Jonathan's 36th Birthday

Happy birthday to the best husband and father in the whole wide world!

As Jonathan's birthday was also Speedy's due date, it was decided long ago that we wouldn't be doing anything too taxing on the day. Mina had been with us since early on Christmas Day and was due to go home before dinner tonight, so Mina and I decided to bake a delicious chocolate cake for Jonathan.

As for Jonathan's present, I'd already bought him a "combined" Father's Day and birthday present earlier this year (which was presented to him on Father's Day. This left Mina with a dilemma of what to do for a present for Daddy.

We did have to go out earlier in the day to buy a few things from the shops, so off to Top Ryde City we went. It was Mina's first visit to this shopping centre, so she stayed close to us and didn't wander too far away. Mina was quite insistent on buying a gift for Jonathan, but everything she picked up was cheap and / or inappropriate. It took some time, but we did manage to convince Mina that she should make something for Jonathan to hang in his cubicle at work. In the end, Mina was happy with that solution.

Most of the afternoon was spent with Mina running back and forth between Jonathan and I as we completed various tasks set down by Mina for Jonathan's birthday party. The cake was baked, but needed frosting, which Mina insisted on spreading on the cake, with supervision from Jonathan. Mina also wanted to create a "tapestry" for Jonathan, picking various items from her arts and crafts stash to be sewn on to a piece of white felt by me. In the meantime, Mina was also making a birthday card for Jonathan, so she was a rather busy little bee for most of the afternoon.

We received a lovely surprise phone call from Mum and Dad in New Zealand, who called us on Skype to wish Jonathan a happy birthday. It was so lovely to chat with them!

Before long, it was time to light the candles and share some cake with the birthday boy. Jonathan was very chuffed with the handmade card and the tapestry, and we enjoyed the very scrumptious cake decorated with M&Ms.

The only person missing from the day was Speedy, who decided that he didn't really want to share a birthday with Daddy after all. Never mind. We know Speedy will arrive when he's good and ready.

Happy birthday, my darling man. I hope you had a wonderful wonderful day!