Maria's 5th

Magical shimmery pumpkin with pink cake inside(her only request)

 Five years old.

We celebrated at her request with roasting hotdogs over the fire the night before-followed the next day by pumpkins at the pumpkin patch, a tea party, painting, Beauty and the Beast, NO NAPS, and a scavenger hunt.

The week before her birthday as we were driving the boys to practice the kids were discussing what Maria might like for her birthday. She gave them a few ideas including barbies and a baby stroller and then she paused,

 "(sigh) Mom, we should probably talk about this.... " (another pause)
"How do you feel about...lipstick?"

It's hard not to giggle at her these days. She's such a mix of tiny and big.

We love her so.

Her sense of style, imagination, crafting mania, utter and complete disaster-maker of a self.
She just has to create .     All.  Of. The. Time.

No doubt in my mind as to which of her presents was her favorite.

I'll never forget her complete surprise and sheer delight when she opened up a little box with a tube of lipstick in it.

It should be gone by the end of the month if her rate of application holds up....