Five Years Old

Wow. Has it really been FiVE YeARS since this little girl came to our family!?!

Jemma has talked about her birthday for months now and kept asking for a surprise party (like she had last year)...it's not really a surprise if you're expecting it, now is it...I was trying to gently break it to her that we would NOT be having a birthday celebration of that magnitude this year (or any other year for a very. long. time.), but finally, I just straight-up said, "We're having a family birthday party this year". A few days later, she came to me and said holding three fingers in the air, "how 'bout 3 friends Mom. Three friends is not a lot. TEN friends is a lot (holding both hands up to illustrate the drastic difference in the # of kids she was proposing as opposed to this larger quantity). So, how 'bout just 3 friends".

We agreed on 2 friends and that it would be a birthday dinner with friends...not a birthday party. That gramatical difference meant NOTHING to this little girl, cuz as soon as the friends arrived, the party was ON.

As is tradition, she chose the dinner menu; spaghetti, rolls, corn, broccoli, and oranges. (Sorry, no pic. Too busy asking the kids to keep their table conversations on appropriate meal time subjects/non bathroom subjects...lovely.)

Jemma with her cake.

I was grateful she just wanted something simple...a "chocolate, rectangle cake with chocolate frosting and princesses". Done.

I think she had 2 bites of her cake before she decided she was ready to open presents. She sat on the couch looking at a dictionary while she waited for the rest of us to eat our cake and icecream. Cracked us up.

Jemma & Carter with the "dinner guests" Trennon and Jenna.

Silly face photo.

This is about how present opening went...super fast!

Jemma's dress from Nona & Papa.

Look at that hair! I promise it was nicely done, but once those "dinner guests" arrived, things (including the hair) got a little cRAZY.

We sure do love this girl and appreciate her loving, creative nature. She is a wonderful big sister and is generally quick to share with and include her brothers.

Hope you had a wonderful 5th birthday Jemma!