Happy Birthday Zara

Happy birthday to Zara! I can’t believe Zara is three years old today. Time sure does fly when you’re having fun. So much has happened in those three years… Two TPLO surgeries, we (Zara’s pawrents) got married, we sadly lost Oscar and we aded a tiny human into the mix.

Three years ago this tiny fluff ball crept into our home and into our hearts and we named her Zara. Zara has been there for me on my absolute worst days as well as the best days of the past three years and believe me when I say there has been plenty ups and downs in that time! 

Zara’s birthday seems to have come round extremely quickly for me this year and I feel it’s partly due to the fact that I had to spend three months away from her because I had baby Gia in South Africa. However I do feel we have made up for lost cuddles and kisses in the weeks I have been home! 

Last year Zara had to celebrate her birthday without her brother Oscar and although it was a happy day, it was a sad one too. This year we added a tiny human so she wouldn’t be alone 😉 Zara absolutely adores her baby sister. She loves her new role as protector of the tiny human and I know with time their bond will only get stronger and stronger. So today we celebrate Zara’s first birthday as a big sister. 

Quite a few people said to me that once I have baby Gia, my animals will take a back seat. I always felt annoyed and agitated by comments like that. Yes, our family dynamics have changed, that one is obvious but I am hugely proud of myself for insisting that Zara is with us every step of the way no matter what we are doing and my way of showing her just how much I appreciate her is by celebrating her birthday (just like every other year) and making sure she knows that today is her day! Today Gia and I celebrate Zara. 

By now you all know that birthdays are a big thing to celebrate in our household so of course Zara has a birthday cake and presents to make her feel extra special. 

Zara’s birthday cake recipe

Ingredients

2 cups flour

2 packets of apple puree (I used baby food sachets)

1 egg

1 tbs honey

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups water

3 tbs thick plain yoghurt

Icing

1 tub plain cream cheese

4 heaped tbs thick plain yoghurt

Directions

For the cake, preheat your oven to 180 degrees. Combine all your ingredients in a mixing bowl and beat together using an electric beater until smooth. Pour the batter into a cake mould of your choice and bake for +- 40 minutes or until cooked through. The cake is quite a dense cake, not light and fluffy so cooking time may take longer. Remove your cake from the oven and allow to cool completely. For the icing, beat together the cream cheese and yoghurt. Once your cake is cool you can ice the cake and decorate it as your wish. Since Zara’s birthday is unicorn themed I have decorated it as a unicorn. Once your cake is decorated simply watch your pupper enjoy her treat!

Zara absolutely loved her birthday cake. She got icing everywhere and the top half even flopped on the floor-haha! But she had fun devouring it and that’s all that matters. 

Along with her unicorn cake Zara of course gets to open presents. Zara LOVES opening presents-something her brother taught her. Keeping with the unicorn theme she got the cutest new squeaky unicorn toy which is quite loud and I’m pretty sure will be my morning gift for a while. Zara’s favourite activity is anything to do with water so we looked around and found something different for her, sprinkler flowers that go crazy when attached to the hose. They spray water everywhere! As soon as dad gets home we will connect them up and have some fun-photo’s to follow on Instagram for sure! We also got Zara a sniffle mat. Because of her two surgeries I don’t like pushing her too much with physical play but it’s important that her mind is kept entertained. The sniffle mat is going to be perfect for the long rainy months we experience when swimming and outdoor play is quite limited. Zara was a pro at sniffling out her treats that I had hidden away so I know this one is going to be a true entertainer. 

All in all I would say Zara’s third birthday has been one to remember! Zara had fun, Gia had fun watching Zara have fun and I have admired both my girls interacting on such a special day- and the day is not over just yet! Happy Birthday Zara, We love you to infinity and beyond.

Be sure to follow us on Instagram and watch our InstaStories for fun of the day!  

Thank you for reading

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