5 is in the House!

 Half a decade!  Really, is it even possible?  Yeah, it is.  

Birthday girl with animal print balloons she picked out

A few highlights from the past year:

• Favorite books:  The Adventures of Pippi Longstocking, a spirited, 9-year-old girl with super-human strength that lives by herself with a horse and a monkey and has lots of adventures.  What's not to like?  Oh, and the Geronimo Stilton series.  There are so many at the library I don't know if we could ever run out.  Well, maybe not before she tires of them anyway.
• Leading all the kids, on most days, in playing leopards on the playground at preschool
• Enjoying classes on her own (library story times, gymnastics and swimming)
• A knack for making up knock-knock and other jokes.  Ex - What did the cat say when he wanted to leave?  Let me-owt!
• Losing three baby teeth
• Getting to do the summer reading program for 1st Graders
• Blossoming artistic skills with pictures, cutouts and signs posted daily around the house and don't even get me started on her card making skills.
• The best pretend playing by herself or with Miles.  Usually they are some type of animals and for some reason Miles is chosen to play a sick baby animal. ? .   Also popular are any sort of fort building, restaurant, pirates, space travel machine, fish, airplane and anything involving pulling maps out of the guidebooks from the bookshelf for adventures (NYC is a favorite destination) or shoving a giant collection of random small toys or game parts into the couch (this is like an everyday affair - sigh).

This year we decided to go to Chuck E. Cheese for her birthday.  They were slightly overwhelmed initially at all the sights and sounds but it did not disappoint.  Here they are enjoying Chuck E Cheesy pizza!

First ride

Delighted at the tally of her tickets even though it takes about a thousand for a $5 prize, seriously!  The games were fun for all with the roller coaster simulator ride and the photo ID cards they got being hits.  All in all a fun day for all.

Birthday wishes while Skyping with my folks

Playing with her new Pippi doll that came all the way from Sweden (because apparently we are the only ones who still like her)

Taking Rudolph for a ride on her new bike with homemade streamers

The two caped crusaders!

Getting her own library card and Geronimo book the next day!  She was very proud to write her own name on it.