Elise's 6th Birthday Party at Wacky Tacky

Sweet sisters celebrating Elise turning six

Birthday girl with her party balloons

Elise's delicious Princess & The Frog cupcakes

The five of us (still getting used to saying that!)

Cute sisters by the playground

Little party friends having a blast

Posing with friends in the birthday chair

Cupcake time and more fun with friends

Book party gift bags - we enjoyed making these

Elise is Almost Five!

Little beauty Elise at almost five-years-old

Having fun on the swing

Sisters bonding...and smiles

Sister hugs are the absolute best

Elise will be turning five-years-old in just a few days! I still can't believe how much she's learned and matured in these five short years. I took some photos this past weekend and stopped in my tracks when looking back through them on the computer. I no longer see a little girl and instead a sweet young lady, who is yearning to grow up and dress her prettiest at all times. I have to admit, that I got teary eyed seeing how beautiful she looked in these photos. She is still very much a child and has those adorable childlike qualities, but we are also slowly seeing aspects of her maturity and growth. Aside from being very tall for her age, she now has what I like to call the "grown-up voice", she talks in complex sentences and now tells stories dispersing the occasional colloquialisms throughout (for some reason this makes me feel as if she is five going on fifteen). She also makes very intelligent inferences from the things we say, and spelling things out won't always get past her anymore.

Our girl can read all by herself now and she only needs help with big words. I hope Kindergarten will be challenging enough, because she has aced every single one of those simple 1-4 letter site words. She is so inquisitive about the world and how things work; she's a definite thinker. She is still a little ball of emotion though! I will say that she has come a very long way from the tantrum laden days of past, but she is still quite emotionally driven and strives for perfection and order (according to her interpretation). All this said, I see a very sweet and very determined young lady at the core of it all. I am so proud of her for all the things she has accomplished in these last five years. She is setting a great example for little Alina to follow, and she is even helping teach her how to read small words. I am so grateful for both of our sweet girls, and for the very special bond that they share.

Sharing secrets

Serious look, but I love it as I see a glimpse of her baby face

All smiles, she brings so much joy to our lives

Sleepy Girls, Crafts, Silliness and Smiles

Elise fast asleep and deep in the realm of dreamland

Sleeping Beauty, Alina all snuggled up

Little cuties playing, plus Alina's favorite toddler books

Every so often, the girls will sleep in after a busy and fun Saturday. Mom and dad love these rare occasions, mainly because of the extra sleep it allows us, but also because we get to peek in on them fast asleep, looking so cozy and content while dancing throughout the realm of little girl dreamland. They look so cute all snuggled up and dozed off. They are usually happiest when they get to sleep in a bit, so no complaints from mom and dad!   

After spending most of May on-the-go, we relaxed last weekend and the girls got to play in their rooms and just enjoy each others company. Elise's room is usually the happening place. Alina makes her way in there in the morning, so they can both play together. It's usually dolls, dress-up or tug-of-war (yes, we are still learning the art of sharing). Alina really enjoys when we read books to her, and her toddler favorites; Goodnight Moon, Peek-a-Who?, and The Hungry Hungry Caterpillar, still make her laugh and smile to this day. Elise is really into arts and crafts now, and recently asked to make a collage. I held on to an old Disney desk calendar, which was perfect for collage worthy photos. Elise chose all her own Disney photos and even designed most the layout. She really enjoyed the process. Momma did most of the work on Alina's, but she had input on the photos we used. They turned out great. Elise even asked to bring hers to school for show-and-tell. Disney collage success.

Elise's first Disney collage, she was so proud

Cute girls being silly, favorite sandals and one MESSY room

Alina's adorable Disney collage, super cute!