Kate Turns 4

This post is a bit late in coming, but our darling little Kate turned 4 on the 9th of May.
There was a big difference between her 3rd and 4th birthday. Last year, she was excited about the idea of her birthday, but really only cared about the cake. She wasn't bothered that we didn't have a party, did not ask about presents, and didn't really talk about it too much.
This year, the countdown has been on for several months. She would ask several times a week "How much longer till my birthday?". I gave her the option of having a party with all her school friends, or going to Disney Paris with the family. She initially tried to choose both, but ultimately decided on a party ("so that I get lots of cake").

We held her party at a local leisure center, which is sort of similar to a really nice YMCA. There was the biggest bounce-house I have ever seen. It was the size of a full basketball court, and the dads had just as much fun in there as the kids did.

Before her party:



Going down the slide:


Michael had so much fun in the bounce house too. He was not the least bit intimidated by the other kids. He is definitely much more toddler than baby these days.



Kate wanted her face painted like a pig.


Funny story: The other mums were all so charmed by Kate's hair bow. Girls here don't wear bows in their hair, and I got so many questions about it. I was asked if I had made it (no), if I had one for all of her outfits (just about), if girls wear them all the way through adolescence (only if they are cheerleaders-at least for my kid), etc.
I was laughing, telling them they have no idea how seriously some people in the US take hair bows, especially in the South. I told them some of them are literally bigger than the child's head, and that some people stick bows on babies heads when they don't have hair, and tried to explain those headband-bow things that some babies wear to them too. They didn't believe me.
Her piggie cupcakes.



Four Candles!