Vanessa's 5th Birthday

The much anticipated day has arrived!  Vanessa has grown more than 2 inches since her last birthday.  Her hair is longer and curlier, and her personality has grown as well.  She started the day out walking through pink streamers (which Eli ripped down! grr!), enjoyed Apple Jacks for her birthday breakfast, was excited to tell her swimming instructor that it was her birthday, and helped me shop for the perfect balloons for her party. Rachel had visited me during the time the kids had swimming lessons at the UNI Rec center so she was able to stay with the other 3 kids in the van while Vanessa and I got the birthday balloons.

She got to put the four quarters in the parking meter at UNI when we go to swimming lessons.

 A Frozen balloon from Hy-Vee ($13 for a balloon, seriously!), and 4 more from the dollar store.  4+1=5!  A golden star, pink flower, princesses, and a crown.  The man from the dollar store let her unroll the string attached to each one.  She liked that part.

Normally I make a pancake in the shape of their new age but we couldn't get that accomplished until lunch.  But we still did it!

The day was spent playing around.  She got to play Kindle and watch a movie (probably Sofia the First).  I made spaghetti sauce for dinner and made/decorated the cake.  She wanted pink cake, purple frosting, and a red/green "5".  Ok. I can do that!

(pics to come...they are on my camera which aren't loaded on the computer yet)

Grandma Jo, Grandpa Jon, and Aunt Rachel all joined us to celebrate Vanessa's birthday.  We had "mermaid noodles" which are bowtie pasta (she thinks the shape of the bowties look like mermaid tails), spaghetti sauce, lots of parmesan cheese, and an Olive Garden inspired salad.  Rachel cooked up her famous garlic croutons.  We ate on the deck.

 Gotta tear down that birthday chain!

She was gifted lots of wonderful things. Rachel dolled her up in a birthday girl skirt/wand/headband.

Some adorable dresses, coloring books, glittery crayons, a princess fishing pole, mermaid t-shirt/leggings, Frozen sticker book, M&Ms, mints from Rachel, and some other candies.

I told her she can climb the tree in the backyard now!

One really random thing she loves to do is put eyedrops in my eyes.  She notices I use a lot of them and I showed her how they work.  She says she likes to put them in my eyes but not her own.

Other pics from her birthday:

And the next day on June 3rd modeling her new dress: