Eliza's 5th Birthday! January 2013

 Eliza turned 5 years old in January of this year!  Yes, I've unintentionally had a bit of a hiatus from my blog, so that's quite a while ago to remember the details, but luckily I recorded the following in her journal, dated Jan 19th:
"Eliza had a fun 5th birthday. We had a special breakfast and in the afternoon 7 little girls her age (from her Sunbeams class at church - the entire class is girls!) came over for a tea party birthday party. First we blew up balloons and I drew a portrait of each girl on her balloon. Then we beaded bracelets with pony beads. We read Tea with Ruby and then sat down at the table for our tea party - apple juice, fishy crackers, & teddy grahams - all served on plastic play tea party plates, cups, and teapots. It was fun! We then read a wiggle book and jumped around on the blowup bouncy castle. We had cake and icecream and opened presents, then said goodbye. It was a fun time! I made 2 daisy flower cakes for her birthday. She is a big 5 year old now!"

 (Above: Clockwise after Sam on the left, Kaija Stevens, Jacy Johnson, Liesel Balmforth, Myli Hamblin, Eliza birthday girl, Olivia Smith, Eliza Metcalf, and Peterson.)

Eliza wasted no time in breaking out her new paints as soon as the party was over. 

Aunt Melanie Gunnell sent her some fun books for her birthday. It was exciting to have a package delivered just for her on her birthday!

We opened family gifts when Daddy came home that evening.