Happy Birthday Emily!

Today was Emily's fifth birthday. Most of this girl's games consist of pretending it is someone's birthday or Christmas, wrapping presents, and then handing them out. Needless to say, she has been looking forward to this day, her REAL birthday, for a long time.
After a late night, Emily and Elinor woke bright and early ready to party.

Unfortunately, Caleb decided to sleep in an extra hour, so Emily practiced being patient for a while. She spent her time decorating with Joseph.

Streamers in the kitchen, balloons in the living room, and Emily's special touch for the clock.

When Caleb finally did wake up, Emily found herself with eager helpers in the present-opening process. She was thrilled with everything she got.

A little puzzled by this Mini-Wheats box (she figured out that the actual present was inside). I loved hearing her later on in the day exclaiming, "These are the best presents EVER!"

She calls herself Dr. Tiana in this game because she knows she is not a real princess, so she can't be Princess Tiana.

Emily helped decorate the cake with a rainbow of Skittles and marshmallow clouds. She recently learned the order of colors in a rainbow and loves to draw them and talk about them.

 We had a few friends over tonight to eat cake with us and celebrate Emily. We tried to make it clear to Emily that this was not a birthday party, just a fun evening with friends. Afterward, Joseph and I found ourselves wondering where the line is though. Hmmm.

The inside of the rainbow cake. I would have been way too intimidated to try this if my friend Jenn hadn't mentioned that it's one of her family's favorites. It was easier than I thought and I was grateful that it actually stayed together and looked sort of how it was supposed to.

Tired, tired Elinor.

We love our Emily. It is a hard job to be the oldest kid in a growing family, but she is learning and getting better at it every day. I am excited for the new things that she will get to do this year as a big five-year-old and I feel privileged to be along for the ride.
Happy Birthday, Emily!