Although her 16th birthday wasn't what any of us had imagined when we thought of how she would celebrate turning 16, it was a really lovely day and she enjoyed it.
She woke up around 9 and we hung out with Amelie in the lounge room (Tony was at work) and Liam joined us not long afterwards. I rang the Chocolate Factory and ordered our brunch - there was a tense moment when the lady on the phone said she didn't know if there was a chef there today so they might not be able to do the smashed avo - that was the main thing Caitlin wanted to eat on her birthday so it was a big relief when they said it was all good and they could make it. Liam and I went to Yarra Glen to see if any more parcels had arrived at the post office (they hadn't), then went and picked up the brunch. Caitlin had smashed avocado and poached eggs, I had a ham and cheese croissant, Liam some carrot cake, and Amelie a strawberry tart (with fresh strawberries that we saw them put on just before they gave it to us). The food was all delicious and it was fun hanging out together in the kitchen and eating it.
Caitlin and I played Monopoly Deal for a while, then the others joined us for a round. We checked out the garden and enjoyed the sunshine, Caitlin had several phone calls from friends and family. Tony came home around 2 so we did presents - she got money from Liam to buy earrings with, face masks (the type you put on your skin and peel off) from Amelie, Checkerboard Vans from my sister and mum, and a big stash of yarn from Tony and I. She also received money from some family friends. After presents we had cake - the raspberry chocolate fudge cake she'd made - it was delicious! It was a bit soft and crumbly so rather than cutting slices of it we all got a spoon and ate it from the tin it was in.
Afterwards, Caitlin started to feel restless and wished there was somewhere she could go on her birthday. We had a look at our 5km radius and realised that the Yarra Glen Showground was within our radius, so Liam and Caitlin and I went in there and walked Luna along the river and around the Showground. It was exciting to find a new walking place within our range and to explore somewhere we hadn't been before - I'd walked bits of that path but not all of it and it was quite beautiful (although lots of mozzies. And a big black dog ran straight at me, barking, and scared the crap out of me - he was wanting to play with Luna but I had a moment of real fright). On the way home we drove around the long way and up Long Gully Rd for a bit - it was a gorgeous afternoon, sunny and clear and still, and the views were amazing. It was cool to look at Pauls Range from a few different angles and remember our walk to Toolangi.
Back home and we'd had a deliver of Daniels Donuts which I'd organised the day before. We got 2 packs of 6 and it was a surprise to everyone else, they were all very happy. Caitlin got first pick and we all found something we enjoyed. Tony took the older 2 kids for a ride around the property in the Kabota. I ordered Indian for dinner from Healesville (a family pack plus a paneer masala for Caitlin (and a garlic naan). Tony and Caitlin went and picked it up and it was good food as always.
After dinner Caitlin had a Zoom call with her friends booked in for 8pm. They had organised to play a drawing game, I sat with her and watched for a while, it looked like a lot of fun. The rest of us went to bed and she stayed up most of the night talking to her friends, she said it felt like a real party, she was very happy with how her day panned out.
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