five!

Eva's fifth birthday fell right in the middle of Women's Conference, so I opted to have her friend birthday party two days early. She had no problems with that, since she had been counting the days for quite some time already.

The decorations pretty much consisted of the birthday banner, tissue paper pom poms, a purple tablecloth, and all manner of T. Rex tableware.

Eva drew dinosaurs to make her own cupcake picks. They were a total crack-up. And I even found dino sprinkles up in the cupboard from a long-ago Max dinosaur party!

We made dinosaur sugar cookies and simplified the process by dipping them in glaze instead of frosting and decorating them.

The kids made scenes out of craft foam sheets and dinosaur foam stickers. Even Whitney, who surprised us by deigning to come to the little girls' party, seemed to enjoy this opening activity.

Lucas appointed himself as the official blindfolder and spinner for Pin the Tooth on the T. Rex.

the results

We also played Toss the Dinos into the Lava, which was just a laundry basket covered with a red blanket. Eva got out a bunch of her toy dinos to be sacrificed to the volcano. Again, they all enjoyed this simple activity. It ended by the girls throwing themselves into the volcano.

In the chaos, I forgot to take a picture of Eva with each of her guests, but I still got a few shots. It is funny how little girls pose when you point the camera in their direction.

Originally she was going to call this game Duck Duck Dino, but then she changed it to Pterodactyl, Pterodactyl, T. Rex. (You know, because she loves the carnivores most of all.)

It was a cold, windy day, but we managed a quick hunt for dinosaur eggs. (Easter eggs with little dinos inside.) Everybody loves a hunt!

She got everything from a dinosaur book and coloring book to Barbies and a crocheted headband, and she seemed thrilled with it all. But her favorite gift was from Whitney: 3 brightly colored, squishy dinosaurs, which for some reason I don't have a picture of, argh. Even Max and Lucas love those dinosaurs. I think that squishy toys must be a universal good.

Just today she informed me that she was wishing for a kitten. Oh dear.

Goody bags, containing: dino fruit snacks, dino egg candies (m&m Easter eggs), dino grow capsules, dino pencils, mini plastic dinosaurs. Eva was SO excited about assembling these.

After her guests left, we gave her our gifts, the highlight of which was this Barbie castle Marc found at D.I. for $5! She uses it for her new Barbies, and her Littlest Pet Shops.

On her actual birthday, Marc took her out to lunch (Denny's) and to ToysRUs to spend the birthday money she got from Grandpa Lou. Oh, and then he took all the kids to Olive Garden for dinner! I don't think she missed me at all.

My mom sent a package with some shoes, a tutu, and a whole bunch of jewelry, but Marc let her open it all while I was gone! I was disappointed. I am going to have to have a little photo session with her modeling her new jewels.

We had her family party on Sunday night. Fortunately, I was able to talk her into having a sundae bar so I didn't have to come home from Women's Conference and whip up a cake tout de suite.

We had waffle cones, bananas, several different kinds of ice cream, candy toppings, different syrups and sauces (Marc bought Magic Shell, gag!), whipped cream, cherries, and sprinkles. Everyone seemed pleased, and it was super easy.

Grandma Mim & Grandpa Bob gave her the Paw-Powered Cruiser she has been pining after for months now! Also a Hello Kitty purse and a wallet. I have no idea what she'll put in her wallet, but she loves it.

Aunt Michelle gave her a new Barbie and some Barbie dance clothes. Anything dance-related is a big hit.

Jessie gave her a very real-looking Yorkshire Terrier, also a big hit, because as much as she loves dinosaurs, she still really loves dogs as well.

After eating only a few bites of her sundae, I caught her quizzing Grandpa about different species of dinosaurs. She would give him clues and he would have to guess, but of course she knows about a gazillion different dinos, so he didn't stand much of a chance. Good thing he's such a good sport!

So apparently she's five now! I just can't believe it. And then I can.