On Saturday night I put a very tired and emotional 3-year-old to bed. She was teary so I asked her what she was upset about – I mean it was the night before her birthday! The only thing she should have been sad about was the fact that she had to STILL wait a few hours until it was the big day. She said she didn’t want to tell me, but after a few more cuddles and chats, she told me that she was nerfous about everyone singing happy birthday to her the next day. She didn’t want everyone looking at her. We talked it out and decided that we wouldn’t sing, if she didn’t want to, and she summoned up “no Mum, it’s OK. I can do it all by my self-es.”
This girl. Man, this girl. I have written before that when she was born that she smelt of peaches. She did! Even my Mum agreed. She is a sweet heart. A kind girl who is funny and fiery and stubborn and smart and wonderful (usually all of these things within 12 seconds too). She’s trying to work out so much at the moment, getting frustrated at where she wants to be, and go, and what holds her back – mentally, physically and emotionally. She’s caught between the toddler that she was and the big girl she desperately wants to be. It’s HARD being 4 sometimes, I remember it with Daise, but if anyone can work it out. It’s this girl. This beautiful girl of ours.
We got to the cake bit yesterday and she was fine. No problems at all. And all by her self-es. I hope she is always able to tackle everything that life throws her way in the same way. Happy Birthday Harper. We all love you. So much x
Look at that gorgeous girl – love.
Oh PPMJ, I know! So beautiful..inside and out x
Oh I just want to squeeze her! Happy birthday from us. She looks so happy. Ps cake looks wonderful.
Thanks Whitney…she sure is a patootie! x
Peppa cake looks fabulous! You’ve set the bar high for years to come now Bev.
Oh thank you! The cake will get it’s own post I think…it was a great result!
Happy Birthday Harps!
Thanks CF x
How does she already look SO four?!!! My God.
It happened. Overnight.
Happy birthday Harper!
I love those photos of her with the cake…so gorgeous.
And by the way, the cake is great!
Thanks Caitlin x
Ah, Four!! I love my little 4 year old boy so so much, sometimes you just want to bottle a moment in time, it breaks me up. Have a wonderful year of 4 with that gorgeous Harper – I’m looking forward to watching it from afar!
Thanks Mary 🙂
Ahhh Harps … you are the cutest 4YO I know xx
She sure is x
Happy 4th Bday Harps!
Looks like she had a super day hun
xx
Thanks Sammy x
Beautiful post Beth – made me cry. I need to tell you though, I’m still having conversations like that with my girls who are 11 and 12. I suspect it won’t stop for a while for which I’m grateful. I’m the one who gets nerfous though for every step they take xox
Me too, so nerfous, they are so precious x
Beautiful post Beth, I love her little smile. I can remember I too used to hate the Happy Birthday song, didn’t like the attention and would usually storm out of the room the moment it started.
Oh Matt x
Harper looks os happy and your cake looks fab.
Thank you!
That is beautiful Beth ,oh to have a 4 year old again to cuddle,happy Birthday sweet princess girl xx
Thank you Lisa x
Gorgeous! My daughter turns 4 in March and is already obsessed with her party and who she’s going to invite. She can be very shy, so no doubt will spend the first hour clinging to me anyway! Oh how she’d love a Peppa cake… not going to happen I’m afraid, she scored a mother with zero talent in that area. Well done, Beth, it looked amazing!
You can outsource that to me x
Happy Birthday Harper. Wish I still had a four year old to cuddle, such a special time. xT
I will cuddle her extra tight this whole year…promise x
Seriously how adorable can the kids be at times? …..That cake looks awesome BTW
Post coming!
How good was your cake effort! She looked like she had the BEST time. Happy Birthday Harper!
Oh thank you…I will have a post about that cake….you KNOW I will x
I read this as I sit here snuggling my little bubba who turned 4 two weeks ago. Aren’t they the best?! Mine also got the “Happy birthday Peppa” book. Must be the gift du jour for all 4 year olds 😉
Happy birthday to Harper – hope being 4 is all you dreamed of and more x
I think that Peppa must be 4 too. Love it!
OK dying to know what the red door was for? We started to buy Lilybelle a doll house by components but ended up just buying a big massive one instead. Do tell Beth!
Mel
It was a beautiful present from her Aunty & Uncle – a fairy door that you leave up against a wall waiting for the fairies to come in…amazing things!
Gorgeous! The cake looked as though it turned out well!
My eldest, Oliver, will be 4 next May – still a while away. However, over the weekend I experienced what I can only describe as a lurching feeling as I realised how quickly he’s changing all of a sudden. I said out-loud a word he used to say all the time – ‘mimished’ instead of ‘finished’. After it was past my lips I realised it’s been a while since he’d said it, and that’s when I felt all lurchy, you know, like when you’re on a train bouncing along and then it stops suddenly. There’ll be a lot more of that from now on I suppose!
Happy Birthday Harper!
Oh Josephine! Beautiful. x
Oh happy day for you Harps, and mama Beth, she just sounds delightful – in all manner of four year old ways! She really reminds me of my niece Ava, a sweet girl with a big heart chasing after a big sister and trying to figure it all out. Blink and you’ll miss it eh? xxx
Absolutely…frightening really.
happy birthday gorgeous Harper…! Why oh why do they grow so?……..
I would like a pause button x
Happy birthday big girl! Congratulations Mumma 🙂 x
Thank you 🙂
I am with Harper on the whole singing Happy Birthday thing. Not a fan. 4 is the best! So true with the cuddles. My 5 yr old gave THE BEST cuddles at 4.
I never want to let this age go BECAUSE of those cuddles x
Fab job on the cake Beth! And sending birthday wishes for Harps! xo
Thanks Jodi!
Happy Birthday. Nothing better than your child’s birthday. Such.a.GIFT.
So many people don’t get to have kids, or lose them.
Such a gift.
You are so right FF, thanks for the reminder x
Nawww what a sweet little girl.
She’s pretty cute Carly x
She has the most magical grin!
Hope she truly had a happy birthday and that she gave herself the chance to enjoy people singing to her.
X
She sure does! I was so proud of her…and look at her face! She loved it!
My cousin smelled like Peaches when she was born too! Her birth name is Anne, but no one calls her that….we call her Peaches.
Love it!
She is just so precious, agreed. And my, how she has changed from toddler to little lady almost over night. Happy birthday Harper xx
It’s amazing how that happens isn’t it?
What a little gem! I hope Harper had a wonderful day.
She sure is…a pure joy and delight!
This is a beautiful post….you have an adorable daughter who in turn has a fantastic mum. Love to you both. xx
Beautiful Beth, beautiful. I can only imagine, when my two year old Ella reaches 4!!
It will be here before you know it!