Simms turns 5 and has a party!

Our sweet firstborn turned 5 on November 1. There is something about the age 5..I guess it is just hard to grasp how fast 5 years has flown by. Because it has. I am so thankful for 5 years with our sweet Simms. She woke up and the celebrating began with her favorite breakfast..a chocolate doughnut. This one had 5 candles though and she was thrilled.

After we sang to her, she discovered a big balloon and a few presents from us and Cope, which she opened immediately.

Then it was time to head off to school, where we took chocolate cupcakes and lemonade..

Her class sang to her, she got to wear the birthday vest and she got her 5 birthday spankings!

Even Cope got to enjoy the birthday fun at preschool!

After spending the afternoon resting after all of the morning's excitement, we celebrated again! My Aunt B made her a delicious chocolate cake and my grandparents, Aunt B & Uncle Rick, Minnie & Ninnie and Uncle Miles & Aunt Katy all came up to celebrate with Simms! And you will notice all of this celebrating, including her party on Saturday, took place with my kitchen cabinet remodel still in the works. I just had to get over it!

I think the highlight of turning 5 was her gift from Aunt Katy. She so kindly GAVE Simms her barbie mansion from when she was little. This thing is no joke. It is huge. And she brought ALL of the accessories that went with it, including every food item you could imagine, even a pool that works with real water. So sweet. Simms is in Barbie heaven with this thing!

We took it easy Friday so we would be ready for the big birthday party on Saturday. Of course by this point it seemed like we'd been celebrating for a few days, and I guess we had, but I told myself it wouldn't always be like this and she is worth it!

We had a small party on Saturday. Simms invited 3 friends and her cousins to come and decorate canvases with their hand prints and jewels. My talented friend Julie did the canvases and the cake, which was a piece of art itself. Simms was SO happy that that was HER barbie cake..

Here is a closeup of the cake I hated to cut, but that tasted as good as it looked..

Some more pics of the cake, in the kitchen with no cabinets..

The girls were really excited about doing their art!

Bennett enjoyed doing his too. I wish now I'd had one for Cope to do..oh well. I didn't think he'd want to or be interested but of course he was!

Some of the girls' canvases drying..

Singing Happy Birthday!

This sweet girl and her mama and sister Lilla came all the way from Mississippi for Simms' party!

Kids enjoying cake & ice cream in the yard!

Waiting to open presents!

Cousins and their canvases. I was so sad I didn't get all of the sweet girls together with their artwork before they left.

And just when Simms thought all the celebrating had ended and she was about to get her Saturday night bath, she unexpectedly got to go and visit  Aunt B's where cousin Jimmy and his wife Amanda were in town visiting, and they had her one last present! She was thrilled! Welcome to the family, Josephine!

Happy 5th Birthday, Simms! We love you so very much!

Whew! This post was long! And as soon as I recover from doing it, I will do a post on our fun Halloween night!