Ansley's Birthday

It was the biggest birthday party we have hosted at the house. So far, but with a family like ours, there’s still time. Ansley, the little angle turned 4. She actually turns 4 on tax day, so “My little angel” should be more aptly described “My Big Deduction”… I woke to the smell of baking, and had a prompt breakfast of coffee and the leftovers of the most amazing birthday cake I have seen so far. It was so big we had to set all the pieces together outside…


Well, not quite that big, but I wanted to attempt to put some blue sky and fluffy clouds behind it instead of the chaotic scene of toppled pink icing cans, messy counters and cooking utensils everywhere. Ah..much more serene thanks to photo shop… Brenna worked all day with some well intentioned, but generally ineffective assistance from Bryce, Ansley, Aiden, and Myself. Aiden did point out, and subsequently munch on, the bits of cake that fell to the floor during construction though! Ansley had requested that this party be a “Princess Party”, all things centered around that. Hence the amazing creativity displayed by Brenna on the castle. Here Ansley poses with our youngest knight in training. I believe she was actually holding his head in place for the shot rather than just hugging him.

When the kids all arrived, the seeming chaos of preparation became a mere quiet morning when compared to all the kids running around. Brenna and I had our King and Queen costumes on, and had the kids running through the back yard picking up hidden piles of gold coins.

Then came the dragon. Yep, what Princess party would be complete without a Dragon Piñata? Sadly, I didn’t get a picture of the dragon before he was completely clobbered by one of the knights in attendance.

Kid News 4’s coverage of the dragon Shortly after the slaying…

Ah, the kids converging on the candy is quite reminiscent of animals in the scenes from the old Mutual of Omaha Wild Kingdom that probably traumatized lots of kids back in the 70’s.

Ansley was worried that she wouldn’t get enough candy once the frenzy started and she was a bit distressed by the idea. Her distress was noted by the hoards and happily the other knights and princesses donated some to the birthday girl. She actually ended up with the largest collection of spoils by the end. She seems pleased…perhaps she planned that?

Happy Birthday! The cake castle was dismantled and served. Brenna said later that she didn’t even get a piece of her creation. That’s a shame, it was really tasty…heh heh.

Ok, for those of you that don't tinker with computers much, the below is a video. Click in the middle of the picture and then hit the arrow button to make it play. If you are in the office and worry about people hearing a horribly off key rendition of "Happy Birthday" then turn your speakers down...

Then the Princess Ball began. I thought these shots of bouncing and dancing little kids were best in the blurred look rather than the harsh stop action of the flash. It gives a little sense of how wiggly they were while listening to Barbie Girl among other tunes that the Ansley picked out earlier in the day.

After the dancing and sugar rush began to subside, the party dispersed and the remaining adults and a few kids sat around the fire pit and roasted marshmallows to cap off a good party.