And Baby Makes Five

Well, it's official! Our baby girl, Sophia Lorelei, is FIVE YEARS OLD! (Yes, she is purposely crossing her eyes in this picture; she always does that...)

This past Tuesday was her birthday, and she was so excited! She was in such a good mood.

Unfortunately, I neglected to take her picture in the morning wearing her new "Birthday Girl" shirt from Carter's, or Chloë wearing her matching "Big Sister" shirt. Sophia stained her shirt with strawberries later in the day, so she took it off and changed before I was able to get a good picture.

And... I didn't bring the camera to school when I delivered her cupcakes and helped her have a lttle party there, because of course I was told that no pictures were allowed. But then, her teachers told me that I could have brought it and just taken pictures of her! D'oh! So that was mildly annoying.

The class party was fun. The little ones are just so adorable. My favorite ages are pre-K through 2nd grade or so; the younger the better. I just love the way they behave, the questions they ask, all the funny things they say.

When I arrived, Sophia and her peers were sitting at their respective tables,eating lunch. They were all so excited to have the cupcakes I brought, but none more so than Soapy. She was an eager little beaver! She kept trying to rush everyone, cleaning up while they were still eating, sitting in the "birthday chair" before it was time, and so on. Mrs. P and Mrs. S kept telling her to be slow down and be patient, but she couldn't help it. She was so happy it was her birthday!

After everyone ate and washed their hands, Sophia stood on the birthday chair and looked around proudly, with a big grin on her face, as everyone sang "Happy Birthday" and "How Old Are You Now" to her. After each line, she held up her hand and shouted, "FIVE!" Then she helped me pass out the cupcakes, although at first, she just took one and started to eat it before anyone else got theirs. Too funny!

After they ate, the teachers wanted them to burn off some of that extra sugar, so we all walked out to the back field behind the preschool portable and watch the kids race back and forth, back and forth to the big tree at the far end. Some pooped out and flopped on the ground, but Sophia kept charging ahead. I think she will be a runner when she's older. She loves to run. Loves it. (She gets that from her Daddy, not me!)

We went back inside after that, and I said my goodbye's to Soap and the children. Everyone shouted out, "Thank you for the cupcakes!" They are a sweet, polite little bunch. Such dears! ♥

I didn't do much after that besides nap until the kids came home from school. At that time, Sophia came charging off the bus and begged to open her presents immediately! I told her we had to wait for Daddy, but she was terribly impatient. She played with the balloons I'd brought to her at school - and brought home again, so she wouldn't have to carry them on the bus - while she waited. There was one with her name on it, a Barbie one, and an Ariel one. Her favorite things.

Daddy came home soon. While we were standing there in the kitchen, smooching our hellos, Jack took a sharpened pencil to her "Sophia" balloon and popped in, for no reason other than he was jealous of them. Naughty boy!! He was sent straight to his room for that. The kids know they aren't allowed to come down until they are ready to apologize and mean it, so he was quite sheepish and sorry when he eventually returned. Poor Soph, though; she had a good cry over that one!

He took the kids to dance class while I napped, I think. (I have been plagued with migraines lately, and dizziness and excessive tiredness, so I'm not sure what's going on. I've been taking my iron religiously, so I should probably call someone and find out the deal!)

The kids gathered in the living room to open Sophia's presents. They were all lovey-dovey huggy-poo then, maybe because they actually love their little sister and were happy it was her birthday, or maybe because they wanted her to share her presents with them! Either way, it was nice, and I'll take that over the constant quarreling any day of the week.

The first present she wanted to open was the package from Grandma, because "It's pretty and pink, isn't it, Mama?" The kids love the special envelopes Grandma chooses for their packages. (You can see Jack spazzing out over presents in the background, there!)

They all took their time looking through all the new titles that Grandma had sent, and Chloë was excited to see more Fancy Nancy in the group. Sophia offered to give them to her, but we wouldn't let her take them! So Chlo promised to read all Sophie's new books to her later. And she did, on Saturday when we finally had a chance to sit and relax. Cute stuff, that sibling reading thing.

Aunt Stacey sent the other package that Sophia had to open on her birthday. (She's already opened her presents from us before then, remember? The Barbie & car, and the Princess and Frog movie.) Apparently the kids' cousin Hanna picked out the presents that Sophia HAD to have, this year.

Aunt Stacey sent a package of Shrinky Dinks...but I'm not sure what the kids did with it, now! I was telling the kids about Shrinky Dinks the other day, right before Sophie's birthday, and I wanted to show them how they worked the following day. Hopefully Sophia hasn't opened the box and lost all the pieces, because I was looking forward to doing this with the kids. :(

Silly girl. I think this is the one that Hanna picked out. After opening it, Sophia immediately took it into the office, where all crafting seems to take place, to rip it open and get started making the critters.

Of course, she had to make the piggy first, because it's PINK. Both she and Chloë love pink and purple best. Girly, much? (Jack's favorite color is green, like his mama, in case you were wondering...)

Jack joined his big little sister at crafting the clay critters in the office. They played together so sweetly. It was a nice moment, for me. I got the warm fuzzies that my therapist ordered me to get every single day, from watching them. And does Sophia not have the most luscious lips? They go with her sweet, fine tushy.

More of the blonde babies' creations. Cute, right?

Making a creature together. Jack kept insisting, "You have to make it like the picture on the box. That's the rules."

After that, we went out and did a dinner mystery shop, at a nice restaurant around the corner. I purposely scheduled it for Sophia's birthday, so she could go out on the town on her big day. I let her choose whatever she wanted off the menu, to share with Big Sis and me - but when it came, she turned down her nose at all the tomatoes on the pizza and insisted on having some of Dad and Jack's burger instead. (Yes, Rob is back on the beef. Ugh.) They wanted dessert, but we had it waiting at home. 

 
  
  
I was thisclose to talking Sophia into buying an ice cream cake for her birthday cake (hello, YUM), but then she saw the cherries on this coconut cake and insisted that was the one! She picked out the Ariel candle, too. The others were in the 'candle drawer,' and she wanted all of them on top of her little cake. Hee. This is SO Sophie, right here!

She was thrilled when we were singing "Happy Birthday" to her, at the sight of her "pretty" cake. I had warned my eager little girl NOT to blow out the candles until AFTER we were done singing AND she had made a birthday wish. She was patient and did as she was told. Holy cow; this kid NEVER listens!

Make a wish, darling! Afterward, she told us that she wished for a Barbie car. Silly! She'd just gotten one the night before. Oh well, when you wish for something you already have, you're guaranteed satisfaction, right? She definitely seemed happy with her wish, like she hadn't wasted it at all. This is one happy kid. I love her to pieces!

All three of the kids wanted the cherries. At first, Sophia said she was going to eat three, and Chloë could have the other three; poor Jack had a fit about that! In the end, I think she had three or four, and Chloë, Jack and Daddy all had one. But who cares? The point is, she got her cake and ate her cherries, too. Next year, I think I'm just going to buy her a jar of cherries and go crazy making her a cherry cake!

And this was the not-so-pleased reaction to the rest of the coconut cake. ha! None of the kids, nor Rob, liked it, and of course, I didn't eat any. We threw the ENTIRE cake away, except for the cherries. FAIL! But she didn't care, really. She just wanted those little red fruits. I'm glad the cake wasn't EIGHT DOLLARS. Oh, wait. It was. Booo!

Chloë, complete with monkey sticker on her nose, gamely tried to enjoy the unenjoyable cake. Alas, she left hers mostly untouched, too.

 

Jack didn't like it either.

Ah, well. Aside from the cake and her PITA big brother popping her balloon, I think Sophia had a great fifth birthday. In a few hours, we'll go to Chuck E. Cheese for her party. Only our kids and two from school are confirmed, but I'm hoping more show up than that. Five will be plenty, I guess, if that's all there is. Oh, and one of her teachers is coming, too!

Happy birthday, darling Sophie!

Fin.