Happy 5th Birthday!!!

5 years old!?  Seriously?  Where has time gone?  The last five years have had plenty of ups and downs but Zack and I are continuously amazed at how blessed we are to have Ava and Reese.  Not only do we teach them but they teach us.  They teach us unconditional love, patience, and how to not take one minute for granted.  5 years old is hard for mommy to swallow.  It means they are no longer my little babies but officially little girls who will be ready for kindergarten next year.  There's just something about that number that sounds so old.  If I were making a wish on those birthday candles I'd wish for time to slow down!

Every year we try to do something special on the girls' birthday but simple with all of the holiday happenings and busy season.  This year, as always, we took pizzas to the current NICU families and cake to the NICU nurses, doctors, and other medical staff.  Then our neighborhood was having horse-drawn sleigh rides through our neighborhood in the evening so we had a few friends over for a "Favorite Things" dinner and then we went riding.  The girls got to choose the dinner menu hence the name "Favorite Things" dinner.  The menu consisted of buttered noodles, PB & J, sweet potatoes, green beans, broccoli, pineapple, and ice cream.

Of course the girls got some wonderful gifts from friends and family too.  One of the favorites is their new bunk bed.  This actually was the bunk bed that mommy slept on as a little girl at her Grammy and Grampy's house.  It was passed down to my nephew and now the girls get it!  I know some would say I committed a furniture sin but I updated the solid oak bunk beds with some white paint.  We are one night in and no falls yet!

Before I share the pictures from this year's birthday, I thought I would take a walk down memory lane to cherish December 20th over the last 5 years.

2010

Ava

Reese

2011

Ava

Reese

2012

Ava

Reese

2013

Ava

Reese

2014

Ava

                                                 
Reese

                                      



2015...a fun-filled day for these two 5-year-olds!

                                      

Other parents with older children always say to enjoy it because it goes so fast.  I no longer underestimate those words!