Birthday Girl

While most bloggers are writing about mothers, I'm bucking the trend because today is Cleo's fifth birthday.
We celebrated with a Hawaii themed party. Cleo chose plastic leis, hula girl party hats, and other in theme decorations. She got to pick what we had for dinner and she picked hot dogs cooked in rolls and grapes, and for her birthday cake we had what we've had every year, strawberry shortcake. Gigi was funny repeatedly saying, "mom, I really don't want any whip cream, just strawberries and cake." In the end she only ended up eating the strawberries and I ate her cake sans whip cream.

As for gifts, Cleo has been scouring our house for loose change to put into her new pink piggy bank, and talking excitedly about the backyard of our new yard house where she'll be able to use the the kitty cat gardening set. We've also been reading and reading and reading all the new books she received, because what's a birthday without books?

As for mother's day, the kids and JL did a great job letting me sleep in, and then surprised me with chocolate, flowers and presents. Unfortunately then we rushed off to the car and took JL to the airport so he can leave for a business trip for a couple of days, then he'll be coming home long enough to drop off his dirty laundry and leave again for another couple of days.