Happy 5th Birthday to the Bun

To my lovely and wonderful daughter,
I cannot believe you're already 5! For me, there isn't Father Time, rather, it feels like Daughter Time. Because watching you grow really shows me how much time has passed.
We were supposed to go to Hawaii this year for your birthday. I think I'm more disappointed than you that we didn't go:p You had changed your mind mid-year and wanted to go to Disneyland instead.
Daddy headed up the planning process this year since we had to work around his schedule. Well, time got away from him. Plus Daddy wasn't comfortable taking Evan on a plane with us for Hawaii and he wasn't progressing in sleeping through the night where we felt comfortable leaving him behind. In your Dad's eyes, that left Disneyland. But next thing he knew, your birthday was right around the corner and we had no plans.
Then, a week before your birthday, your Auntie Margie said her family was going to Disneyland next month. How fantastic! You love spending time with your twin cousins and Disneyland would be even more fun with them. So we decided we would go when they do in November.
But we felt bad that you weren't going on a trip on your birthday:( So we tried to make it extra special for you. Daddy bought a bunch of decorations and we set them up in the wee hours of your birthday morning:

We decorated your doorway and the staircase so you would feel like your birthday was a huge deal to us (it is!) You were very surprised and happy when you saw them-
Ah, let me back track. Before you saw the decorations, I woke you up by singing Happy Birthday and lighting a candle nestled in one of your favorite treats...a chocolate donut! With pink sprinkles, to boot! You blew out the candle, I gave you your birthday crown and we walked hand in hand down the stairs. That's when you saw the decorations.
You sat down at the kitchen table, I cut up your donut and asked you to pose:
Then you got ready for school. Afterwards, I asked you to pose on the staircase so we could capture your special day:
You went off to TK, rocking that birthday crown of yours. I love your school and think their birthday practice of celebrating birthdays monthly in class is a good one. But I just wish they had at least sang happy birthday to you. It was OK, though, I planned for just the two of us to go out for lunch and shop. Evan stayed behind with Grandma while I picked you up and whisked you to your destination of choice-the mall.
You crack me up. You love the mall even though your Dad and I don't care much for it. [Side note: I have fallen back in love with the mall now that 1) we live near a nice one and 2) I'm taking care of a fresh baby again. A morning stroll in the mall during a weekday is almost therapeutic! Like Target. Mmm, Target.] So when I asked you where you wanted to go and gave the mall as an option, you jumped all over it.
There's this restaurant smackdab in the mall that sells sushi, cafeteria-style. I suppose a modern take on the sushi boat style but with a conveyor belt instead. Truth be told, your dad and I thought the sushi wouldn't be that good whenever we passed by but you always looked at it longingly. Since today was your day, that's where we ate!
Unfortunately, your mommy & daddy were right. (Won't be the last time, kiddo.) But you loved it! We sat at the bar and you grabbed what you thought you would like: California roll and Japanese crackers:) The service, while kind, was mediocre to neglectful. I had to ask multiple times for things. But there was a conveyor belt of food! So you adored it. Our waitress also stuck a candle on the (mediocre) strawberry shortcake we ordered. Yet another opportunity for me to sing happy birthday to you:)
Because of your birthday crown, people we came across throughout the mall warmly gave birthday wishes to you. I'm sure it was also because you looked absolutely darling with your curls and soft spoken manner. You're a reserved individual who doesn't like to be the center of attention but you do like some;) So it was perfect how sales people and random moms were approaching you, wishing you happy birthday and saying you looked like a princess.
Part of our mission for the day was to find a blue dress for you for our upcoming photo shoot. We found one you approved of along with marching mary janes! You were so pleased to pick it out yourself. You patiently waited while I also got your brother, a few Christmas presents and a dress for myself for an upcoming wedding. I think that's going to have to be my next blog entry: my first dress post-baby and my first cocktail dress purchase in years!
I bought you a hot cocoa, split a 7 later bar with you and got you a See's chocolate to round out the day of decadence. And to make up for the not-so-stellar lunch. We then went home because I really needed to feed your brother!
A couple of hours later, your Papa & Nana came over to celebrate your birthday by having dinner. Grandma was staying with us so you had all your grandparents here. It had been tradition to eat at a Japanese restaurant near our old home for your 1st, 2nd & 3rd birthdays (we had gone to Disneyland for your 4th.) But it was a half hour away now instead of less than 10 minutes. We gave you the option of a local ice creamery or sushi and you said sushi. Yes, even though you just had it for lunch:) We headed out to our new local sushi restaurant. It's one of two favorite restaurants we have in our town so I wasn't sure if you would feel like it was a special outing. But it's rare to get all of us together so I believe you knew it was special.
You were sang to again:
And you loved it:
When I tucked you in at night, I asked you what your favorite part of the day was. You said the sushi lunch! Ah, goes to show what you get a kick out of. I'm also very glad I didn't complain about the food in front of you (I did tell you Daddy about it later. And then he smiled when I told him much later that it ended up being your favorite part of the day!) Your second favorite part were the decorations. Your third favorite was waking up and having a donut. Again, you crack me up:)
I hope you know how very special you are to me and Daddy and how much we love you. It's been a big year in terms of change and I know our attention is now divided. You also started a brand new school and after school program, both with much larger groups of kids than what you've ever had before. But you continue to impress me with your adaptability and grace. I wish I had infinite patience because you deserve it. I continue to work on it:)
You are lovely, beautiful inside and out, smart, funny, sassy and incredibly kind. You are my favorite girl in the whole wide world. I LOVE YOU.



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