The "Birthday Girl"

Lauren has enjoyed the title of "Birthday Girl" for an extended amount of time this year. The birthday celebration started in Texas, where she got a special date with Grandma. Grandma took the birthday girl to Build-a-Bear where Bella, the pink unicorn was chosen. The next day she woke up to pink streamers (nice work, Grandpa!) and was treated to Lucky Charms (Grandpa also made a special trip to the store for those). We celebrated with Phil and Ashlee, whose gift helped to accessorize the beautiful unicorn Bella. To top off the TX celebration, Ashlee had made a very special Build-a-bear cake, complete with a beautiful tiara and gown. Lauren LOVED it! The smile on her face was priceless as everyone sang to her.

Lauren and her pink unicorn "Bella"

Ashlee's Amazing Build-a-Bear cake

Monday was her "real" birthday, as she called it. At the crack of dawn, her little face was right in front of me whispering, "Mom...it's my birthday!" So much for suprising her with breakfast in bed. It ended up being breakfast in our bed, which she thought was pretty special. Then she got to open her presents. She loved her pet hospital!

Birthday Breakfast in Bed

One of the highlights of this day was getting the royal treatment at preschool. Mrs. Hammer gave her a birthday crown, and she got to do some very important jobs, including holding the flag and counting her friends. At snack time, everyone sang to her as she grinned from ear to ear. That night we ate at Sweet Tomatoes for dinner, and had ice cream cake--what a treat!

The Birthday Girl at Preschool

After waiting almost a whole week, the day of her party finally arrived. We decided to do a cooking party, as this is one of her favorite activities. She had a few specific requests: she wanted an obstacle course, each person to have their own cake, and she also had cute ideas about the aprons and the goodie bags, too. This was her first time to have a "friends" party and she helped to plan and host it just like a pro! Here are a few pictures of the fun:

The cute little hostess
(Natalie helped me make the aprons--
In other words, I pinned, she sewed! She's amazing!!)

Cute Birthday Friends

Lauren's "obstacle course" included blindfolded popcorn scooping!

Decorating her own little cake

Making a Wish!

What a fun week (or more!) of celebrating our little princess. Lauren is truly a blessing to our family. Her kind, loving heart and cute personality really add sparkle and sunshine to every day. Among many things, we love that she likes to be helpful, is concerned about others, and makes friends easily. We know this year is going to be a great one for her!