He's just turned 5, but already he is saying he is nearly 6!!!

I feel so sorry for Noah and myself, we both have big important birthdays this year.  February marks his 5th birthday, and April will see me join the next category on all the surveys - the over 40's group!!!  So sad for both of us that we can't be at home in NZ to share our ageing with our best friends and family - BUT never fear, we both plan on milking the situation and are having Hong Kong birthdays + NZ birthdays - so maybe I don't feel so sorry for us after all :)

 not feeling too sorry for myself....

Noah likes to call these extra birthday experiences "spare birthdays" - I really like this concept, I wish we could have spare weekends, spare sleep-ins, spare holidays!!!  Well this is the second year Noah has managed to get 3 spare birthday parties - he got one in January while the grandparents were here.

the Christmas gingerbread cake that 

doubled as one of Noah's spare birthday cakes

Then he had a cake and pressies at our playcentre in Hong Kong....

                                                                  Treasure Island cake

Then he had a birthday party for the actual weekend.....lets just say I am glad I spaced my kids out because I am over making cakes right at the moment!!!!  I keep suggesting that Paul can take over next year but I am just too much of a control freak to actually let him do it (I know he would either just buy some Countdown sponge cake, or just do without it - he knows I know this so it is a moot argument, but I keep trying it).

His actual birthday was great fun - pancakes for breakkie, then off to Bumble Tots (an indoor playground) with 2 of his best friends, Jesse and Alliana.  The mums loved it as the kids played from 10.30 - 2.30 - just fantastic!!!!  We got to chat and look after Tobias.  Once Paul got home Noah got to open his pressies.  He had already got a bike, so the rest weren't that impressive, mainly games (but he did get an MP3 player so he can listen to stories and songs in the car without having to contend with his lip-syncing sister!!!)

the new wheels  

(we got rid of the trainers as soon as we got home, he is flying around now)

I had to think long and hard about his party as he only literally has about 3 friends, plus their siblings, here in Hong Kong.  Finally I settled on a bike party at Paul's school.  I sort of figured if only one other kid showed up they would still have fun zooming bikes around.

Noah and his two lovely friends Jana and Jesse

Actually it was a fantastic day.  I was a bit tired after completing yet another cake making marathon the night before (he had suggested a lego fire station - I totally vetoed that one!!), but quickly came around as the socialising bug hit me.  It was the easiest party around, no games, no food except Pizza Hut and fizzy drinks and cake - everyone bought a bike, or borrowed them from the school so we had to drag them away at the end kicking and screaming (one way to tell it was a good party, they didn't want to leave) - and we tidied up in 15 mins - brilliant!!!!

Noah and Archie (his one male friend)

Pirate cake

So there you have it, my darling wee boy is 5 years old.  He is so tall now, and lanky, you can kind of narrow your eyes and see what he will be like at 15 yrs old (way taller than me!!!).  He is one fun person to be around that is for sure, full of excitement and laughter, and brilliant one liners that leave us cracking up.

Tobias cracking up

So just to let you know, there will be a spare 5 year old party to end all parties in July, in NZ - be there or be square!!!