4 Years Old!

 This little gal is 4 on April 8th!

We celebrated this past Saturday with a family birthday party.  A kind neighbor recently gave Vera and William cowboy boots, so Vera decided she wanted a cowgirl birthday party.  The cute cowgirl outfit was a gift from Vera's Great Grandma.

 

As Vera requested, here is the cowgirl cake I made her, which earned itself its own story.  Vera picked a picture of a similar cake to inspire my design, and I set to work baking two 9x13 cakes.  I cut the pieces and laid it all out perfectly.  Then I took a break to go outside with the kids... and when we came back inside... the cake... was GONE!  I felt a wave of utter defeat set in.  The DOG!  Ooooh, what a BAD DOG!  Part of me wanted to yell at Gandalf, one tiny part wanted to laugh, but mostly I wanted to cry.  I walked up to Gandalf, and knowing that yelling was useless, I whispered "Gandalf, that was very very bad." That night I went back to the store for more mix... and started over.  Getting a ready-made cake from the store wasn't an option because I really enjoy the challenge of designing a fun cake, and I even like to come up with ways to use berries to color the icing instead of food coloring.  I wanted to make Vera her cowgirl cake.  While I didn't exactly expect the dog to throw me an extra challenge, it all turned out in the end.

 We had birthday pizza for lunch, which included pizzas in the shape of a horseshoe, horse head, and easter egg (all Vera's choosing).  

 This big girl also got to share mini cupcakes with her preschool class to celebrate her birthday.  

I asked Vera similar questions to the ones I asked her last year.  Here are her 4 year old questions and answers:

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A Baker. (This sweet girl really does love helping me cook.) Also a Rock Star and a Helper.

What's your favorite color?

Purple

What do you like to do?

Pick flowers and play in the bathtub.

What do you like to eat?

Cheese, pepperoni, applesauce, pickles.

Who is your favorite character?

Rapunzel and Ariel

What's your favorite song?

"Keep on Dancing" (from a Barbie ballerina movie)