Happy Second Birthday!

Dear Dyanna,

First attempt at making and decorating Dyanna's birthday cake

 This year mommy decided to bake your birthday cake. Thinking if I use a mould and a cake mix to bake your cake with, it'll make the job even easier. The mistake was the cake mix, it took one hour to bake! And because when mommy tested the cake for doneness at almost the end of hour, the skewer didn't come out clean, and left it for another five minutes. That's how pickachu came out extra tanned.

The mould didn't fit all the batter and used that to make mini heart shaped cakes and a smaller flower shaped cake.

That's a lot of cake.

Mommy cut up a slice of chocolate cake to make pickachu eyes and nose, and his cheeks came from an apple, and used a pink food marker to colour in his mouth.

I tried my hand at frosting and piped all around pickachu to 'outline' him and hid the parts that crumbled off. Used heart shaped sprinkles and hundreds and thousands to decorate the rest. And the letters were cheese.

Mommy used bento making tools, skills and ingenuity and applied it to make your birthday cake.

I figured I have lots more birthdays to perfect this birthday cake making skills. One of mommy's friend made Sponge Bob for her son's 6th birthday, so there is still hope for mommy yet.

Getting ready to have dinner, drumstick at a ready. Can't remember what mommy was doing in the kitchen in the background...

 Mommy and daddy, mostly mommy, figured this year we'll have a quiet celebration for your birthday. Your Nini Noi was appalled to learn that we didn't plan a party of some sort to celebrate your birthday, she knew this a week before at your second cousin's 4th birthday party. You already had your big birthday bash when you turned 1, and mommy figured we can have a birthday party when you understand what birthdays are all about.

So there we were thinking it'll just be you, mommy and daddy with the birthday cake.

Then your Nini Noi, Nini Boy and Auntie Lin turned up. Prior to that they say they will be dropping by with some food. When they turned up, your Nini Noi brought dinner along. Fortunately that day mommy with the help of Auntie Wina cleaned up the living room and dining room. Phew.

After realising that dinner was in the bag, we quickly set the table. We ate roast chicken, potatoes and salad that night, it was a good meal.

Check out my present, it's bigger than me!

While mommy cleaned up after dinner, everybody hung out in your playroom where they spent time with you. You had a good time enjoying the attention.

You got a few presents, money, a Skip Hop lady bug bag from Uda, books from Auntie Elaine, and daddy got you a magnetic activity board.

For you, it's just another day, for us, it has been two years you are in this world, not a day goes by that mommy still thinks it's amazing of how you came into our lives. Every day is cherished, and you are learning in leaps and bounds. Every day you continue to amaze us with your antics and development. And pretty soon you'll be starting school.

Happy Birthday Dyanna, mommy daddy will always love you. May you grow into a great person and do yourself proud, we'll be here cheering you on.

PS, your cake was a bit too sweet for our taste, so we gave the whole lot away to your cousins in madang the next day...

ISB Toddler's Group

Sharing toys...

Dear Dyanna,

Since you'll be starting school in a few months time, to help you get used to the environment it was advised that you join the toddler's Group the school have once a week during term time. You were suppose to have gone from the beginning of the year but mommy and daddy never gotten around to bringing you until last month. The timing is a bit odd for either of us and daddy took leave or in lieu from work to bring you, it's a good you and daddy time.

You met lots of other childrens more or less around your age. You got to play with lots of other toys and activities, daddy said you liked the sand pit very much.

Mommy would pack you cold water and a snack bento to bring, knowing it's a hot day as you are there from 3pm to 5pm. Daddy gets a bento too for tea, and daddy said both of you would sit down to eat. There was an incident one time where a little girl drank from your water bottle because she saw your water was nice and cold on a hot day.

Daddy would tell mommy stories of the parents he met at toddlers group and stories of the other children and how they interacted with you.

We hoped you'll be familiar and comfortable with being there, come September, that's where you'll be spending your mornings for the next two years...

I think you look forward to school, you'll have great fun!

Love,
Mommy