Lauren turns 5!

Ahhhh!  So much to catch up on!  It’s amazing how much fun can be packed into a summer when one isn’t in the midst of moving or growing a baby or nursing a baby or some combination of the three.  It’s been great, but uh, I could also use a teeny, tiny little break from all the fun-having to sleep for the next several weeks and it would all be even so much better…

Just sayin.

But fun waits for no man so onward we must go!

So last month, this girl went and turned into a five-year-old.

WAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

*Ahem.  Excuse me.  Change is not my forte.*

And because she insisted on acknowledging her birthday instead of being content staying as a four-year-old, we brought her here.

She was excited.  I’m told birthdays can do that to a girl.  😉

This lunch was all things sweet and girly.  She invited her big sister to come.  And the boys got to stay at a friend’s house for the afternoon.  All were happy with this arrangement.

I brought the girls a little party favor to look through/work on while they ate.

She was in heaven.

The restaurant also had a party favor for them, too!

Seriously. Girl heaven.

A very lovely lunch for the four of us.  Six if you count their dolls.

Then out came her cake!

I guess that makes it official.  She’s officially five now.  Actually, we took her out a week before her birthday because Phil had that day off.  So she was still four then.  But this all happened a month ago, so she really is officially five now.  Following me?

Either way, I’m not sure I’m into this whole Lauren-growing-up thing.

Because I would hang on to her little baby-ness and hug her and squeeze her and love her forever if I could.  I will love her forever but she may not let me hug her and squeeze her forever much longer.

And to that, I say, BOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

But.  I’m willing to celebrate her turning five if it makes her this happy.  I guess.

And don’t even get me started on how big and sweet and lovely my Allie-baby is now.  I just cannot even go there.

Daddy brought along a special birthday surprise for Lauren, too.  The whole set of Sugar Rush racers from Wreck It Ralph.

It was the perfect birthday lunch for this girl and her sister.

We even wore our matching mother-daughter-daughter pink shoes special for the occasion!

Happy, happy birthday darling daughter of mine.  You are completely precious to us and we thank God everyday for you.  Like I tell each of the kids, even when you’re a hundred, you’ll still always be my baby.  Love you, sweet girl.