Bouncing

Also on the weekend we visited my sister to borrow her trampoline. We're thinking of buying one for Louka but want to make sure she'll actually use it. Well she used it when she got home.

And she was jumping again this afternoon in the rain until I told her she was getting too wet and it was time to stop.

iLiziBF

Louka is enjoying school and learning. Mostly, they're learning to read and write. She comes home and sings "Letterland" songs. On the weekend she made me a sewing box and wrote my name inside.

The party we've all been waiting for

Louka's been looking forward to her birthday, mainly because of the party. Because we were away for her birthday we had to put off the party till today.

Seven friends were able to make it to the party: four girls and three boys. The first boy to turn up was a bit concerned that it would be a "girls' party", until the others arrived.

We started with a dinosaur egg hunt in the backyard. Not sure if all 30 eggs were eventually found.

Graham's artwork then came into use for pin the horn on the triceratops. A couple of kids were reluctant to be blindfolded, but most were happy to have a go. A few got really close.

There was a dinosaur egg and spoon race in the park - in which all but two kids decided halfway that it was easier to just hold the egg on the spoon and run. So we announced that the kid who came second-last was the winner.

It was time for the pinata. I said the kids should line up in order of height, and the tallest girl was upset and afraid it would all be over before her turn. She shouldn't have worried: that pinata was tough! I think everyone got at least five goes, and I had to help out by weakening the body structure. Gathering up loot was fun.

The cake (birthday cake number 4!) made a good impression, and some even got eaten. There was, of course, too much food, but it kept the kids occupied for some time... until we remembered pass the parcel.

It had started to rain a little, so the kids made a circle on the rug in the living room and Graham brought the small CD player in. (It contained Jay Laga-aia's CD, which I'd been searching for.) There were 18 layers in the parcel and the kids seemed to enjoy the suspense of which would be the last layer (at least after everyone had got something). One girl asked how long it had taken me to wrap.

By the time the last layer was unwrapped the party time was over, but the kids ran down to the park to play for a bit. The parents started taking their kids home, or to the park to play.