Our Little Princess is 5!

It's hard to believe that Kiersten is finally 5. We've been talking about this day, and counting down for (what feels like) months, and it is finally here! She started out her birthday morning by putting decorations on her cupcakes she was taking to preschool for show-and-tell. (A friend in preschool brought cupcakes for show and tell on her birthday, so that's what Kiersten figured she should do to.) She was very proud of herself - she even helped me make the "flowers" we put in the middle - her job was to stick on the "5" in the center. She did a great job!


Since we did a big party for Kiersten last year, that's what she figured we'd do again this year (even down to playing some of the same games!). I spent several weeks explaining to her that Daddy and I had decided we would do big parties every other year, and that on the years we didn't do a party she could choose a friend and go do something fun. She decided to invite her friends Hailey and Macy and go have lunch at Chick-fil-A and play at their play place. (She picked Chick-fil-A not for the food, but because of the play place!) So I picked up the girls from preschool and we headed out to lunch. Here they are waiting (not so patiently) for their food so they can get eating over with and get playing!
When they had had all the fun Mom could handle we loaded up and came back home. Earlier I had asked Kiersten what she wanted for her birthday dinner. I fully expected her to choose Sweet and Sour Meatballs, because that is what she usually chooses when ask her what she wants for dinner. I was completely surprised when she choose Velveta Shells and Cheese. So, that's what she and Tanner had (Nate had class that night so he came home later and I made something else for dinner for he and I). I told her she had to choose a vegetable and a fruit to go with it, so she chose carrots and ranch dressing (another surprise - I thought she'd choose corn) and cantaloupe (although, the cantaloupe I had in the fridge was moldy, so they had canned fruit cocktail, her second choice). Not what I would have chosen, but I wasn't complaining because it was a super easy meal to make and she and Tanner were happy and ate it. (Of course, it probably didn't hurt that they were starving - I realized later that she was so excited to get playing that she only ate a couple of french fries for lunch.)
After dinner I got them bathed and ready for bed and then Daddy got home. Kiersten got to open presents (her favorite part of birthdays she informed me). She was delighted with the Barbie set from Grandma and Grandpa Berrett (when she opened it she said, "This is just what I was hoping I'd get for Christmas!) and the princesses and stationary from Grandpa and Grandma Larsen (she thought it was amazing that Grandma Larsen happened to send the two princesses she didn't have).
After presents we finished the evening with cake and ice cream. She surprised me here too - she wanted carrot cake with cream cheese frosting for her cake and the cupcakes for preschool. This cake was the other half of the cake mix we used to make the cupcakes. I was not about to make up 2 cake mixes, because I didn't want that much cake around the house!

Sadly, by the time we finished cake and ice cream it was well past her bed time, so she had to go to bed without getting to play with her new toys. (We used the excuse that it would take a long time to get the presents out of the packages, so they wouldn't be ready to play with until morning anyway.) But the poor thing was so excited that she had a hard time getting to sleep that night. I think she was still awake when Nate and I went to bed that night at 10:30. But she was in heaven when I let her get up the next morning and play with princesses and her new Barbies before she had to get dressed or even eat breakfast!

Now that we've survived this birthday, she's already planning her next birthday . . . only 352 (or something like that) more days to go . . .!