today - yammer yammer yammer.