Katy requested a Kai-Lan party for her 3rd birthday! She answered the door dressed as a gorilla version of Ho-Ho, and Dada, Mama, Tia, Naan and our extra helpers Juliet, Lani and Edna were Hula Ducks! We couldn't figure out why the kids were a bit shy when they came in, until we realised that it was because they were all a bit scared of Uncle Rick-Duck!
Uncle Bert and Auntie Pinky arrived early and monopolised Katy for most of the party. True to form, Katy preferred hanging out with them in the cool and quiet TV room rather than playing with the kids when it got too noisy and crowded!
We set up a Kai-Lan carnival with a Chinese numbers fishing game and an alphabet ball game.
The kids got obsessed with the fishing. Callum and Jonah are two of Katy's best friends.
It was great to have Olivia Hill come to Katy's birthday party this year. They've just moved back from Singapore so the Pure Babies are back together again. Olivia also loved the fishing game.
As usual, Tia made the lemon birthday cake and Dada decorated it - as Kai-Lan! It was a bit of a challenge, requiring a couple of extra cakes baked, and lots and lots of frosting, but Dada finished it before the guests arrived! A new Hong Kong Krauel birthday party record!
The kids are all getting pretty good at blowing out candles since the birthday party season started a while ago. Even though Katy has been practising a lot with play dough and real candles (one of her favourite games), it took a couple of tries before Katy managed to get to the candles before her quick-blowing friends!
Katy had a smallish party this year, at her request. When asked, she actually requested a super small party with just her regular playdate friends. We would love Katy to get to know some of our farther friends better though, so the Mummies are plotting much more regular playdates between Central and DB!
Left to right in the photo below are: Imogen and Lola Shaw, the Pure twins, Max Harrison, who is in Katy's DMK Mandarin playgroup, Ellie Mendenhall, who is in Katy's DB playgroup, her Bumblebees class on Monday mornings, and her ballet class with Miss Sorrel on Thursday mornings, Callum Holbourn, who is a neighbour a few blocks down and is also in Katy's DB playgroup, Jonah Teo, whose parents were in our Prenatal Class and who goes to Church with us, Pia Bolger, and Olivia Hill who are also Pure Babies. Katy has known the Pure Babies since the Mama was 5 months pregnant, and she had known her DB Playgroup friends since she was 10 months old. So, we would really like to keep these strong ties!
Katy and Callum are great friends. They're always giving each other hugs and kisses.
Katy had numerous costume changes. After being Ho-Ho, she turned into Kai-Lan for the cake cutting and games. A much more comfortable costume!
After the Carnival games, we tried the kids out with Tug-o-War! They're only just now getting the hang of the idea of games, and each birthday party has been a different experience, so we weren't sure if they would understand Tug-o-War. They loved it!!
We adults were a little too hot and lazy to take the kids outside (most of us got quite relaxed after a few glasses of raspberry prosecco punch). So the three-legged race was not quite so successful as we didn't have enough room. But the lollipop awards were very popular!
Auntie Yvonne and Uncle Rich popped in to say hi. Katy is very fond of them.
Tia and Naan worked very hard to put the party together for Katy. Naan put up a thousand hearts and flowers and balloons and streamers. Tia frosted cupcakes, iced cookies, cooked chicken pies, wrapped spring rolls, baked raspberry cheesecakes, marinated chicken wings and cut out heart shaped sandwiches and watermelon feta cups!
Katy loved the cheesecakes! Once things quietened down after a bunch of kids left, Katy came out to play.
The kids always love ending the party in the swimming pool, which of course required a few more costume changes!
As the evening wound down and the few remaining parents relaxed over red wine and steak sandwiches, Katy had a wonderful time playing with her three closest friends Callum, Jonah and Ellie - of course, after yet another change of clothes!
Hello Kitty beach bag and goggle set from Uncle Jimmy and Auntie Jackie
And a cute pair of shorts from Tia and Naan
Then it was time to skype with Nana and Papa, and take calls from Kung Kung & Poh Poh and Uncles and Aunts.
then Katy led Dada purposefully towards her first treat of the day...
brunch at Le Gouter Bernardaud, where Katy Rose had a rose flavoured and a strawberry chocolate flavoured macaroon.
...while waiting for Uncle Bert...
and Auntie Pinky to come sing Happy Birthday!
After brunch, Mama and Dada took Katy to Lane Crawford, where the cosmetic concierge led us to the Becca counter (organic cosmetics) and Katy was riveted, frozen in fascination as she got her first "professional" makeover! She felt like such a Princess!
The Becca products were all terribly expensive, so we headed back down to Podium Level 1 to L'Occitane, where a lovely young man helped Katy select a 95% natural lip gloss to purchase.
After a refreshing nap (for Mum and Dad too!), we headed to Disneyland. However, it was not to be - we had to slosh through driving rain, thunder and lightning to get from the bus stop at Sunny Bay to the Disney rail station. At which point we called it quits and decided to head home for an ice cream and an early night!
