Joan's 3rd Birthday

On the 27th August, Joan turned three. She had been longing for her birthday for months. To her, birthdays mean fun + family + cake. As they should. This year it fell on a Monday, which meant Ben had to work, and so, the day before we had a day in the city. We went to the Zoo and had lunch & gelato at two of our favourite eateries - Smith St Alimentari & Piccolina. The following day, the 27th, Ben worked from home, which allowed us to wake together and open presents in bed. We gifted her a book, a lolly pop (perhaps her favourite sweet) and some pots, which were intended for her big present - a MUD KITCHEN (purchased from Russcycled Timber)! I look forward to many Joan-made delights from her outdoor kitchen this Spring and Summer. I'm anticipating sand cakes and dirty tea.

For breakfast we ate banana pancakes with blueberry maple syrup (frozen blueberries + maple syrup + lemon juice warmed in a pot), after which Ben got to work. Joan and I had a lovely, slow day together grocery shopping and cake baking, all in anticipation of our family dinner later that evening. We baked a classic yellow layer cake (recipe), as we have done for all her birthdays (one and two), and I assembled a throw-together buttercream, as also seems to be my tradition. Joan requested pink icing this year, so I blended frozen raspberries with cream cheese into a puree, which I then folded into the buttercream. Thankfully, it worked. And with sprinkles scattered over the top, which she calls "simples", it looked rather sweet. My folks came over in the afternoon and Joan had a go on her new pink + purple bike, which they gifted her knowing that she had recently spotted it at Target and fallen madly in love. My in-laws followed, as did my brother, his girlfriend and my grandparents. Joan changed into various costumes over the course of the night (she's really into costumes at the moment) - we were graced with the presence of a kangaroo, a princess and a unicorn. Ben and I bought her the kangaroo costume the previous day at the Zoo, and she has barely taken off. While Joan opened presents and pretended to be various creatures, we prepared dinner. There were slow-roasted tomatoes, steamed broccolini, spicy creamed corn, a roasted potato dish my mum made, bbq sausages and beef patties, plus my dad's bread. For dessert, we had Joan's cake. Upon seeing it lit up with three golden candles, she spread her arms as wide as could be and squealed with delight. it was a moment of pure happiness. 

Our girl is three! And I am so proud of the person she is. While cuddling in bed later that night, I told her so, as well as how much I love being her mum. I really, really do.

Heidi xo