5th Birthday Party

Today we celebrated your 5th Birthday with some good friends (and even some family!) at the park.

Then we came home and opened Tia's gifts and held a little fashion show. You and little sis were cracking. us. up.

Still cannot believe you are five years old - and starting Kindergarten in six weeks!!!

First Multiple of Five

Five years old today. Five! As per usual, you have been counting down the days for weeks.  We have been busy, busy with family in town, but today it was just our little family. We started with donuts for breakfast and a few presents. After Daddy left for work we headed to the Y for swim lessons and some play time at the park. Then we headed home to bathe, play, and get dressed up for YOUR choice of dinner: Chinese from PF Changs. The only stipulation? You wanted to eat AT the restaurant "like a big girl." Although you loved and appreciated all your gifts, you were the MOST excited about the jean jacket from Grandma and Grandpa Olson and the "real" apron from Grandma Mouritsen. Your face says it all. After dinner and dessert we headed home for one last present and bed time. What a day!

Goodness, we sure love you. You are good and kind and helpful and happy. You are a girly girl in every sense of the words! You make pretend earrings and love ribbons and nail polish and all things Hello Kitty. You love high heels and clothes and lip gloss. Recently, you've started asking if you can borrow [that shirt, those shoes, that bracelet] of mine when you are bigger. I love the thought of sharing with you when you're "bigger" and promise to hang on to those accessories!

Love you to the moon and back, little one.

Loving the 4th

There's nothing better than celebrating the 4th with family. We headed out to Valley Forge for a (free) 4th of July celebration, complete with colonial clothing, arts and crafts, games, a fire engine, Continental Army recruiting, Thomas Jefferson reading the Declaration of Independence, an artillery demonstration, lunch and heat like you cannot imagine.

We skipped the long drive to and late night of fireworks and ate ourselves sick and enjoyed sparklers, instead. Since fireworks of ANY kind are illegal in California (they don't get much rain, people) the sparklers were a huge hit with the Hedlund boys. Score cool points for yours truly.

I can't blog about the 4th without expressing my love for my faith, my family and friends who are like family, and our country. Seriously so blessed.

PS Brian and Craig were present... they took all the pictures. Sorry, boys! We still love you.