Maida is FIVE!!!

May 4, 2007 - one day old,
in the special care nursery

Maida turned five years old on May 3rd.  I wouldn't be lying if I said it was a bitter-sweet birthday.  I loved, doted, and obsessed over Maida as a baby (isn't there just something special about your first baby?!), I enjoyed, but also stumbled through the toddler years (not really knowing beforehand how much attitude and stubbornness a little tyke could hold!), and now we've proudly made it to the school-age years.  What a blessing Maida has been these past five years and even though I wish she could have stayed a baby and a toddler just a little bit longer, I am excited for this next chapter of our life together.  It is a pleasure to be her mommy.

January 28, 2009 - 20 months old,
 first time skiing with Daddy

We celebrated Maida's birthday on April 28th with some of her friends.  Grandma and Bumpa were even able to make the five hour trip down to celebrate with our princess, too!  We had a Fancy Nancy tea party and even with all the stress of putting it together and several things going wrong, I think Maida and the girls still had a great time.




(I am so frustrated with these pictures!  I can't get them to flip and have had this post saved for a week, so I'm just going to publish...)

Our birthday invites

The tea table

Table before we added the girls' tissue paper flowers

The birthday girl

Our centerpieces

The yummy cupcakes

When the girls first arrived, we had them paint tea cups and saucers.

They did so well sharing and not getting paint everywhere!

The original plan was to drink out of the tea cups for the tea party, but I forgot to tell them not to paint the inside of the cup, so we quickly went to plan B.  :)

Grant, Skogen's best friend, was the only boy (besides his baby brother, Kolby) that came to the party.  Grant and Skogen painted coffee cups.

After painting the tea cups, the girls made tissue paper flowers to tie around the napkins on the tea table.

While some of the girls finished up the tissue paper flowers, Maida's Grandma  read the girls a book about tea parties.

The table complete with the tissue paper flowers!

To finish off the girls' most elegant attire, we painted their finger nails!

Erik was in charge of putting little stickers on their nails (bet he's never done this before!).

Erik lit five candles on her cupcake and then began the tea party!

The boys enjoyed some cupcakes at their own table.

The girls having tea (which was really party punch)!

The whole crew

We ended the party with presents!

The very last present was a doll house from Erik, me, and the boys.  We got it at a garage sale!  :)

The thoughtful presents Maida got from her friends.  Definitely a blessed little girl.

In the boy's party favors, we put some "Mater Teeth"

Our family with our FIVE year old!!!