Five Alive

We no longer have a four-year old! Lexie is five years old today. It has seemed like she has been five for a while, one: because she’s so mature, and two: because she has been talking about and acting like she’s five for a couple of months! As is my tradition, I went all out for her birthday. She was so excited that she said she woke up all night long to keep checking her window. As soon as she saw it was starting to get light, she knew it was time to get up and open presents. I guess it was good she rose so early to do that, because she and Gavin had swimming lessons at 9:00! She was excited about all her presents, and even said, “Mom, you guys got me too much stuff.” (After she had opened things from us, and the packages her grandparents had sent, too!)
Our day was very full, as we held her birthday party at 1:00. We did the zoo animal theme, and it turned out really fun. All the kids that came had a blast. Unlike Gavin’s party (where the younger kids didn’t have much attention span for the activities,) we actually ran out of time to do all the activities I planned for Lexie’s party! Two years at this age makes such a big difference. The party-goers colored and decorated animal masks as soon as they arrived, and some of them could have done that all day. We played a couple of fun games, and then sung to Lexie and had cake and ice cream. We had a great animal safari outside, complete with binoculars and picture postcards. Then presents and Zoo Animal Bingo… it went great, and Lexie really enjoyed it. After playing with her new birthday toys at home for a while we went out to eat at Lexie’s favorite restaurant Cracker Barrell (where she only eats the macaroni and cheese, but as a macaroni and cheese connoisseur, they have the best,) and one last stop at Toys ‘R Us so she could spend some of her birthday money on a new Barbie. (All the new toys at home weren’t enough! Ha ha!)

I led the kids on an animal safari with binoculars

Lexie only likes the frosting on the cupcakes, and she was scooping it off with her hands and then licking her hands!

Lexie's friends at her party with their animal masks.

I have to note something funny that Lexie said yesterday here. She and Gavin got these dinky toys in their Wendy’s Kids Meal on Thursday. Gavin got a hold of Lexie’s yesterday, and because she started screaming that he had taken hers, he dumped out the contents inside the tube all over behind the couch. She was very much upset and came sobbing upstairs to me, “I don’t want another brother, I want a sister!” I thought that was pretty hilarious, and tried to help her realize that we are going to have a brother and that boys just like to tease.
Poor Lexie was just a bit under the weather today, she had a low grade fever and wasn’t feeling super, but she did well just the same. I hope that being sick on her birthday isn’t a new tradition! (Two years ago she woke up throwing up on her 3rd birthday.) And we are so glad Lexie has been in our family for five years now, it has gone so fast, it’s amazing. Their birthdays are always such sentimental milestones for me, to realize how fast it goes and how much they have changed and grown in the last year. Our Lexie is such a bright, verbal, artistic, and mature person. She has really developed so many abilities and fine-tuned so many others. She is so loving and throughout the day throws her arms around me or wants to give me a kiss, not to mention that she always wants to make us a picture as a gift, sometimes 3 or 4 of those a day! We love her so much, and are so proud of our sweet girl.
Happy 5th Birthday, Lexie-Boo!!!