Daisypath - Personal pictureDaisypath Happy Birthday tickers
Daisypath - Personal pictureDaisypath Happy Birthday tickers

Monday, November 28, 2011

5 already?

I can hardly believe it as I say it out loud...Olivia is 5 years old! It seems like just yesterday she was digging into her first little birthday cake. Now my girl is all grown up!

Olivia's birthday celebration was an all week event, concluding with a fabulous party to recognize this important milestone. It was Olivia's "all about me" week at school so she was able to bring in things to share and do a few special things to celebrate her birthday. On that Friday, her actual birthday she woke up to a breakfast surprise...a chocolate donut! She wanted a special breakfast and wanted to be surprised. I knew this would do the trick.

Her special week at school ended with a Montessori tradition, "the walk around the sun". This is a special ceremony that recognizes each year of their lives. They walk around the circle one time for each year. This is a huge hit with the kids because the focus in entirely on them.

The celebrating continued when we took Olivia out for a special "big girl" dinner that night. It was her first trip to Takaoka. Growing up my parents would take me to this Japanese hibachi restaurant each year on my birthday. I thought this would be a fun tradition to start with Olivia now that she is old enough to appreciate it. This is a really fun place to eat. The chefs put on quite a show. Olivia was fascinated by how quickly our chef prepared our food and he did a ton of fancy tricks to keep her interested. Olivia loves Japanese food so she was in heaven once her plate was filled with shrimp and rice.

This restaurant is a popular place for people to go on their birthdays. They bring you a special ice cream treat and sing a Japanese birthday song. You usually hear the song at least half a dozen times during dinner. Olivia had a wonderful time so I think the tradition will continue next year.

The festivities came to a close the next day with Olivia's birthday party. She chose a ladybug theme which was fun to prepare. I found some adorable ladybug decorations which were emphasized by the many different ladybug stuffed animals and knick-knacks Olivia has around the house.

My Mom impressed as always with some amazing ladybug snacks. Her nickname is "Martha", as in Martha Stewart. Can you see why? Only my Mom has the patience and talent to pull off snacks like these. They not only looked adorable, but were quite yummy too.

The cake put the perfect finishing touch on this ladybug party. The office manager at Olivia's school has made her cake for the past 3 years. She does an amazing job! Her cakes aren't just nice to look at, but they taste amazing. Of course Olivia was thrilled with her cake as well and made a super special wish as she blew out her candles.

Olivia received some very nice gifts from her friends and family. Obviously that was her favorite part of her party. She did a good job of thanking everyone for her gifts and showing enthusiasm as she opened each present.

It was a very successful party and a lot of fun too. Olivia is already makes plans for birthday party #6! Cecilia was delightful that night, as she was passed from one person to the next. I hardly saw my child the whole night, but she had no problem being in other people's arms. I love that she seems to have turned into such an easy going baby.

Cecilia has a few new developments to report. She is now pushing up on her hands when she lays on her tummy. She is also able to sit up on her own for a few seconds at a time without support. She still has a way to go but I have a feeling she will be there very soon. This is a very strong child and is able to do things with very little help. She is also starting to react more to Olivia. Olivia has been able to get a few giggles out of Cecilia by acting as silly as possible. I have a feeling Olivia will be Cecilia's preferred method of entertainment for a long time.


We just wrapped up a very busy Thanksgiving weekend. We are all trying to get back on track and into a more relaxed routine. We are also in full Christmas prep mode. I will have much more to share in the upcoming weeks. Can't wait to spend our first Christmas with Cecilia!

3 comments:

Wormie said...

Aw! Love following all the stories about the girls! Hope to see you all soon!

Anonymous said...

The party was such fun. All of the girl's activities are amazing, and I am so happy to be a part of them.
Nana (Martha)

Anonymous said...

The girls are just beautiful..I can't believe that Olivia is 5 either, wow times sure flies, we will be saying that about Miss Cece soon!!! xxooo Love Aunt Sue Sue