A Bunkin Birthday

 

Adele', our little Bunkin baby, turned 8 years old the week of Thanksgiving.  

And for the first time ever, a birthday child has been involved in the baking and decorating of their own cake.  Usually they give me a general theme and then tell me to "surprise them".  So I bake and decorate in secret and they don't get to see until the big 'reveal'.  And I kinda like it that way.   But it was her birthday wish, after all.  

She showed me a picture of a pigs swimming in the mud cake- perfectly fitting because the girl loves pigs most of all.  She helped me bake it, frost it, make the marshmellow fondant and shape fondant animals.  She also unwrapped the Twix- one of those menial jobs I can't stand doing but kids somehow never seem to mind.  Oh- and because she isn't a huge cake fan, she wanted the 'cake' to actually be brownie layers.  Since I am not a huge cake fan either, but seriously love me some brownies, I was all too happy to comply!

Her birthday fell on a Saturday which meant that Papa was home to celebrate- only the *best* birthdays have Papa home all day!  She said her other birthday wish was "that Papa would not go outside at all today unless it is to play in the snow with me."  I said "Well now, maybe you are taking this whole birthday wish thing a bit too far..."  and she grinned.  

I used the woodland fabric to make her a dress.  It was a surprise dress so I couldn't fit her in it as I was making it and it was a dress without pattern or tutorial- just something I made up in my head.  Which means, of course, I made mistakes.  I love the fabric so much I wanted to keep it as intact as possible.  I know it is a more childish style but I am going to embrace these last few 'childish style' years with her as best I can.  They never last long enough, in my opinion.  I should rework the front of the dress so it does not hang so low (either adding a panel or cutting out underarm sections and drawing it up. But I don't know if I will bother- partly because I am lazy but mostly because adjusting it may mean cutting the straps shorter.  And that would be tragic because the straps are edged with real rabbit fur.  Totally impractical, but I couldn't resist!  The fur just makes it, I think.

Her headband is just a bunch of felt flowers and feathers attached to elastic.  She also got a goat marionette I had stashed away and a book (of course). 

I have *just enough* leftover corduroy and rabbit fur that if I am conservative and plan it just so, I should be able to make a coordinating ensemble for the next birthday girl in a couple of weeks.

I have been seeing a shift in my girl this past year.  She is setting her mind to doing more grown up things like cooking and sewing and reading and crochet and becoming abler by the day.  She is grappling with sin and salvation and finding her place in this big, wide world and in this family, too, as a not-quite big but not-quite-small sort of girl.  And yet, I still find her playing make-believe or hear her talking to her dolls or herself from the other room.  I am incredibly grateful for those quiet little moments where I can catch glimpses of my little Adele', filled with childlike wonder and imagination.  Grow up my girl, but slowly.  Slowly.  

(kcco)