LL's 5th Birthday

LL's actual birthday fell on a Wednesday.  I decided to take the day off of work so that I could spend it with my girl!

First up - finishing up homework from the night before (ha!) and breakfast!

Cooper was super pumped - haha.

She asked me to straighten her hair and she got all dressed up for school.

Matt took LL to school, and I finished getting ready and then took Cooper to Grammy's.  I left him there while I took cupcakes up to LL's school for snack time.  When I got there, she already had her birthday crown on and they had given her the special golden chair for her birthday.  They only pull it out on birthdays, so all of the kids feel super special!  I really came at a good time because they had already done the bulk of their academic learning for the morning, so I wasn't interrupting time that she should be focusing on her writing or her math.

I loved being able to see in her in classroom environment!  Her teachers let me hang out with them for the rest of the morning and I loved it.  After snack, it was story time!

After story time, it was time for centers.  LL chose the doll center first, which really shocked me!  She rarely plays with dolls at home, but Miss Tish said she loves that center at school!

After the doll center, she got moved to the castle center.

We went to chapel after center (no pics there of course), and then it is usually time for outside time.  This day, it was raining super hard, so the kids stayed inside for game time.  First up - Bingo!

All of the kids sat in their cubbies while we set up for musical chairs.

After school, we met Daddy, Cooper, Grammy, and Pop at Pizza Hut for lunch - it is her favorite!  After lunch, we headed back to Grammy and Pop's for naps.

Waiting for everyone else at Pizza Hut!

After naps, we went outside for LL's birthday present from Grammy and Pop.  

Cooper was just happy to be along for all of the excitement.  :)

LL has a bike at home, but not one at Grammy and Pop's.  They walk around the neighborhood all the time, so this is perfect for her!

Who cares about a bike when you can play in the dirt??

We skipped gymnastics for the afternoon so that we could go out to dinner with all of the grandparents.  This is a tradition that we started last year, and I love it!  This year, LL wanted crab legs, so we headed to Red Lobster.  Gigi and Poppy were supposed to come, but Gigi came down with a stomach virus.  :(  We didn't want anyone else exposed (and she didn't feel very up to going!), so they stayed home instead.  

Ready to chow down!

Oma and Opa came!

And of course Grammy and Pop!

I am so in love with my little family.

The whole crew.

I didn't take pictures of the present opening, but we did that at the restaurant, too.  LL got a Frozen dress-up, a bug cage, some alligators, some Amelia Bedelia books, and a bunch of other miscellaneous things.  Having a birthday so soon after Christmas makes it hard to think of things to get her!  

Here is a comparison of LL from her birthday last year (left) and her birthday this year (right).

It really was such a great day with my girl!  I can't believe that she's already five!