Last week we celebrated Pearl’s 6th birthday! There is officially no denying that she’s a big kid. She fully embraced the concept of birthday week and we got to spread her birthday celebrations over a few days.
It’s been a big year for Pearl. Not least that she’s started school but there have been a lot of ups and downs, changes and unknowns, and she’s handled each shift and new beginning so well. There has been sadness and disappointment about the things we couldn’t do this past year but she also has so much genuine enjoyment for life and the world around her. She is a little naturalist, an observer, an explorer. She notices things that others miss and she is very serious about the world around her. She is interested in animals and the natural world and says that she would like to be a veterinarian when she grows up. She’s thoughtful and (often) patient with her little sister. Frequently at school she comes home with cards and crafts for others. Recently, she’s gotten into letter writing and happily mails off little cards to family and friends we can’t see right now.
It’s been such a delight to watch Pearl thrive at school this year. Despite the necessary changes to how school works this year, she’s had so many great experiences. It’s truly amazing to watch her learn to read and grow in her own confidence. She is still our little introvert but holds herself very happily apart and is learning to join in when she wants to. I may be biased, but Pearl is a true delight to be with and I am having so much fun watching her grow up.
Of course, her birthday celebrations looked very different this year. I’m not complaining, after all, Pearl was one of the few kids who got a real birthday party in 2020. While I’d hoped that we would at least be able to celebrate with family and friends in small gatherings the way we did for Rose’s September birthday, it still felt like we were able to make birthday week special for our girl. She was well celebrated at school on the day of her birthday and we went for a family walk on the beach after school, complete with her favourite cookies (salted double chocolate chunk!). We had cupcakes and multiple FaceTime/zoom/skype calls with family to open gifts.
On the weekend, we booked a little cottage for a birthday getaway. Since we are asked to avoid non-essential travel and our community is reliant on ferry to reach the city, our family hasn’t left the Coast since before the current lockdown began at the beginning of November. Fortunately, we live in a beautiful spot. We travelled about twenty minutes away to the community of Roberts Creek and felt like we got away for a little bit. Our host even decorated the cottage with streamers and balloons when she heard it was Pearl’s birthday! We ordered takeout, played on the beach, explored the heart of Roberts Creek, and played on a new playground. The girls had a blast and I think Pearl felt it was really special.
It’s strange to think that we are truly out of the baby and little kid stage with Pearl but what a delight it is to be her mom and what a gift her life is.
Karissa Reads Books 
Happy birthday, Pearl! Was there no Justin Beaver this year? Or am I mixing up which little girl belongs to JB, lol? My niece Lilly’s birthday is on the 6th, and she’ll be FIVE! Big girl time! Last year, the weekend of March 14th, we were at a birthday party for my older niece, Mariam. We had heard about coronavirus and felt a little nervous, but this was JUST before the nation-wide shelter-in-place.
Justin is Rose’s! Pearl’s chosen theme this year was foxes though without a party, we didn’t do as much with a theme. That’s so fun that your niece will be 5! There is definitely a big shift at that age and they really are not so little anymore. It’s so strange to think about the things we were doing this time last year. And how quickly everything changed.
Happy birthday, Pearl! That looks like a lovely celebration, and so special to be able to get away from home for a bit!
Thank you! We are lucky to be able to do so!
Happy Birthday, Pearl! Six is such a great age… 😀
It is! There are so many things we can do and that she’s able to do now! It’s really fun!
Yay, happy birthday, Pearl! It’s good to hear she had a whole fun birthday week, even if it looked a little different than last year. And so nice of the cottage host to put up streamers and balloons for her!
It was definitely one of those “humans can be so good” moments for me when she offered!