Starting School / Ninjago Party!

Alfie's had a very busy and exciting few days.

Last Friday we celebrated his 5th birthday. It was a day full of presents - a bike, a tennis racquet, a Nerf Gun, and other such boy stuff. It was also his very last day at pre-school.

His pre-school has been the making of him. It's such a lovely place which has not only prepared him for school but it's also got him a little bit ahead in reading and writing and has given him such lovely manners, confidence and a caring nature. All credit to the teachers there for doing such a great job with our little man.

In the afternoon we picked Molly up half an hour early from school, and we all went in for Alfie's pre-school diploma presentation and afternoon tea. He was wearing a special happy birthday/happy last day hat and we watched proudly as our little boy was presented with his diploma and a collage of photos. He looked a little odd as he'd been painting his own face earlier in the day and had tried to wash it off but the red paint had stained...never-the-less, he looked so chuffed with himself!

The next day was his birthday party - this was even more exciting than his actual birthday. The Ninjago cake was baked, the Ninjago balloons had been made and blown up with lollies inside them (ready to punch 'n' pop), party games were organised, and the water slide was all set up.

Two hours of noise, one tantrum from Alfie (he was first out in Musical Statues and did NOT like this!), one tantrum from Molly (she ate all her carrots but didn't get the first piece of cake - which had been the original incentive for eating the carrots, an oversight by her dad which had dramatic consequences), a floor covered in food, and 10 wet, slippery kids later, Jake and I flopped onto the sofa with a cold drink and considered our future possibilities for cancelling birthday parties....?

We spent the rest of the weekend at the outdoor pool, watching a fun play in the park, and testing out the new bike.

Alfie then had his most important day yesterday when he STARTED BIG SCHOOL.

So far, so good. No more knocks to the head. He apparently had a little cry at lunchtime but Molly showed him the family photo she keeps in her school bag and gave him a cuddle and he was ok again. Other than that, all I have managed to establish so far is: his best friend Charlie no longer wants to play with him but that's ok because he has two new friends called Riley and Harry, he did hula hooping with Molly at lunchtime, he read a book with the teacher, he played a fly squatting game and he wrote "nothing nothing nothing" on a piece of paper (?)

(That last part, I suspect, is untrue).