Madeline Turns 5

It is very hard for me to believe that our little girl is five, 5 seems so old and it seems like only yesterday that we were new parents. When I look around our house at all the newborn and baby pictures of Madeline (there are none of Jack--second child syndrome) and then I realize how big she is now... I don't want her to grow up. She is my baby. Whether or not I like it, she did turn 5 on December 7. For your birthday at our house, you can choose any breakfast that you want and Daddy has to make it. Hmmm, maybe I should dream up something really hard for my next birthday. If anyone has any ideas, I am open to suggestions. Madeline being the sweet girl she is only picked chocolate chip pancakes, eggs, and sausage. After breakfast she opened all of her presents from us, she wanted book and puzzles!

After breakfast Daddy and Jack stayed home for nap time and Madeline and I headed off to pick up balloons, etc. She loved this party hat at the store, really she loved all the hats in this aisle and insisted that I take her picture in every single one. Since it was her birthday, I agreed. I didn't post them all, but there were A LOT!!!

For her party she wanted an ice skating party and decided this in August. Since we live in California and none of the kids that she knows can ice skate I spent the next 8 weeks trying to talk her out of this plan. I was worried that kids would not want to try it, would fall all over the ice, would hate it, etc. you get the general idea. I spent so long trying to talk her out of it that by the time I called the Palos Verdes Ice Chalet they were booked up for private ice time and we had to skate during public skate and then have the party room (which smelled like a locker room) after that.

Here is Madeline getting ready for the ice. She wanted to dress like a snow princess and we had gone shopping the weekend before and she picked out the whole outfit and has not stopped carrying the purse or wearing the headband since--seriously. The purse is barely in one piece.

Aunty Tata (my sister) is above with Madeline's friend Kira, who could actually skate, and my friend Sarah with William. He is just over 2 but did great on the ice, I think it is easier when you are closer to the ice and have no fear.

Here is Madeline with Auntie Kim, they are both posing so nicely!!

Jack sat on the sidelines for as long as Grandma and he could bare it. He was screaming "I do, I do, I do," the entire time. So Heath got him skated up and took him for a spin. He didn't like the skating part (too much work), but he did like when Heath pushed him around the ice really fast (our little dare-devil)!

Madeline showing off!! She was quite the ice dancer!

My cousin Dana took the above picture with her iPhone and I love the picture. I gave the kids punching balloons in their goodie bags and this picture is Jack swinging the balloon so fast you can only see the blue streak!

Here is the CAKE!! Every year I obsess about WHERE or WHERE shall I get the cake? This year I tried Hansen's in LA. Terrible customer service and they messed up the snow princess design that I had asked for (my mom had to fix the cake) but the cake was yummy. Their cakes are so impressive, I would go back again.

In the end the party was fine, although most of the kids couldn't skate we were lucky enough to have Kira's parents (they are from Minnesota) pitch in and take the kids for whirls around the ice.

On the way out the door Madeline spotted this reindeer and asked to be lifted onto his lap. I love the pose, such a lady (sniff, sniff, tear, tear)!

When we got home the kids dove into presents, they were like wild animals and Jack didn't even know what or why they were driving in, but was happy to follow his big sissy. When he got tired of opening presents that he had no interest in, he was happy to haul the empty cooler around the house!