Lydia is FIVE YEARS OLD! It was a week-long celebration of our very favorite princess.
Princess Party
Lydia truly is our little princess. A couple weeks ago, I showed Lydie two pictures of birthday ideas for her (I 100% thought she was going to choose Bluey!) and she chose a princess party. And, it of course, is completely fitting for our little girl.
Because of Mark’s schedule and some other things going on, we did most of our celebrating a couple days early. We began the day early with a yummy breakfast and then made our way down to Denver. We decided to go down to the Denver Zoo (one of our favorite places) and see the animals. We were there the entire morning and I think Lydie enjoyed it – that is, until the heat decided to rear its ugly head and then we knew it was time to go!
We had THREE big wins at the zoo! First, we came at just the right time for a procedure to be starting at the animal hospital. All of the kids were just gobbling this up and they loved watching and learning about the venomous Cantil Viper snake that they were examining.
The second was a brand new exhibit that has just opened the weekend before – DOWN UNDER! They have a new section where you can be in the enclosure with the red kangaroos and red-necked wallabys. “Anita”, the kangaroo, could not get enough of our kiddos and we were LOVING every moment of it.
The third win was a ride on the carousel! I love how much my kiddos still love all of these things. They were all very selective about their animals and they just make me so happy.
We eventually made our way back home and Lydie was able to take a good nap and then we went out to dinner. It was a perfect day 1 of celebrating our girl.
We kept the decorations up all week and so it really did feel like an endless parade for Lydie. When it became her actual birthday, we spent it in her very favorite way – at home! The kids decorated crowns, listened to her tonies (her very favorite toy), and played games. We ended the night with a classic chocolate sour cream cake which everyone thought was one of their favorite cakes ever (who knew?!). Then we opened cards and presents. Jacob and Sarah both made Lydie some “love presents” and I loved watching them put so much work and effort into those the last couple of weeks. Then the finale was watching Cinderella as a family. Sometimes it is hard to know if Lydie is enjoying things but she left no doubt in that – she loved watching Cinderella!
Our Five Year Old Girl
Lydia’s Favorites:
- Food: Pumpkin!
- Toy: The Little Engine That Could
- Treat: Whipping cream
- Song: Touch the Sky from Brave
- Movie / Show: Cinderella and Bluey
A phrase I find myself saying frequently is, “I wish everyone had a Lydie.” And I really mean that.
Lydia is the purest soul. When she looks at you with those big blue eyes, you cannot help but melt and fall completely in love with her. We all cannot get enough of those baby blues. Lydia can say so much with them. I love watching Lydie connect with others through her eyes. It’s amazing all she can say, without saying a word at all.
Lydia is becoming quite the lover of horses. She has done so well the last several months and seems to really enjoy her weekly rides at the farm. I am so grateful that she gets that opportunity.
If Lydia has a fault (if you even want to call it that!), it is that she laughs nearly every time there is “destruction” in a movie. Her timing is perfect and it never fails to make us all laugh. The climax of every movie – as soon as the “bad guy” seems to be winning – she laughs! It seems so out of character for her to feel joy in these normally tense moments – but then again, maybe she is just so confident that good will win the build up is just funny for her. Either way – we are all here for Lydia’s “destruction giggles.”
Resilient. There are so many adjectives we could use to describe Lydia, but this one comes to mind lately. Lydia has to go through so much more than most know. I cannot tell you how much I wish I could hear her little voice. She has been through a lot this last year. It feels like I say that every year, but so far it continues to be true. But Lydia continues to shine her light so brightly.
Lydia adores home. It is easily her favorite place. She is a different person when she is home. She is relaxed and just so very happy. She has the best sister and brothers who play and love on her all day long.
We love our little princess.
Growing Up
