Anna is 5.25!

Next order of blog business: catching up on the kids' birthdays!  Anna turned five way back in March.  Her birthday fell two days before our move, so we postponed her party until the first week in April.

The birthday girl on her actual birthday:

Before school:

I sent pink cupcakes for her class of mostly girls.  Anna reported that afternoon that both boys refused to eat the cupcakes because they were pink.  I felt a little bad I didn't do a more gender-neutral color, until I asked Will if he would have eaten a pink cupcake.  Will pondered that one for two seconds, and answered, "I'd eat pretty much any color cupcake."  I totally agree.

I posted this one on instagram--I miss baby Anna but love my big girl:

We let Anna pick where we went to dinner that night, and she chose Chick-fil-A and "getting to play on the playground", since we usually drive through.  So we went to CFA and actually ate inside, then had leftover cupcakes and gifts at the new house.

The following weekend, we celebrated Anna's very first "friend' party at Chuck E Cheese's.  It was hectic but easy for me and a lot of fun.

Anna and the cake before her buddies arrived:

She requested a pink and purple princess cake, so I frosted the bottom layer with pink rosettes and then covered the top layer with purple fondant.  I "quilted" the top layer with the back of a butter knife and then added some sugar pearls and, of course, some princesses.  I didn't have enough room on the top layer to pipe her name, so I made a banner instead out of ribbon and address labels and scrapbook stickers.  I really liked the way this cake turned out and Anna did, too:

Playing games with her friends:

Ticket blaster!

Nana was there to help us out, which was awesome, because John and Will disappeared for the entire party.  Apparently Will spotted something on the toy wall that cost 400 tickets, so he and John attacked those games like it was their job.  John did this under the guise that he was keeping Will from being jealous that he was not the birthday child.  :-)

Getting a hug from the birthday girl:

And a list of five-year-old favorites:

Friends: Wrigley, Kinsley, Grant, Lilly, Savannah, Madison, Chloe.

Restaurant: Chick Fil A, because it has the park.

Movie: Elsa! (Frozen.)

Toy: Flipper.

Sport to play: Swimming.

Favorite outfit: My Elsa dress.

Pizza topping: All of them!

School lunch: Cheese sticks.

Book: Cinderella.

Color: Pink and purple.

Song:  I love you a bushel and a peck.

Favorite thing to do as a family: Play outside together.

Breakfast: My favorite bar.  (That would be the Kellogg's Pastry Crisp bars.)

Favorite thing to play with Will:  Making iPad shark movies.  Playing Legos.

Bible story: Noah and the Ark.
After-school snack: Cheese sticks!

TV Show: Lego Friends.

Candy: Starbursts.

Ice cream flavor: Chocolate.

What do you want to be when you grow up: A mom.

Store:  Target.