Fourth Birthday post with pics

Now seems like a good time to post the few photos we have of the little girls' fourth birthday.

It was on a Monday, which is a Little Bears day and which meant they could bring some cupcakes to share with friends during snack time.  Somehow, I was actually ahead of the game and made the cupcakes with enough time for the littles to help decorate them the night before.

The random blobs you see on the cupcakes?  Well, those are princess-themed sprinkles that I had seen at the store and had squirreled away for a time such as this.  The cupcakes were liberally covered with Cinderella's 'slippers', Snow White's 'apples', Sleeping Beauty's 'crowns' and little 'pearls' that, according to Abigail, are from Tiana (of The Princess and the Frog fame, if you're not as familiar with one of the newer princesses).

The beaming four-year-olds were treated to some wonderful off-key singing from their friends and then they were all off and munching the delicious cupcakes.  Abigail and Bethany opted to stay a bit longer and play, so we left them there and I came home to work on the family birthday cake.

Abigail and Bethany were fairly convinced that they'd be having a party this year, since a couple of their little buddies had had parties.  I quickly disabused them of that notion because I refuse to start that whole crazy-ness before any of my kids turn five.  By then, they may be old enough to really get the Kris-Malecha-Party-or-Present option*, something introduced to me years ago and that I totally and completely LOVE.  I did, however, tell them that they could invite over special family friends and they chose to invite NeNe (aka Lynné) and her two daughters.

The cake I made for them was definitely not my finest, but it was fun.  They wanted a princess cake, with a castle, so I finagled one out of cake rounds and sugar cones.  In the planning stages in my mind, the cake was going to be rectangular, but it just didn't end up that way.  It did have a 'moat' with 'fish', a grassy area and a walkway leading up to the front castle entrance, though.  Not too shabby.

No matter, Abigail and Bethany were thrilled and enthusiastically blew out the candles and ate their cake.  And they also donated some of their plastic princesses to the cause, even though a couple of the princesses looked about half as tall as the towers on the castle.

 

And, FYI, the cone 'towers' were dipped in sparkly sugar...you just can't tell in the photos.  Just sayin'.

Abigail

Bethany

They also opened some gifts that night and loved every single one.  They played with the ice cream parlor toys that reminded them of what their big brother does at his job.  They cuddled their new baby dolls.  They built new structures with their Magna Tiles.  And we had a hard time getting them to bed, away from all those cool toys!

All in all, a happy fourth birthday.  Hard to believe that much time has passed since the day they were born.  

*Our kids all have the option of a party OR a present from us.  If they have a party, then it can be a 'big' one such as a roller skating party or bowling party.  That, then, is our 'present' to them.  If they choose a present, then it can be a 'big' one such as a wooden doll house or pierced ears/earrings.  It's a great option and one that we will incorporate with the littlest Doepkens as soon as they are old enough to host a party.