First Field Trip

Leilani's Preschool Class took a trip to see Seussical The Musical at Bridges Auditorium.  She was more excited about riding on the bus than she was about going to the play.  Mommy took the day off work in order to be the official field trip photographer.

 Buckled up and ready for action!

5 year old fabulousness!

5th birthday party

 On Sunday, January 23rd we had a party to celebrate Leilani's 5th birthday.  Leilani wanted to have the whole family there, plus her 2 best friends.  So we called Rubie and Mona, gathered up the whole family, and headed for the Magic Kingdom.

 It wouldn't be a party without Samuel being there too!

 We each wore a lei around our neck with a giant #5 that said "Happy Birthday Leilani"  

 Leilani and Mona with Princess Belle

 Leilani and Rubie with Pluto

 This picture is blurry because we were all having so much fun. It has nothing to do with the photographer's abilities!

This is my favorite picture of the day.  Of course it was taken by Rubie's mom, Julie.

Happy Birthday to our favorite five year old girl.  '

We love you!

Birthday ensemble (Part II) Behold the ooh la la.

 Leilani was so excited about how her birthday "special and fabulous" ensemble came out.  She got out her design sketch and compared it to the finished product.  Just her little face beaming at me when she said, "Oh Mommy... It's PERFECT."  made it all worthwhile.

 My second attempt at custom hair bows. 

The Birthday Girl

The Birthday Girl headed off to school on her special day. 

 For Leilani's birthday, Mommy brought cupcakes to school to share with her class. Leilani wanted her school party to be a jungle theme ("Mommy. Boys do NOT like princesses or Hello Kitty!") so we got plastic animals to put on the cupcakes and monkey and lion temporary tattoos for the whole class.

 Daddy's job was to buy to cupcakes.  I asked him to get cupcakes with WHITE frosting.  This is what I got instead.  Only a dad would buy neon color cupcakes.  And this is why...

 Tattoo Time.  Leilani was thrilled because Mommy NEVER lets her have a tattoo.

 The birthday princess on her throne surrounded by her loyal subjects.

 Her teachers Ms Joey and Ms. Tonya

Birthday ensemble (Part I)

When I asked Leilani what she wanted to wear for her special day, our conversation went something like this:
    Me- "Leilani, what would you like to wear on your birthday?"
    Leilani- "Ooooh. Something special and fabulous.
    Me- "Should we go shopping today?"
    Leilani- "What?! No. NOT from the STORE. I would like something made in your craft room. I want it to be very ooh la la."

So I spent all day yesterday at fabric and craft store putting together the elements for her birthday ensemble.  This morning as soon as she woke up she told me she had "work to do." and disappeared with her art supplies.  10 minutes later she emerged with a drawing of what she wants her top to look like.  That's right... my 4 year old presented me with a DESIGN SKETCH. 

I want you to soak it all in.  The red dots inside the number five are "sparklies" and the dots around the outside are lights.  Yes, Leilani expects her ever-so-festive 5th birthday shirt to LIGHT UP.  Where does she come up with this stuff?!

Ho Ho Ho

This year we went to see Santa on Christmas Eve.  We got there first thing in the morning so Leilani could be first in line. As always, she was ready to go with her Christmas Wish List in hand.

 This year Leilani was very serious about making her Christmas list.  She collected ads from the newspaper that had the toys and games she wanted.  Then she cut out the pictures of the things she wanted to ask Santa for.  Finally, after each picture was glued onto the pages, she had Mommy spiral bind her masterpiece (to give it a more polished look)

 Aunt Callie and Grandpops took the book with them to Toys R Us and were stopped multiple times during their visit by parents and store employees demanding to know what company made the wish list and where they could get one for their kids. 

 Santa was pretty impressed with the book too.

 Though he was more impressed when she went through every page with him and explained what each item was and where it ranked on her Christmas list. 

 Luckily she was Santa's first visitor of the day while he still had patience and found her precociousness to be charming and delightful. 

 This is Mommy's new friend who works the Jose Eber booth at the mall.  He offered to curl Leilani's hair if she would sit nicely while he did it and be a hair model for him. I just wish we had visited him BEFORE the pictures with Santa because her curls were amazing! It drew quite a crowd and he sold 2 curling irons just in the time he was working on her.  

(He asked us to come back again next weekend.)