Pris Adventures: Sammy's 4th birthday

Dear Sammy

Just like that, 4 years have passed and you are such a little man now.

You hand-made some invitation cards with Mummy cos you were allowed to invite some kindergarten friends over for your birthday party. This is the first time we had a kids-only party because many of Mummy's friends with kids were still not back from their vacations.

We re-used your "Cars" theme from your first birthday (not that you would remember that) and we DIYed all the decorations and food, except for the birthday cake.

The lovely Fara hand-baked the chocolate Cars cake and it was absolutely, smashingly, wonderfully beautiful. Both pleasing for the eyes and the taste buds.

The only drawback of the party was the meagre amount of food that 4-5 year old boys eat! Most of them ate like mice - nibbled on their food. They were mainly interested to play rather than eat.

We first had about an hour of food-cum-free-play at home, during which Daddy' ear drums almost popped out of his ears. Mummy found it really sweet to see how you totally enjoyed having your friends over.

Thereafter, you boys had a mini treasure hunt around our neighborhood which last clue involved going back to square one (home) to look for mini treasures - takehome goodies wrapped in a bag.

Once we got home, we took out the lovely chocolate cake, sang you your birthday song and you blew out all the candles.

You unwrapped your presents and were totally overwhelmed with the sheer amount of presents you were bestowed on!

The finale of the party was when you guys played "hit the pot" game. Basically, you boys took turn to be blindfolded and with the help of a wooden spoon, you would have to locate the pot by crawling around the floor.

Once you found the pot, you would overturn it and get the little treasure below (a little packet of gummy bears or chocolate bar). Gabriel was the last one to have his shot at the game and he totally acced it because he saw what the other kids did.

Once most of the guests left, you were so exhausted that you were melting down by the second (ie. unexplained tantrums and crying). We called it a day, gave you a shower and you were in bed by 8pm.

It was a very lovely 2.5-hours party and we're really glad we went ahead to have a children's party. It turned out less stressful than having the usual full-blown parties that we've been having until now.

For many kids, their earliest memories started around the age of 4. We hope that in time, you'll remember with fond memories how we celebrated your birthdays.

We love you so much little one. You're such a blessing to us. We are constantly aware of how God uses you to encourage our hearts. You would very often say, "Mummy, thank you for ..... " Even for little things like me bringing you a glass of water.

Thanks for appreciating me / us darling. Thankfulness is a real virtue to be cultivated and we hope that with age, you will only grow in wisdom, deeper thankfulness and a keener sense of God in your life.

We love you always.
Mummy & Daddy

(Due to protecting the privacy of the other children, I have chosen not to include pictures that show their faces)