Dawes Family in New Zealand

Happy Birthday Bethany!

Awww our girl is now 8 years old! How the time flies when you are having fun!

Every year the night before Bethany’s birthday arrives I spend some time sitting by her bed watching her sleep, remembering the years as they have flown by, from the days of being that little bundle of baby, to the wandering toddler days – to now, a stunningly clever little princess. I love this age right now, whilst she can still test a saints patience her inquisitive happy nature makes me smile again and again. Right now we are best buddies…I am making the most of it before we have to consider the dreaded teens!

So this year I had to postpone my meandering thoughts at the side of her bed as Bethany wanted to have her birthday on her actual birthday. Every year we have pulled it forward by a few weeks to try and separate her birthday and Christmas, being born 3 days before the big man in red was to arrive would not only create an abundance of presents but often overlap with Christmas celebrations as push her birthday in the background. However this year she was adamant wanted to have her day on the day, so that’s what we did.

Bethany was allowed to invite three friends, we would party and have fun on the 21st and then she would have a sleepover and wake up on her birthday morning with her friends. Such a great idea and yet again another wonderful memory she will always remember.

Early, early, early, Bethany came running into our room to wake us as she wanted to open her birthday presents from us and from family and friends in the UK before Daddy went to work. So at a bleary eyed 6am we were under not only the duvet but a coating of ripped wrapping paper and birthday cards! As usual Bethany got some amazing things, we are so grateful. I honestly cannot tell you just how much it means – even a simple happy birthday wish from a birthday card lets us know we are still important in the lives of our family and friends in the UK, and for them to put a smile on my babys face means everything. A huge thank you to everyone who made the effort, Bethany (and us) really appreciated it.

For some crazy reason I had agreed to Bethany’s friends being dropped off by their parents before they headed to work, so at 8am we had a house full of excited screaming girls!

Luckily it was a gorgeous day, the girls played outside most of the time, only coming in to graze on some food. It was funny that by 11am they had consumed 32 pikelets,  had 6 tantrums and I had listened to the funniest conversation ever about how all their Dad’s hair must have fallen off their heads and gone under their armpits!!

On the afternoon (with the support of my friend Sue) we took the girls to Junglerama to run off some of that girly energy - they had a great few hours. Back home after a fun and exhausting afternoon we relaxed a little and watched a movie in the front room in sleeping bags (despite the 25 degrees!). Then as the night fell we spent ages outside playing with some sparklers before the girls all piled into Bethany’s room for a sleepover eventually falling asleep around 11pm.

The next morning they were of course awake early and ready for action. Bethany was so pleased to wake up on her birthday morning with her best friends around her. So I packed them up in the car and we headed up to the park. Back home Bethany destroyed her ‘birthday cake’ (a ginger bread house we made the day before) and she then said goodbye to two of her friends. She really had had the best time.

As the day was gorgeous and the sun blazing I took her and her bestest friend ever up to the river, where they along with Denver and Bailey spent hours splashing around in the water and just enjoying the freedom of it all. It was really hot but so lovely, and everyone had fun.

After her last friend had left the evening wasn’t over yet. We packed up a picnic, grabbed our bikes and balloons and headed to the park where we had a birthday picnic. It was so cute and lovely as people walked past shouting happy birthday! Sadly the plan to let some birthday balloons didn’t work out too well, but it gave us something else to laugh about!

8 years has really flown. I know people say that all the time, but for us it really has. Bethany has spent the majority of her life living in NZ and whilst it isn’t always easy and the questions about why we are here and without family still come up, she is happier than ever. So clever, so talented and so beautiful. We wish the world for our girl and we know she will be amazing, we can see something special in Bethany. Happy Birthday Bethany – I know you will prove us right and one day not only be the girl we knew you were going to be, but you will be happy always.