Baking and babysitting

I've had a very productive and busy day today!

We are having a party on Sunday for my little Princess who is turning the big 3 on Thursday. I've made 4 cakes (1 for playgroup, 1 for kindy and 2 for the "party cake"), 18 cupcakes, 24 egg and bacon pies, 24 mini meat pies, 48 mini quiches and organised a roast chicken dinner for tonight. PHEW!!

I am hot, sweaty and just trying to work up the motivation to clean up the huge mess that is stacked high in the kitchen. The dishwasher and oven are certainly getting a workout today, they have both been going flat out since about 9am.

I should also mention that I have 3 kidlets to amuse today. Miss Malia has joined us for an all-day play date as her Mummy has the horrible cold that is going around and welcomed the offer of a toddler free day. The kids have been fantastic, mostly playing outside in the sandpit or bouncing around on the trampoline. Malia and Grace call them self the "trampoline girls", yelling it out as they bounce around. I also got a second-hand cosy coupe yesterday so they have been zooming around the yard on that, turning the cubby house into a petrol station and filling the tank up with water. They are all on there best behaviour, AND no I am most definately not bribing them with cake-mix laden beaters!!!

I think I've also been duped into a false sense of life with 3 children. They have all been playing so well and can you believe that my house is silent. Yes, all 3 children easily went down for their afternoon naps at about 1.15pm. Xav didn't go until about 1.45pm, but I just set him up watching his beloved playschool whilst I put both girls to bed. I put them in my bed, read a few stories and then layed down with my hand on each one. Malia didn't have her dummy so I got a new one of Xav's out for her, she wasn't impressed - throwing it across the room in disgust, "No dummy". Grace asked me to sing one of her favourite songs for her, Beautiful Boy. I sung it over and over with my eyes closed, peeking out occasionally to check if eyelids where getting heavy. Malia dropped off, so I then rolled over to Grace. She drifted off after a little while longer, then I snuck out. Grace must have woke at some stage, cause the next time I checked she was curled up asleep in her bed.

I'm so happy that most of the party food is already done. Now I just have to decorate the cakes and make the rest of the morning tea food then it's all done!!!

I'm not sure who is the most exited about the up-coming birthday & party, Grace or me. I can't wait to see her reaction when she sets eyes on her new dolls house. It's every little girls dream and I'm sure (well I hope!) that she will spend lots of time playing with it.

Birthdays are so exciting for a 3 y/o, they really get the whole concept of it - not just interested in the paper and box. She's picked out her cake and helped decide on what games we are doing for her party. We have about 18 adults and 10 kids coming, which is just about as much as our little house could handle. I would have loved to invite all her little friends from playgroup and mothers group, but it just gets too many. I did let her choose 1 friend to invite and there was no hesitation, she immediately picked Cassie. Grace and Cass are great friends, seeing each other twice a week and Grace talks non-stop about Cassie when she is at home. Always wanting to know if she can go see her or pretending to be calling her on the phone. They were born a day apart and both very similar in their interests and mannerisms. It helps that Jen and I are so similar too and get on fantastically, so I highly approve of her choice of "first best friend".

Ok, I think my peace and quiet time is coming to an end. I can hear one of the children rise, so no doubt the other 2 are to follow. We have a jam packed and fun filled afternoon planned - making jelly, painting and making lady birds out of egg cartons.