Faust Favorites: Our little girl is growing up

... and growing up too fast.

We've argued with her to stay four, but she won't. We've asked her, begged her, to stay little but she just yells back "NOOOOO!" I'm going to admit right now that I will most likely lie and say I still have a four year old.

When we tell friends Kayla is turning five we get a long, low "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Five. Wow. Yeah, that's a big deal"; a weighted sentence loaded with sympathy or slow shaking of the head. We get its a big deal. We feel it. Five just sounds so.... so not little anymore. We never thought we would have a five year old!

Kayla and I made a construction paper chain of links at the beginning of June to start her birthday countdown. Ours had over 20 links on it, with Kayla writing the date on each link. Every morning without fail she rememberd to tear a link off and tell us how many days were left until June 25. With about two weeks to go I was hit with panic realizing I had better get on with planning her party!!! Yikes! So, we did just that, the theme was decided, and invitations went out. Then with less than a week to go, it truly sunk in that my girl was literally reaching the end of being four - FOREVER! The chain was taunting me, "Five more days, five more days until your girl is no longer four ever again". That darn chain! Fun for Kayla, not fun for me!

Sure enough, June 25th came and Kayla was so excited to be five! She showed us that she could jump even higher now that she was 5! She also announced that, because it was her birthday, she could do whatever she wanted. We smiled at her cleverness, and agreed to her wish. You're only five once! We enjoyed a special birthday breakfast outing as a family on the morning of her birthday - a tradition I hope we keep forever.

June 25 - Birthday morning
Opening gifts

A birthday dinner dessert - daddy's extra-loaded ice-cream sundae!

Seeing Brave at the movie theater kicked of Kayla's birthday weekend celebration, and she invited Addison along. In the days leading up to seeing Brave, she recieved a little Brave-themed present each morning in her room - a story book, a coloring book, movie tickets. Of course she was already sleeping with her Merida doll she received as a gift from Amy earlier. On Friday, Aaron, I, the girls and Missy went to see Brave; we all loved it, it was SO good!

At the theater (with Kayla pouting).
The girls got to pick out whatever they wanted to wear from their closets for this special Friday night occasion. They chose their most favorite Sunday-best dresses, of course! Who wouldn't?

Post-movie bonfire with marshmallow roasting

The birthday party celebration continued with the girl's first sleepover at our house. We roasted marshmallows at the fire and the girls crashed in bed at 10:30pm.

Sunday brought more birthday celebration, this time with the grandparents. What does a kid love more than going out to eat at a restaurant and getting something fun to eat? And what do parents love more than not having to cook at home? Brilliant - we'll go to the mall to ride the merry-go-round and have dinner. We went to Garfield's (where kids eat free on Sunday, yippee!), opened presents, and Kayla got a ice-cream sundae and birthday song from the waitstaff.