Elle is 5 !!!

 Well, Our Favourite little 4 year old had a big celebration....or should I say celebrations to welcome in birthday #5 .It all started 1 week before the big day. A local indoor entertainment centre Crystal Palace, has a freebee morning once a year, the Friday before March break. They open at 6:00 am, and are open till 9:00am. Every ride is free, and there is a free breakfast there as well, for everyone to enjoy. Needless to say we have been there every year since we found out about it!! AND because it is so close to Elle's birthday , we invite the cousins, and a friend to come along for the fun!!

    The night before the big day, Terry ,Jenny and girls came to have a special birthday supper with us..the menu of which Elle got to choose by her very own self....so of course we had ..wait for it....what else....but every 4 year old-turning 5 year old's dream dinner.....pork in cream of mushroom soup, over rice!!!The poor cousin's were not sure about the party fare,but Elle enjoyed her favourite meal quite thoroughly

                                       Here are the happy diners

                            Now for the cake..Elle had requested a ballerina cake, so I had improvised and decided to make her a Barbie cake. She was thrilled by the thought of being able to keep the doll!

                                              Tasting the dress!!

                                   While she ate her birthday cake, she asked Aunt Jenny if she could sit on her lap to eat..Aunt Jenny said she would be honoured !!

           Now came the presents...the cousins' home made presents that is.. We as a family were saving ours for her real birthday ,and Aunt Jenny hadn't gotten hers done for Elle yet either. Well, no matter, the cousins did themselves proud!! Everyone had a gift to give made from tiny hands and big hearts..

                                   There was the paper kite from Cassie..

                                  Penelope got especially excited and while Elle was having a private moment in the bathroom, burst in and placed the priceless gift in Elle's hands....Elle not bothered in the least promptly opened it, and everyone was happy!

                                      Which was by the way a paper hat complete with long paper hair attached....just what every girl needs!!

                                        Charley sewed her an adorable little snuggle animal

                            Now the following morning dawned bright and early.....5:15 a.m. early!! and we were on the road by 6 . When we got to Crystal Palace , girls were very excited!! We were on ride after ride until closing time!

                           Em and Charley are the best of friends and were glued together all morning

 Here they are before attempting the scariest ride in the palace...THE SWINGS!!!

  
 And there they are flying away...Jenny's and my hearts were in our throats the whole time watching them, but they did glorious, and those big toothed grins were all you could see when it was over, and they were asking to go again!!

                    Then Emmy asked to try the climbing wall...

                            Sadly this is the only picture I have of the birthday girl herself...my battery in my camera died, and so I didn't get to take all the shots I wanted...

                                   Well,  here we are mid morning on our way home, and as you can see...everyone was tuckered right out!!

                               Eva, Emily and Adrianna ..Elle's best friend

                                            It was a quiet ride home, (for a change!!)   And Elle had had quite the times celebrating her big day....however..the celebrations were far from over.....to be continued!!

Birthday part 2

                Cassy enjoying her icecream cake

       The" ladies'" table

                             After our icecream cake in the middle of February, everyone was feeling a little bit chilly, so the snuggling began!!

                                             The morning of my birthday dawned the next day, and I finally got to open all those yummy looking presents under my birthday tree!!

                               I got spoiled.A cozy house coat and beautiful necklace were among my favorites!! But most of all is the gift of another year lived, and the blessing of a special family to share it with me!!

It's My Birthday!!

Well My Birthday comes every year,as birthdays are known to do, and my little family seeks to out do itself every time that yearly event happens. They started a few days early by wrapping my gifts and creating this fabulous "birthday tree". They hung little notes and pictures that they had drawn on the branches and laid my gifts underneath. Ryan had a conference to go to outside of Truro the weekend before my birthday, and so I made plans to take the girls and visit my sister Jenny, and then have a family Party with my parents, my brother T.j. and his family , and my sister Jenny and hers.

                                                           When we got to Jenny's Grammie happened to be visiting, and since we hadn't seen her since Christmas, there were lots of snuggles to catch up on!

                                                      Grampie and Eva

                                        Grammie and Emmy

                                                      Jenny's 5 girls are best friends with our 4,so lots of fun cousin time happened over the weekend!!

                                                                Elin having fun...eating candy from her cousins

                                                               

                                                           And this is what happens when you get 9 little girls under the age of 8 in a toy room together!! Lots of crazy fun!!

                                                           Now, for my party, we decided to go bowling with everyone, the kids ,some of whom have never been, decided they needed to practice beforehand to get their bowling skills in fine form..so here is what Terry and Jenny's living room looked like that afternoon...coke bottle pins being diligently knocked over by the winner wannabes,and set back up by Eva.

                                                           Charley has her own camera,so was getting candid moments here and there.

                                           Happy Elin

 We finally got to get our handsome man back. He was finished his overnight  conference, and was awaiting the start of the celebratory bowling party!

  Uncle T.j. giving the girls some fine pointers and what not to dos!!

                                         Ryan and Elle, she has the classic little person bowling stance..

                                                      a close-up of our 4 year old!!!

                                                           Eva, trying her hand at getting those tricky pins to knock over. We did have the bumpers up on the little ones' lane, so every ball was successful at making it down that long lane!!

                                             The birthday girl...

                                                          Charley celebrating  a straight ball!

                                                         One of the finer sides of my brother!!

                                                   Ryan grabbed the camera at certain times during the evening..I guess he didn't want me left out of the pictures.

                                                           So here I am, not half exciting as the younger ones....

                                                or Ryan I guess...the form! My..you'd think his score would have reflected this obvious expertise!!

                                                       Grammie and Elin, Grammie had her just giggling, it was so cute.

                                                Then Ryan let her try her hand at bowling.

                                                      And here we were!! All done, and ready for cake back at T.j and Sandra's

                                                 punch..

                                                              And cake!!

 Happy Birthday to me from my family!!