Happy 5th Birthday to my superhero BatBean

I was not expecting today to happen the way it has. It's not been terrible, it's just not been the way I had it planned in my head.

Bean took a lot of convincing that it was actually his birthday today. He didn't feel any different - I guess that at 4 going on 5 you really actually expect to feel physically different when you are five. He didn't want to go into the breakfast room where his presents were, he couldn't cope with looking at them, couldn't cope with anyone saying "happy birthday" to him, didn't even want Grandma and Grandad with him this morning! Poor kid. Eventually we hid the presents behind the door, and Grandma and Grandad went out on a walk, and Bean was persuaded to come in for breakfast.

Thankfully it seems that all he really needed was breakfast before he felt ready to cope with the enormity of the fact that he was indeed now five years old.

Presents were dived upon, and the hugely requested happyland space rocket was discovered! Cue one extremely happy Bean. And Bear too, because there were enough bits of it for them both to play with together for quite a long time :)

Steve took the day off as a holiday - his first in his new job. And has spent most of it in bed with a migraine - also his first in a long long time! So instead of going out on an expedition we've been at home. Our big mission this morning was to go out to get medicine for Steve and excitement came about in the form of rain which nearly sent us scurrying for the trees, but which passed mercifully quickly so we didn't get too wet. Once Bear was asleep as well, I took Bean out to buy his birthday fireworks - hurrah for BOGOF offers, we have two big fireworks blocks instead of the one that I was expecting!

Bear woke up as we got home, but thankfully the migraleve was actually working enough to help Steve be up and about so he took over the making of the birthday cake and dinner while Grandma played with the boys and I nursed Bear for another hour.

Dinner over, we wrapped up warmly and headed out into the garden to light the first of the firework "cakes" - and prayed that we were far enough back as the instructions said we should be at least 8 metres away! Most of us missed the first firework cake entirely, it was over so quickly before we'd had much chance to react. Thankfully they'd been on a BOGOF offer so we had a second one to light! The boys were still happy, no screaming or sudden terror, so we lit the second one and actually managed to see most of the shots whizzing up above our heads ;)

Back inside to get the boys into pyjamas while I decorated the finally cooled cake. Bit of lateral thinking required. We'd discussed his cake decor while at the shops earlier and he'd chosen black icing. We also got stars, and silver spray icing. Sounded quite logical, I was expecting to do a starry night sky or something.

At the checkout Bean suddenly said "mummy I could have a BATMAN cake!!" aargh.

So I found (miraculously) a piece of acetate in my craft box, cut a bat symbol stencil out, and sprayed a silver bat onto his black-iced cake. Add a few silver-sprayed stars and the candles he'd chosen and voila one very happy Bean :)

Hurrah!!!