Party Time for Our Five Year Old

There are so many things we LOVE about this girl.

She is funny, she talks like she is from New York, she is 'into fashion', she can do a cartwheel, she plays soccer because she loves to chat with her friends on the bench, she adores her big sister, she loves to cuddle, she is on an 'all carb' + chocolate diet, she can make friends with anyone, she is a little crazy....

She loves playing with dolls, her favorite show is Sophia, she has amazing hair, she is kind to all animals... I could actually go on forever.  

And now she has gone and turned 5!

 

We celebrated her big day with a "Frozen" party at Paradise Pond. Lots of friends and family came to have fun with the birthday girl. 

 

 It was the ideal set- up for these crazy kids. Lots of room to run and play. 

 

Plenty of time for cake and ice cream. 

 

And lots of presents (it was the year of the American Girl doll !) 

After the party, Annaleigh and Emmy came over to play.

It was such a great birthday!  We can't wait to see what this year holds for our Sweet Maisy Lou.

American Girl Doll + Maisy

Children give us the chance to be little again.

For the past year, Maisy has been asking to get a real American Girl doll. So with her 5th birthday just days away, I got to help her wish come true.  We drove out to Dallas to find her the perfect doll. It's a toss-up who had more fun at the American Girl store...

Maisy adopted this sweet doll, who she lovingly named "Caroline". Maisy chose her because she has blonde hair and blue eyes. She also got to pick out a fancy outfit and take her doll to lunch.

 

Of course she is taking her job as 'American Girl doll owner' very seriously. Her bookshelf has been transformed into a home just for Caroline and her sister "Kit". (Kit was the American Girl doll Afton got when she turned five.) 

And Caroline has yet to leave her side. So far, she has been to Pre-K, cheer practice and shopping at Market Street. I am excited to see what other adventures she gets to have with Maisy. 

Happy Early Birthday Maisy Lou!

13.1 miles and a 5 year old

Phew! What a weekend. After training for 11 weeks and finding the time to run a total of 186 miles--- my half marathon was finally here. I cannot say enough how much I enjoyed it. The training, the race, the physical endurance, and the mental challenge- it was simply an amazing experience.

And much to my surprise, the training paid off in a huge way. I finished sub 2 (under 2 hours)- averaging 8:30 per mile.

I raced with 4 other "running moms" and happily crossed the finish line at the exact same time with two of them. All 5 of us exceeded our personal goals and ran faster than we expected.

The Rock N Roll Half Marathon benefited Susan G. Komen and boasted thousands of runners, dozens of bands, and a special concert by Bret Michaels at the conclusion of the race.

Afton made me a sign "My Mom Rocks- Go Mom Go!"

The "future runners".

Overall I placed 1,878th out of 10,000 runners. In regards to all the women who ran, I placed 617th. And in my age division I was 137th.

Bret Michaels :)

Our team "Solid Gold" rocked that race! We celebrated our success on Sunday night with drinks and dinner at Trulucks.

Thank you to all my friends and family who supported me over the past 2.5 months. Your kind words, encouragement, and training tips helped me cross that finish line.

Then on Monday, our sweet Afton turned 5 years old! We feel so blessed that she is "our girl" and we have been given the opportunity to raise her, guide her, and watch as she blossoms into her own little person.

 

 

My 5 favorite things about Afton this year: 

1. She is so kind, caring and loving to her little sister.

2. She is crafty, creative and a talented artist.

3. She loves dress-up, dancing, cheering, gymnastics and all things fancy. 

4. She loves bugs, riding bikes, digging in the dirt, gardening and playing in the sand box.

5. She always has a song in her heart and a smile on her face.

We did a small family celebration on Monday evening at Mi Chula's, complete with sopapillas. Afton's big birthday gift was an aquarium and 3 fish! She has been dying for her 'own pet'. Their names are "Goldie", "Fishie", and "Rose Flower".

On Friday her girlfriends are coming over for a "Tangled" movie party... pictures to follow of course!