Numero Four!

At 4 pm today, Stephanie donned her birthday party hat and informed me that she had just turned 5.  At nearly 6:00, she told me she was 6.  Since time is passing oh so fast, I thought I should post Birthday Number 4 pictures!  It was a pretty good 4th birthday, as 4th birthday's go.  The day before, we made cupcakes for school and broke out the old Betty Crocker Bake and Fill cake mold to make a nice round cake.  She originally requested a tall cake, and I am grateful I thought of the bake and fill, as it was just interesting enough to get me out of making a layer cake!  Decorations went better this year, as you could definitely tell that I intended it to be a ladybug, whereas last year the cake had no actual relationship to Dora the Explore, despite my intentions.  By the time Gwen is four, I think I will have a handle on the cake making!
We did the cupcake handout at school (which was also her last day in that classroom- so sad, as I have become very attached to Miss Patty).  When I arrived at the prescribed cupcake time, Stephanie saw me, threw her arms up and loudly announced that I was NOT there to pick her up.  She was so, so very excited and proud to hand out the cupcakes (which were very VERY bright red, thus making me the curse of every parent spending time stain treating their children's shirts this weekend).  Back at home, we got to Skype Alaina AND Mary, while Kevin put together a little Mexican Fiesta.  I decorated the unfortunate Ladybug cake, and we enjoyed a family dinner, and she got a quick call from Aunt Tasha.  Cake Time! and I jog off to the kitchen to find our "4" birthday candle (which I proudly purchased well in advance)... which is nowhere to be found.  Kevin and I both start looking.  I inform Stephanie that I am searching high and low, but I don't know where it is.  A few minutes later, she says "I have something to help you search high low" and brings me her toy binoculars.  Super funny and so sweet, but no help whatsoever, as we still couldn't find the candle.  But Stephanie is nothing but flexible, and offered to just put 4 green candles in the cake.  Really, she probably mostly wanted cake, but I was so happy that she was okay (and I, too, really just wanted cake).
Her presents had been lingering wrapped around the house for some time, and she had never even once asked to open them.  That is, until the morning of her birthday, when she went right for the present begging.  We let her open something from Alaina that morning, but all others waited until the evening.
In the big party picture, we sort of failed, as dinner was late, the cake was bordering on tragic looking, and we invited no one, but but but Stephanie had such a great time being the center of all attention for the day and we all ended up on the floor playing with her new playdoh set for a good hour that night, so isn't that what counts??

Oh, and she loudly wished for snow... So now you know who to blame come February

This one was in bed long before the birthday cake, but look how happy she was to have pancakes the next morning!