Party Time

Last night we celebrated Hannah's fifth birthday with a few new friends we've made here in Nebraska. If you know Hannah (or have read the blog regularly) you know she is absolutely obsessed with the movie Bolt. Of course this year she wanted to have a Bolt birthday party. Once again I was reminded that Bolt really wasn't as popular as some other Disney movies and I had to turn to the internet for help. Instead of doing my usual shaped cake pan for her birthday cake this year (there isn't a bolt pan unfortunately) I found some cake toppers of the 3 main animal characters from the movie. This sounds like it should be an easier option than piping in the icing, but I am absolutely incapable of simply icing a cake with a knife. Still Hannah wanted a Bolt cake so by golly I was going to do it. The result was absolutely horrific, but Hannah LOVED it. She told me it was her best birthday cake ever. I may or may not post pictures of the cake given how ashamed I am to say I made it, but it sure did make my little girl happy. The party consisted of cake with our next door neighbors, and two of the families we have met with children Hannah's age and then the kids went down to the basement to play games. Hannah had insisted that we play some "Bolt games" so I had to think hard on that one. What I came up with was a super bark contest with Bolt fruit snacks for prizes. Everyone got a prize. We had the quietest bark, the most polite, the deepest, etc. Then we had the kids be dogs and run an obstacle course to rescue a stuffed animal from the movie. While the super bark contest wasn't as big of a hit as I predicted the obstacle course went over well. After the games the kids just played and the adults chatted. It was a nice laid back night. Hannah was thrilled with her party and I was so glad that she had a few little friends to share her special day with. That's one of the hazards of moving. You leave all your friends behind. :(

Photo Notes: I did decide to show the cake. Please don't laugh. The rest of the pictures are from the party. Hannah blowing out her candles. The obstacle course to rescue a Bolt character from the pit (AKA blow up swimming pool filled with stuffed animals). Opening presents.

Five Years Old

My baby girl turned 5 years old yesterday. I can't believe the time has gone so quickly. It seems like just yesterday Mike was calling us to tell us that Tiffany had gone into labor and was already at the hospital so we had better get there quick! She was so beautiful. A perfect complexion. Deep blue eyes that were wide open instead of the sleepy newborn daze. A headful of strawberry blonde hair. 10 fingers and 10 toes. LONG legs and gigantic feet. She never did fit into those newborn diapers or newborn clothes people showered us with! Unlike most newborns, she didn't sleep all day. She needed constant stimulation. I cursed all those dispensers of advice that told me to sleep when the baby sleeps. My baby didn't sleep! Little did we know that this was a sign of things to come! She seemed to take in everything from the very start even though all my books said she couldn't see more than a few inches. By a week old she was entranced with the ceiling fan and studied her pacifier with the intensity of a PhD thesis. Yet more signs of what lay ahead! She was stubborn, oh so stubborn and her personality has only grown stronger and more interesting as she has grown. We had some friends who used to joke about Hannah being a "super genius baby" because she just seemed to know everything. Speaking before most kids were saying even their first words. Conjugating verbs correctly before her peers were putting 2 words together. Little did we know how right they would be. Sarah and Jason, you guys called it for sure.

She's had many struggles as she grown, but now when I look at my beautiful, precious little girl I'm so proud of the young lady she's become. I don't know what I would ever do without her. I thank God every single night for bringing us together with Tiffany and Mike and making us parents of this absolutely amazing little girl.

I leave you know with a multitude of pictures of my baby girl from each year of her life! Enjoy!