The day started before six, barely two hours after my yesterday had ended. I’d left some birthday cards downstairs for Master R to open so he and Ms R went down to do that. I could hear Ms R enthusiastically parenting him, saying things like "Ooh look thats a nice one, it’s got a fire engine on it. Lets see who it’s from…Ah, this ones from Nana" and "Wow, another three! You are a lucky boy. Umm, not sure what that says". I got up shortly after and the three of us did the whole card thing all over again. He got a badge which he was thrilled about because both Daddy and I have recently recieved badges (Mothers day and Daddys birthday).
We had some toast and when Daddy was up Master R opened his presents from Nana (a dinosaur DVD and some plastic dinosaurs), 
Viv (a cat DVD) and us (some wooden train track and accessories). We put a DVD in and set up the wooden track complete with dinosaurs while Daddy bathed. When Daddy was dressed he popped out to get the kitten and the Rs bathed.
I had pre-wrapped a box with birthday paper leaving a small opening for the kitten to be collected in, Daddy put the box on the floor for Master R and he peeped in grinning. I don’t think he realised quite what it was until Ms R lifted it out, 
it crouched terrified on the floor while both children stroked it and then ran and hid under the sofa. We set up a litter tray (or rather our improvised version of one) and some kitten food and dragged it out to show it. After a quick look it ran and hid in the box which it had arrived in.
To take our minds off of it we let Ms R open her birthday present from us. 
At that point it was clear that the kitten obviously wasn’t going to entertain us for the morning so we took a drive over to the pet shop so that Master R could spend some birthday money and Ms R could buy some gravel for her fish tank. We were spoilt for choice over cat scratch posts and despite really liking a big one which would have taken all of the birthday money plus more we settled for a smaller one so that we could also buy toys and bowls.
Once home again we started getting ready for the party. There seemed to be loads of stuff to take over but eventually we were on our way. Despite hail and snow we made it in good time. The hall appeared to be all locked up so we waited for ages and just started to panic that maybe the caretaker wasn’t going to show up and that our friends would arrive to find there was no party. But then I realised that the door wasn’t actually locked, just a little stiff so we bullied our way in and started to make preparations. Our first friends arrived and helped with balloon pumping (thanks 
) while the children compared party outfits. Master R wasn’t wearing a party dress and did at that point come to me in tears at being the odd one out and not having party clothes but was reassured when I pointed out that he was wearing his special favourite party t-shirt with the dinosaur on (which I currently have to wash and dry overnight or put up with him wearing dirty). More friends arrived and I made tea and coffee for everyone. I had a mental plan of how the party would work out and this included setting up a table for the food and all the children sitting around it eating at a time specified by me. However, as each child arrived they helped themselves to a sandwich or handful of crisps so the party meal descended into a buffet which was actually fine by me. The pass-the-parcel took on a similar autonomous pattern which although at the time I found slightly embarrasing (at my lack of ability to organise one simple party game) afterwards has me thinking that next year we won’t bother with the circle or the music. Why would I want to impose my rules on something as pleasurable to children as unwrapping something? No. Next year at the beginning of the party I’ll just yell "Here’s a well wrapped parcel! Anyone who wants to help upwrap it can take one layer off and then pass it on to someone else" and leave them to it. It kind of started off when I realised that the Lazy Town Boombox which really does sound quite loud in the confines of our lounge at home was barely audible in a large room full of people and then it took a turn in the other direction when I passed the pacel to Ms R and said "Here, you can start as you are the birthday girl" and so she ripped off the first layer before passing it on, it travelled along a few children before another child thought that he’d take a layer off so the adults who were humming and lalaing stopped until the parcel moved again. And this is how it worked, being passed around and stopping every so often to be unwrapped. The youngest party attendee, delighted to be sat in the circle and quite amused by the whole thing was the last child to have a turn at unwrapping and by some thankful twist of fate opened the last layer.
When it came to the cake thing all the children sat themselves around tables. Master R was mesmerised by his candles and was the quickest off the mark when it came to blowing them out. He said on the way home that he blew them out as quickly as he could as soon as the song finished because he didn’t want to get told off. He thought if he didn’t blow them out quick enough then the cake would get burnt and we’d be cross. Ms R has been asking for days if she could cut her own birthday cake, it is something that has seemed very important to her so we furnished her with a large shiny and recently sharpened knife and then stood back to take photos. 
Master R also wanted to cut his own cake but was a little more accepting of help. I had expected at that point for all the children to run off and play again while I carefully cut the birthday cakes into neat little squares to put into party bags, instead they sat there expectantly discussing with each other which cake they wanted a bit of. Ms R suddenly got extremely possesive about her cake wanting it to go into party bags, but not all of them, only the pink ones (I wonder if that explains why nearly all of the boys opted for pink party bags). So it was hacked into various shaped chunks and put boldly and descreetly into party bags.
It was a great party which we all enjoyed very much, thanks to everyone for helping it to run smoothly and making it special and thank-you everyone who helped to clear up. It really wasn’t expected.
Once home we were pleased to see that the kitten had been out exploring. He was happy to see us and wandered around a bit although was quite jumpy. He has been named Buzz which was Master Rs choice from a list of suggestions. Master R was eager to open the presents from the party, it’s obvious that care and thought went into making and choosing them and he loved every single one. Ms R has saved hers for her birthday next week. My Mum popped round to see the kitten and give Master R a birthday kiss but didn’t stay long. We went to bed for a lovely new story about a kitten.
When I got back up I discovered the kitten bonding with Daddy, it had been climbing all over him and then it snuggled down under the duvet into his dressing gown and purred loudly. It had eaten some food and used the litter tray and I started to feel happier that it would settle with us.