five years old

How can it be that my little girl is 5 years old already?  Time is really flying, but this is such a fun age. She was so excited about her presents when she came down the stairs.  The hard part was waiting all day to open them, haha! 

I had planned a special date, just the two of us, to the American Girl store and cafe.  We were both super excited, and it was cute to see her wander around the store in awe.

When it was time for our lunch reservation, we headed upstairs and were seated.  They have highchairs for dolls, which made the whole experience extra special.

The food presentation was adorable, but her favorite part was probably the orange sparkly drink. 

At the table, they had a little box with conversation cards.  I was able to chat with my little girl about all sorts of topics, and really just live in the moment.  We really should do one-on-one dates more often.  I love our "girl team", as Brooke calls it.

We wandered around the shop after lunch and Brooke picked out a new outfit for her Bitty Baby.  She also had some birthday money, so she picked out a new brush for her doll, along with a pink baby wipe container.

That afternoon, we headed to Hawaiian Falls. We didn't want Colby to miss out on the birthday celebration!

Saturday was her birthday party, which was a ton of fun!  Brooke loves to plan parties, and her birthday party was no exception. A few months earlier, Brooke was invited to a friend's backyard birthday party. They had an inflatable water slide, which was a huge hit.  We decided to do the same, and found a fun slide with dolphins on top :). It totally ruined our lawn in the backyard, but it was SO fun for the kids. The bright colored lanterns and balloons helped set the tone for my happy girl's big day...

Kevin was the all-time slide monitor, which was amazing!  A few of the kids needed frequent reminders to follow the slide rules, so Kevin made sure they all complied. Tracy later made a comment that Kevin is the most patient person she has ever met, haha.  

After the kids played for a bit, they made their way to the table for donuts, muffins, and fruit.  I stuck the candles in a donut stack for Brooke, and we sang to the birthday girl.  The candles wouldn't stay lit because of the breeze, so I finally gave up and told her to pretend to blow out the candles.  

This was the face she made, haha!

Cousins!!

Papa and Grandma...

All the little friends...

Brooke was completely spoiled with gifts, but she didn't complain about it.

When the party was over, we headed out to lunch with the family at Jake's.  Colby was Uncle Jeff's buddy :). We enjoyed a yummy meal together, then headed home to rest and relax after a busy morning.

We had the water slide until Sunday, which meant that the kids had more time to play that afternoon! Colby definitely had more fun since it wasn't as crowded as it was with all the friends. Brooks and Morgan Taggart came over to play, and we stayed out there for a few more hours while Kevin figured out the best way to drain all that water!

As we went to bed that night, I asked Brooke if she enjoyed her day.  She said something along the lines of having the best day EVER, so I'd call it a success :)