Thought I should finally blog about Piper's birthday, seeing as I've been meaning to do so since it happened! On her actual birthday (Tuesday 6th March), we had a quiet celebration with my Mum and cousin Michelle at my parents' house. Then, on the following Saturday, we headed to Emerald Lake to catch the steam train, Puffing Billy, to Gembrook. This plan was hatched more than a year ago with Jane and Steve, seeing as their son, Caleb, shares the same birthday as Piper, (he's one year older) and they live so close to Puffing Billy. We finally managed to get a decent family snap - they're hard to come by!
All aboard! Piper and Anja.
Anja, Piper and Ellen.
Gord, Jane and Trisha waiting on the platform.
The view round the bend!
Steve explaining the rules of Pass the Parcel, to a rapt audience!
The moment for candle-blowing!
I ended up making two cakes, although the original plan was to make some fandangled fish-shaped cake using two baked cakes. That seemed too difficult, when I thought a bit harder about it, so in the end I made a Nemo cake for Piper and a Puffing Billy cake for Caleb. And I was very pleased with how they turned out (if I do say so myself), given that I really didn't want to use food colouring. The only unhealthy thing on them was the licorice (other than the sugar, of course!). Even the jelly beans were politcally correct, containing no artificial colours or flavours! Nemo ended up being made out of sliced mango!
Making time for a treat, a Christmas movie - it was going to be Rudolph, but Gord accidentally downloaded a German version. So instead, Home Alone, a movie I enjoyed when I was younger - some quotes were still there in my head: "keep the change, you filthy animal!" A bit over the kids' heads, but Piper enjoyed the goofy get-the-baddies scenes. Laundry to be dealt with.
Buttery popcorn.
And then the arrival of Pippa and Poppa in the evening, right when the movie had finished. Very exciting, calling for some spinning about!
A Christmas pear tree, hopefully the first of an orchard in the front yard. A growing pile of gifts below, causing much anticipation. And finally to bed. 
