Happy November Birthdays!

A huge hunk of cake

November Birthday girl

Kids love cake. All over the world. They just do. So who am I to deny them this little bit of happiness? I say, let's eat cake. Each and every one of us. And let's eat it often.

Franckis waiting patiently for cake

The Cake Buying Gang

Birthday Girl

Cutting the cake

Fabienne waiting patiently for ice cream

Today was Vanessa's 9th birthday.  She has been excited about this day for weeks.  She wanted to go buy a cake to share with her friends.  So she chose which friends would accompany her to the cake buying festivities, they put on nice party clothes, and off we went, Franckis and I and 9 kiddos in the van.
We arrived at Epi D'or and Vanessa chose her cake and we all sat down to wait.  Then Vanessa decided we needed to eat ice cream.  I didn't object, and so all 11 of us shared the huge cup of cookies and cream ice cream.  Oh so tasty!

Little Bit #1

It was shaping up to be a delightful afternoon trip, but then we decided to head back to the orphanage.  In trying to get all 9 children out the door, I kept counting 8.  I knew we had come with 9.  I counted three times, and when I came up with 8 again, I said, "Franckis!  We came with 9, and there are only 8 here!"  I was beginning to panic just a bit, because one of my greatest fears is loosing one of them.  He looked at me a little strangely, and began to count again.  That's when I realized that I was holding #9 in my arms.  Ha!  As we approached the van, a group of boys came over and started asking me for a dollar, that they were hungry.  This happens every time I go to this place, and when I offer to buy them lunch, they always turn me down.  So in the midst of the chorus of, "Blanc, give me one dollar.  I am hungry," I managed to get all 9 in the van with the door shut.  Franckis has amazing driving skills, and soon we were headed back home.  That's when Little Bit#1 decided to attempt an escape from the moving van.  My stern reminder to sit down was met with a giggle and a hand reaching for the door handle.  By the third time of saying "Sit down" (in kreyol, or course) I was afraid she was going to succeed, so I enlisted the help of Franckis, and asked him to use his very sternest voice.  It was at this moment it came to my attention that Little Bit#2 had vomited all over the floor of the van, in the path of Little Bit#1, who was now firmly planted in her seat, so as not to get in the mess.  With nothing to clean things up with, we continued back to the orphanage, where someone (not me) cleaned up the van, and we saved the cake until later this evening.
It was a great celebration, full of singing and laughing and cake eating.  Enjoy the pictures.