Emma's 5th Birthday! (Beware...Princess overload!)

I can't believe my first "baby" is 5 years old!! We had numerous birthday celebrations this year since we were in Disneyland on her actual birthday. We celebrated with family on Easter... first a bunny cake/presents with Jeff's birthday in the morning and cupcakes/presents with my family in the afternoon. It was a busy day but Emma loved every minute!

Emma was born at 4:13 am so we woke up on her actual birthday and she had already turned 5!! We were ready to hit Disneyland for the first time. We ate breakfast at the McDonalds conveniently located next door to our hotel and then headed to the park. We took things in and our first stop was Pixie Hollow where we met Tinker Bell and Silvermist, we then waited in line for an hour and 45 minutes to meet 3 Princesses (Jasmine, Belle, and Ariel) and then rode a few rides. Overall, had a fabulous day! Our first day was mostly spent waiting in lines to meet characters so Emma was exhausted so at times, the day was less than perfect, but all in all, it was a great day. (It doesn't help that on top of the heat, lines, etc. she came down with a horrible cold while we were there.) We had reservations for the Princess Dinner at 5:00 so we made our way to Ariel's Grotto, unsure of which princesses we would see. It was perfect, we saw Snow White, Ariel, Aurora, Cinderella, and Belle! They came around to each table and signed Emma's autograph book, took a picture w/ her and wished her a happy birthday. After dinner, we checked out the Bug's Life section of California Adventure, the lines were short which made the perfect ending to our first day. We headed back to the hotel and Emma and I went in the hot tub while Jeff ran to the mall down the street. Emma LOVES swimming, and unfortunately, it was the only time we got in the water at all!

(In Bug's Life...after dinner, SHORT lines = happy people!)

We had pre-ordered a birthday cake/Princess jewelry box for Emma. The waiters brought it to our table, announced that it was her 5th birthday and sang. As you can see, she was a bit embarrassed. :)

Since we were gone over her birthday weekend, and she went to Disneyland, we had told her we weren't going to do a big friend's party this year. Instead, she was able to invite 2 friends to celebrate with her at Chuck E Cheese. Two friends turned into three since she wanted to invite her cousin Megan and sisters Jaelyn and JulieAnna. Throw Luke and Nate (who came to hang out with Luke) in there and it was full on party! Our friend Jodi even came along to help celebrate the occasion!

***** Chuck E Cheese pics. are coming! (As if you haven't seen enough b-day pics. They are still on my camera and I'm headed to bed!)

I'm hoping her 5th birthday festivities don't set the bar too high for future years. So far, I think we're okay since she knows we aren't going back to Disneyland until Luke is 5 or 6. It's so hard to believe our first born is already five, ready to start Kindergarten, and often acts like she is 15.... I can only imagine what lies ahead in the years to come!!