Kate turns FIVE!

Dear Kate - You are now a big 5 year old! How have you grown up so quickly? It seems like just yesterday you were learning how to walk and now you're running off to do all sorts of big girl stuff. Time definitely needs to slow down.

This year your birthday party celebration ended up on your actual birthday. For your shindig, you requested a cat theme just like your sister Rose had last year. That made decorations a snap. Although we did make a run to the party store, just you and me, to pick up a few extra goodies for the special occasion.

Your special day started off with a couple gifts to open. Your first present was a Baby Born Surprise that you saw at the party store and just HAD to have. You knew exactly what it was (thanks to YouTube Kids) although I had no clue and found the paste covered eyes to be a bit on the creepy side. But the look on your face when you opened it to discover which baby was hiding inside was simply priceless.

The next gift to open was an outfit to wear for the special occasion. You are my fancy princess after all so you of course needed a kitty dress, kitty necklace and kitty shoes to go with your kitty themed party.

But what outfit can be complete without a tiara? You grabbed one from your vast selection to complete your ensemble. Now you were officially ready for your party to begin.

Soon your party guests arrived and shortly afterward, it was time to open your gifts. You could not wait to see what fun things were hiding in the packages.

Rose even made you a homemade gift. You thought it was pretty sweet of her, and you planted a big kiss right on her cheek.

You spent some time playing with your fun new toys before lunch arrived.

For lunch, you had your pick of anything you wanted and you chose Wendy's. Despite us offering you several other options to change your mind, you insisted that Wendy's would be perfect for your birthday celebration. 

After everyone had their fill of Wendy's, it was time for the games to begin! First a rousing game of Pin-the-tail-on-the-kitty, followed by the Piñata where you were the lucky one to pull the magic key, releasing all the candy inside.

Your birthday cake this year was lemon raspberry and made once again by CAKED - an in-home baker just down the road. You wanted a kitty cake of course, and it just had to be your favorite color - YELLOW!  We sang 'Happy Birthday to You' and you blew out the candle. 

Then we all dug into the scrumptious cake.  It sure was tasty!

After cake, you thought it would be a great time to enjoy a dip in our kiddy pool. You swam, splashed and floated on a beautiful summer afternoon.

You were so beat after a day full of fun that you crashed out on the couch as you often do.

Kate, you are our silly girl. You love to collect tiny trinkets or pieces of games to play with. To you, a random gem and doll shoe are somehow more entertaining than the closets full of toys that you could be playing with instead. But why stop there. I'll often see you adorning yourself with random objects such as socks on your hands or bags on your head and feet. You are one very goofy girl.

You have no fear when it comes to creepy critters (except spiders - you do NOT like spiders.) Worms, frogs, turtles, grasshoppers - you willingly scoop them all up in your hand. You are one brave girl.

You are bound and determined to keep up with your big sister Rose. You want nothing more than to be a big girl just like her. Where she goes, you follow. What she does, you copy. 

You are the most loving Mama to your dolls. You dress them, change their diapers and swaddle them up for lots of cuddles. For your birthday, Mrs. Nelson, our nanny/mother's helper/household manager extraordinaire, got you an American Girl doll. A little "mini-Kate" complete with dark curly hair. She came with the name Gloria. But you decided she needed a few more names. So her official name is "Gloria Jessica Cereal". You thought it a very fitting name.

Despite being such a big girl, you still need your afternoon naps. You can't seem to make it through the day without rejuvenating with a cat nap, even though you sure do try. You go, go, go until you just can't go any more. This leads to you falling asleep in some rather strange and uncomfortable positions. Some just too funny not to share.

You are an amazing big sister. You love to help fetch things for Aria (at least most of the time) and get a kick out of making her laugh. You are always asking to hold your baby sis, but sometimes you just scoop her right up without even asking for permission.

You have a love for dresses and being fancy. Why wear a comfy top and pants when you can be in a formal gown and crown looking like a real life princess, even on the playground! You'd wear a dress every day of the week if you could. 

You have had some adorable sayings over the years, or "Katisms" as we like to call them. When you are shocked by even the slightest thing, you blurt out, "Are you serious?!?" You sound like such a grown up girl questioning every little thing. Whenever you are trying to be sneaky by hiding something that you aren't supposed to have or doing something you aren't supposed to do, you loudly declare "naw-shing, naw-shing" as in "nothing to see here". It's your tell-tale sign that we had better do some investigating to see just what you are up to.

Kate, you are our caring, sweet, funny and determined little girl. You make us smile with the adorable things you do and say. We are so very blessed to be able to watch you grow and learn. A very happy 5th Birthday to you!