Happy 5th birthday to our beautiful Helaina!

My little baby girl has turned 5. I can’t believe that it has been 5 years since we brought our baby girl home. When I first held her I remember thinking that I couldn’t believe the Lord had given me another sweet angel-girl. I felt like the luckiest person on earth when the doctor yelled “it’s a girl”! I so much wanted and prayed for a sister for Isabella. I know, having a close sister myself, that having a sister to share life (and clothes, and rooms and barbies and fights) with is one of the biggest blessings ever. I was overjoyed when I held her and imagined more sundresses, more princesses, more tea parties and more DRAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yeah, that’s right…with girls comes DRAMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! LOL!

Seriously, though….I am a blessed, blessed mom to call Helaina my own sweet baby girl. She is a gift from heaven. Her name means “ray of sunlight” and that is what she is in our life…Happy Birthday our sweet sunshine:-)

Here are a few snapshots from her very first “friend party.” She had her very best friends, Erin and Emily over along with their sisters for a princess/barbie/unicorn/pony party:-). They got to do a birthday egg hunt, decorate cookies, paint shells from “Ariel”, play pin the wings on the Pegasus and make crowns! What else could a girl ask for?

Well, birthdays seem to go on forever in this house:-). So, the next day we had her “family” party and it was so much fun to see Helaina celebrating with her grandparents and cousins. Especially with her very-adored cousin, Reese. Reese gave Helaina a soon to be loved Webkinz kitty which she named (with the recommendation from Reese) MOLLY.

Helaina was also overjoyed by her new Easy Bake Oven from Grandma Pat and Papa Buddy (which she has already tested out with her siblings!) She also got her very first (and long awaited) American Girl doll, Julie, from Nana and Pop-pop which she is just giddy about! Especially the little bunny that Julie came with (she carries it everywhere!). Oh, and that “pocket full of puppies” that her cousins Michaela and Mason got her is already worn out with love!
I will tell you that, above all of this…..what she was really excited about, and what she really couldn’t stand to wait to do…..and what she was looking forward to for weeks upon weeks….was the unicorn PINATA!!!

It was a great birthday, and a reminder that each and every day that goes by ends up equaling up to years, and what used to be your little swaddled newborn has “all of a sudden” turned into a big beautiful 5 year old! Thank you Lord for each day that you give us with our children, and thank you for birthdays!