On the second Saturday every month, In Step has a birthday party for the children who have birthdays in that month. A large cake is made, ice cream is bought, juice is stirred and the bubble containers are topped up.
All the children became FREAKISH when it’s Happy Birthday Day.
We get all the children onto the veranda and seated (hopefully) quietly. The aunties go down the tables and wash the children’s hands as we cut the cake into about 140 pieces (includes staff working on that day), dish them onto the plates along with a scoop of ice cream. One of the kitchen ladies pours the juice into the cups and we are set to go.
The list is read of whose birthday it is in that month and each of the children come up to the “front” of the veranda, as we all cheer, clap and shout, “Yeah [insert name here]!” When they are all lined up, we sing Happy Birthday to them.
Then the birthday kids serve the rest of the children their cake and ice cream. Once the plates are licked clean (yes, our children do that!), they get served their glass of juice. After the juice is done, they go outside and we come running out with bubbles in hand and blow bubbles as the kids chase (sugar high has kicked in at this point) the bubbles to see who can pop it first. It’s such a fun yet, tiresome morning.
This past Saturday was July’s Happy Birthday Day.
The bigger kids have a good reach on the bubbles so they usually get the majority of them as they take off through the sky. And usually the two year olds are just left in the footprints of the bigger ones. So I like to get down to the younger ones levels and blow bubbles right at their height and watch them chase the bubbles, laughter exploding from their lips.
Every time one of the little ones would catch a bubble, I would yell, “Good girl/boy [insert name here]!” with a huge excitement. So for example, little Sean caught two bubbles and I yelled, “Good boy Sean!”
After awhile, one of our younger girls, Theresa, who’s four, caught on to what I was doing. But rather than cheering on the little ones for catching bubbles, she would cheer me one.
I would blow bubbles and suddenly I’d hear from Theresa, “Good girl Mama Mary!”
For the next 10 minutes, every time I blew the bubbles, the sweet voice of Theresa would keep me going: “Good girl Mama Mary!”
Who knew being encouraged by a four-year would be so awesome.
Much Love,
Meredith
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