Hidden Talent

If Andrew finds that he would like to set up a side-line business alongside his work as a MAF pilot, we have now discovered that he has great hidden talent -as a Cake Decorator!
Two weeks ago, Esther celebrated her 6th birthday. To mark the occasion, she had asked me to make her a "flower birthday cake". Not being a talented cake maker, I was a little alarmed at the prospect of trying to produce a suitable cake- but the internet is a wonderful resource! I looked online for "flower cakes" and found a fairly easy-to-make sunflower cake with clear, simple instructions on decorating and a photo that I could print out to guide me.
The day before Esther's birthday, I made the cake- but was a little nervous about chopping it up into the correct shape and decorating it appropriately. That's where Andrew stepped in. Knowing that he is far more precise and careful than I am when it comes to fine detail, I asked for assistance- but we were both surprised when Andrew revealed his brilliant talent for cutting out and decorating cakes! He took over the operation and here he is, hard at work, the night before the birthday:

 In the morning, our special Birthday Girl approved the cake design and was thrilled with her Dad's excellent work! Ben and Joel also seemed impressed, even if the cake was a bit too flowery for Ben's more boyish taste...

 The cake was a big hit at Esther's party- it's just a shame it couldn't have been kept for longer, but the petals were soon consumed by hungry children, whilst the leaves and centre disappeared before our eyes as adult guests helped us to polish it all off!

 Esther celebrated turning 6 with a swimming party at the pool located on the MAF compound. She invited 9 young friends to come and swim, before inviting them back to our house for lunch, party games and, of course, the birthday cake! Great fun was had by all...

 Andrew acted as life-guard in the pool and a couple of helpful mums also stayed at the poolside to help keep an eye on the swimmers for safety's sake. However, even the non-swimmers got adventurous and enjoyed the water...

 Ben had a great time at his big sister's party, clambering in and out the pool, with best buddy Aleah (from Nursery school and MAF) always at his side...

 Back at the house, it seems that traditional party games are always the best, with Pass the Parcel being as popular as ever- and even Joel could join in this one by thrashing around with the discarded wrapping paper!

When the guests had left and the house was restored to some kind of order, Esther spent the rest of her birthday playing with her new birthday toy- keeping with the theme of her swimming party as she enjoys a Playmobil swimming pool. However, I am not sure whether it was Esther who had the most fun playing with her toys, or whether it was Andrew in working out how to assemble the Playmobil model- another talent that Andrew has unearthed since becoming a dad!