Amelie turns 5!

Amelie turned 5 this past Thursday. I can't BELIEVE she's already 5! She is so grown up and so mature in so many ways. An amazing little girl, I tell ya!

Here she is just before opening her gifts. I love this picture because she looks very natural.
Even though Amelie doesn't usually go to school on Thursdays, she went because it was a field trip day. To the post office! (Amelie attends three days of a five day program. Her school is awesome and flexible like that.) She and I made alphabet sugar cookies for her classmates (and as favors for her "party" guests, as you'll see below). So, we brought those for a special snack before the field trip. In between dropping her off and being back at the school for the field trip, I dropped Violet and Linus off for a few hours of fun with Rock. (Thanks Fixes!!)
In the afternoon, the girls (dressed in their matching birthday dresses--thanks Ducky!) had fun playing with their new stuff. Violet even got to open a belated birthday gift. She (and everyone else) loves the ice cream set! (Thanks McDermotts!)


After a dinner of macaroni and cheese (the orange kind) and ham (leftover from Violet's birthday), we had ice cream cone sundaes with our personalized alphabet cookies.

Before bedtime, Amelie and Duncan built some stuff with her new Rocky Mountain Ranch Lincoln Log set. My girl LOVES Lincoln Logs which thrills her Daddy!



Amelie had a "friend" birthday party when she turned three. It was my idea. She really did not enjoy it as I would have liked her to. Therefore, I've sworn off those types of parties until my kids initiate them. When I asked both girls who they would like to invite over to their birthdays, they both had the identical answer of our neighbors and Bowie Grandma and Grandpa (my parents who are local). This was who they both had last year, as well. I figure that one day they'll want to have a house full of school friends attend their birthday parties, so I'll enjoy the simplicity of their desires for now.
The next question asked of the girls was what food they wanted. Amelie really doesn't like dinner. She endures it. However, the girl LOVES all things breakfast. So she jumped on my suggestion of having a breakfast party the Saturday after her birthday.
She really wanted baked oatmeal with milk and juice with no water or vitamin C. (Every morning we all get a glass of diluted juice with Vitamin C crystals mixed in for an immunity boost. It's rather sour and even though everyone has gotten used to it, they still prefer plain juice.) We added scrambled eggs, bacon, and bulla-- Swedish coffee rolls made by my mom. All of this was followed by cake and ice cream, of course.

Since Amelie has become a fan of Reading Rainbow (yay for LeVar Burton!) she decided on a rainbow cake.
(Tried as I may, I can't get this picture the right way. So please exercise your neck for a minute.)

Amelie seemed pleased with the result.

This is a cute shot with Amelie and her best bud William before present opening. They aren't even two weeks apart, but check out that height difference! I think he's leaning a bit.

And last, but not least, here are the personalized alphabet cookies we gave to all of our guests as they left. (Again, give those neck muscles a stretch!)

Amelie is 5 and SUCH a blessing to Duncan and I. I've been surprised lately at how I speak to her in such a grown up way. It's going to quickly! Lord, please help me to appreciate each and every day and all that it holds!