Kaitlin's 4th Birthday!

As I was just about to start on this post, I just realised that it's been almost two months since Kaitlin turned 4 years old! Needless to say this post is way overdue. But more importantly, how did time pass so fast!!

This morning, I just had a conversation with Kaitlin while we were on our way to dropping off at school and I started to feel all goosebumpy and teary eyed while talking to her. I tried so hard to keep my tears in to avoid looking like some crazy woman tearing away while pushing a stroller with lots of bags (as if we were running away!) on an early Monday morning.

Kaitlin: I'm going to K1 already.
Me: Not yet, real soon. You'll be K1 next year.
Kaitlin: Then K2, then K3!
Me: No, you won't go to K3 silly. After K2, you'll be in Primary school. So fast right!
Kaitlin: Yah, so fast.
Me: Yeah you got to stop growing up so fast Kaitlin! Slow down.
Kaitlin: But I can't stop growing up so fast.
Me: Yeah well that's true..

I felt so sad at that moment, and even for a split second felt like bringing her home instead of going to school. It's inevitable that our kids will grow up and I'm happy that Kaitlin is growing up well but it's just that I wished it was a slightly slower process. I am constantly aware of how much she has grown and how before I know it she will be off to Primary school. But no matter how many times these thoughts come into my mind, I can't help but feel something stuck in my throat and just feel so meh. Like I honestly wish time would just come to a standstill now so we can enjoy more of our precious times together now, and create more memories :') I sound like such a clingy mom, and I think I am. But I really don't want my babygirl to be growing up so fast. Not just that we would have less time together, but I don't want her to start having to have less of a childhood as she grows older. I want her to be able to learn at her own pace and feel carefree and not have to deal with homework, exams, stress and problems like what we adults have to face and the issues we had to face as we got through school and our teenage years. I know I can't protect and help her forever. And she probably wouldn't want me to interfere either. But I can't bear for her to have to deal with all of that :(

Parenthood isn't all that simple, and I guess it will always be a constant journey of learning and figuring out. Hopefully, the bond we have together will be just the same as when Kaitlin grows up.

Well back to the point of this post - Kaitlin's birthday!

I've made it a tradition to cook breakfast from scratch for Kaitlin on her birthday morning and this year's no exception!

Yayy a happy start to the morning! Dropped the bub off at school before heading home to settle some last minute things for Kaitlin's birthday.

Daddy Li took half day leave so after he left work he picked me up and we had lunch before collecting Kaitlin's cake for cutting at home! Was totes excites to see the "Tiger Who Came To Tea" cake. It's a super simple no-frills as it was a very last minute order and also cos I didn't want us to end up eating leftover cake for days. I was so glad that Two Bakers managed to rushed out the order! 

And then on to collect the balloons! Daddy Li dropped me off to collect Kaitlin's cake for school while he went home to drop off the cake and collect the goodie bags and pinata from home for her classmates. Even though we had an entire morning to do everything, time flew by so fast!

In fact as we had difficulties finding a carpark lot, we reached Kaitlin's school slightly late. Thankfully though the kids were a little delayed with their routine care so we arrived just in time to celebrate for Kaitlin! Huge sight of relief!

The class was pretty chaotic with all the excited kids so it was pretty hard to take photos so there aren't much except for these few:

Kaitlin requested for a Princess Hello Kitty cake and so that's what she got! Complete with a crown and wand. This year, the school had a new rule that we had to get halal-certified cakes so I got a simple red velvet cake with pink rosette ombre frosting from Butter Studio and topped it off with decorations.

It was so hard finding decor for her cake as I had to make sure the colours matched and that they were too big or small when placed on the cake. Thankfully, things worked out pretty fine and Kaitlin seemed pretty happy with her cake. No complains so that's good! Daddy Li still asked me what's with the wand and crown on the cake, and I was like well your daughter wanted that and so she gets it!

After the birthday song and blowing our her candle, Kaitlin cut her cake and distributed it to her friends and teachers. 

Then it was time to give out the goodie bags to her friends! It's super cool that Kaitlin can remember the Chinese names of all her friends. I don't think I would have been able to do that when I was that young hehe. Well, then came Pinata time! I got a Hello Kitty pinata will the strings so that it was easy for the kids to pull. But for some reason, the string that could pull it open didn't do it's job and so well all the kids had a go and in the end we just tore the already half open part open and the kids just dashed to the middle and went crazy. Kaitlin on the other hand was totally chill and watching her friends and the side. We asked her "don't you want to get some stuff from the pinata" and she was all "it's for my friends". Like omg so sensible! Actually I don't think she is the kind to dash in like her friends if it it was one of her classmate's birthday either, but yeah I guess it's a pretty good thing to be chill as well.

By the time Kaitlin's celebration ended, it was evening and time for dinner! Kaitlin got to choose what she wanted to have for dinner. She had wanted to have Jap which is her fave, but as time was a little tight, we asked her if it was alright to bring her to have pizza (one of her other faves!) instead, and that we would bring her to have Jap over the weekend.

We settled at Pepperoni's and Kaitlin chose the pizza she wanted. Daddy Li dropped us home and Kaitlin and I spent time together. We took photos for her 4th birthday and she played with her balloons.

Kaitlin also got to open her birthday presents and we played till Daddy Li got home from class to cut her birthday cake! Kaitlin didn't know that she had another birthday cake waiting for her so it was a surprise for her!

This time round was chocolate cake (her fave kind of cake) with Speculoos buttercream that was so so good! Complete with sprinkles and abit of an orange theme going on - more things that Kaitlin likes! 

Kaitlin's 4th birthday was a very simple birthday affair. I had planned some activities for Kaitlin on that weekend but with the haze that was happening during that period we weren't able to do them. She doesn't know that there are birthday activities so hopefully now that the weather is better we'll be able to find some time over the next few weekends to try and go do them.