Yep, She's Really Five Now!

Five seems like an important birthday to me--maybe because it is officially "school age" or maybe because it's half a decade. I'm not sure, but I knew I wanted this to be a special birthday for our Lauren. So instead of her usual family and friend parties at home, we opted for a super special Disneyland celebration. This was a tough decision, knowing that it would be rough with our challenging little 2-year-old boy along for the trip. But we thought it was worth it for a girl who has been asking to go back to Disneyland ever since we went there when she was three. So at the beginning of November, we created this gift for her.

It contained a princess birthday balloon with a card attached that announced "We're going to Disneyland!" When she opened it, we were expecting one of those Disney-commercial-type screams of joy. Instead, she seemed mildly happy. Hmmm. But as she asked questions and talked about it over the next few hours and days, the reality of it set in and the excitement we were hoping for definitely arrived.

She loved her day at Disneyland, mostly because we let her choose everything she wanted to do. It was insanely crowded, but that didn't stop us from getting to everything she wanted to see. We had a birthday party for her in the morning at the "Minnie and Friends Breakfast" with all of the grandparents and lots of other family to celebrate our girl. I think it meant a lot to her--even at age 5--to have everyone there with her. And then she was off for the day, going on rides, visiting with characters, shopping, and taking in the full experience.

However, the Disney day was on November 12th and her birthday wasn't until the 22nd, so we had a few more (minor) surprises up our sleeve. A few months ago, Lauren told me what she really wanted for her birthday was to look in a toy store for as long as she wanted without being rushed. :) We went one step further and gave her a $20 bill to spend while she was at it. So Mommy and Lauren had some shopping time the day before her birthday, and she took as long as she wanted to pick out her own gifts. It is actually a sweet memory for me, making my little girl so happy with something so simple--and to get to do some shopping with her, too!
(These are the cupcakes we made for school, and Lauren is holding up some of the toys she chose on her shopping spree.)

The day of her birthday was a school day, but thankfully Lauren has a great teacher who helps kids celebrate their big day. Ms. Miller had a crown and a special birthday certificate waiting for her at school, and we brought princess cupcakes that Lauren helped me bake.

I picked her up after school with some balloons, and we headed home. Jon and I had decorated her room for her while she was gone and as a special treat, she got to play computer games for most of the afternoon, which she loved. Then we let her choose her birthday dinner which was, of course, McDonald's.

Back at home, we sang happy birthday and surprised her with the cake that Jon and I baked. It was topped with some Strawberry Shortcake dolls, continuing the tradition of a gift on top of the cake that was started when I was a little girl.




As one final surprise, Daddy created a special gift for her. He wanted to take her on a "Daddy-Daughter Date," out to lunch and then to see the movie "Tangled." They went during Thanksgiving weekend and she was so cute, even planning what to wear for her special date. :)

Our five-year-old is just plain awesome. We had a great time celebrating her and reminding her just how special she really is. She was so appreciative of every gift and moment, and made it so much fun to enjoy her birthday along with her. Wonderful memories!