Rebekah's Birthday Fun

Two Saturdays ago, my parents and Michael's Mum came to pick us up to go to Coombe Abbey country park for the day to celebrate Rebekah's 4th birthday. It was her choice of birthday celebration, and nice as she'd been wanting to go there for several weeks and it's been hard to get there without the car.

We had a picnic just by the car park of sausages, bread, corn-on-the-cob and chunks of cucumber. Rebekah opened gifts from some of her extended family and enjoyed her birthday butterfly cake with some strawberries (always our choice of birthday fruit) and grapes for decoration, plus some extra fruit from Granma.














It was pretty hot as it had been for a week or so, and it was also packed there as it was the weekend, so we went for a walk first. Sarah and Rebekah saw the donkey rides and asked if they could have a ride, which they all ended up doing courtesy of their grandparents. That seems to have been the highlight for all of them actually, and Peter was so funny on his donkey. We could tell he wanted to ride too, but weren't sure if he actually would. Michael walked beside him, put Peter wouldn't have any of being held. He was fine, and was shooing Michael away or pointing things out with one hand quite happily while holding on with the other. He looked pretty steady, and definitely got straight into the donkey's rhythm. His donkey was called Barny, (Barny is also his favourite video at home, so he knows the name well). Two goes of saying the name and he had it sorted. He yelled and held on for dear life when his turn was over, clearly wanting to ride some more, but was happy to stroke Barny's neck once I'd pulled him away. I think next time we get to ride ponies he'll be wanting a go too. He looked so tiny, even on quite a small donkey!





After that, our walk took us past the geese and over a bridge into the woods where some of us really enjoyed some relief from the sun. The girls found a tree to climb, and then a house someone had built from branches around a tree. Hannah was straight up into that tree and didn't come down for some time. Meanwhile Gramps found a long bent tree trunk lying on the ground which was a great seat for him and the little ones as it was at different heights in different places, and also made a fantastic rocking chair. So while Sarah, Rebekah and sometimes Peter played there with Gramps, Michael and I also found a fantastic looking tree which Michael suddenly decided to climb. He made it, and quite nimbly came back down again.











So after a nice little rest and play in the woods, we ventured out onto the top field which was surprisingly full of people. We had the goal of playing a simple game of rounders together, which we have liked doing as a family in the past. Our challenge was finding some space relatively free of people with some shade. We did find some on the far side of the field and enjoyed a fairly lethargic game, but which was a lot of fun. Hannah really likes sports like that, and wanted to play properly which we tried our best to do for her while teaching Sarah and Rebekah the ropes, allowing them the chance to bowl as well as bat and field, and letting Peter have a chance at times with the ball too (we'd left his ball back in the car by mistake). He started off wanting to throw it, and in the end was taking the bat upside down and trying to hit the ball with the handle end along the floor. He got the idea, and liked running or bowling with Michael or myself when we had the energy to do it. Rebekah had been excited to play rounders when I explained to her what it was - she likes sports quite a lot too. She did pretty well batting, and Sarah was also a super fielder, although I think they all love to be in bat the most.






There was a little bit of time to play in a still pretty crowded but much cooler playground on the way back to the car, then tea was leftovers on the way home. We had some fun, and it was brilliant to share it with grandparents.




Rebekah's actual birthday was on the Monday. Her cousins Edan and Elijah and her auntie Rachel came round for lunch and the afternoon as Edan had chickenpox and so they couldn't come with us on the Saturday. We had a simple lunch, a treasure hunt to find her presents from us and Edan and Elijah, and then we played in the garden. We tried a few races - running, egg and spoon, with beanbags, etc. Then we made an obstacle course in a circuit around the garden using the climbing frame, paddling pool with balls in it, hula hoops in a row as puddles to jump (or splash) into, stretched elastic to climb or jump over, and the outdoor table to crawl under. Rebekah was too hot and tired to enjoy it at first, but after we all had an ice lolly to cool down, she got the hang of it and had a lot of fun. They went back to it later on while the tea/dinner cooked too.








Just about everyone had a go at blowing lots of bubbles - a fun but much calmer activity. Then after a pass the parcel, where we thought a bit about Rebekah on each layer, her aunt and cousins had to go. We were all pretty tired. So fish and chips for tea (her choice), a short sesame street video, and off to bed.






Here's Rachel enjoying Rebekah's birthday present.

For the day of her birthday we had planned a little pyjama party as a fun thing for that day. That was before knowing Edan would be ill and so not able to be with her on the Saturday. We ended up exhausted the night of her birthday after sun and games, so we had the pyjama party on the Tuesday night instead after we had had a much slower, quiet day and we were really ready to enjoy it. We ate homemade popcorn and watched a Thomas the tank engine video we've had for years. It was free, and fun to do all together.

All quite a lot for a little girl to do for her fourth birthday really, and a lot more than we had planned. It was really about doing something nice with people she loves and doesn't get to see properly so often. We may as well while we live so close to them I suppose, and with Michael around right now. :o)

Michael asked Rebekah about her birthday (about the Saturday really as he asked her on the Sunday). Here is what she said:



Her favourite things she did were apparently camping, having her butterfly cake, and riding a donkey. "Camping" was the picnic we had. We worked that one out in the end when she was adamant she'd gone camping! :o)
For her birthday, what she liked best was the obstacle course and the ice lollies. It was nice to just have some fun altogether for a couple of days.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR REBEKAH!