Arden's 5th Birthday

Arden is FIVE! I know that every time she has a birthday I say I can't believe how old she is, but it is always true. Every time. She has grown up so much this last year. I couldn't be prouder of the big girl that my baby is growing up into. Isn't she beautiful?

(But every now and then, it would be nice to push the rewind button and spend a little time snuggling with this:Arden at three months

Arden was so excited for her birthday this year. She wanted to invite every single kid she has ever known to her birthday party, but I am not that nice of a mom, so I only let her invite seven kids. It is so hard, because I don't want any of her friends (or their moms!) to be offended by not being invited, but I think that ten kids (seven friends plus my three) was my absolute limit this year. Arden loved having her friends over, and I hope the kids had fun too.

Arden wanted a Tangled party, so we found some plates and napkins, and Preston found a Tangled cake for her. I was a slacker this year and didn't make a cake myself, but I DID make cupcakes for her to take to preschool on her birthday, so that counts, right?

After the party, Dax and Cora took a nap, and then Arden decided she wanted to go to "The Rolls Place" (a.k.a. Texas Roadhouse) for dinner. She calls it the rolls place because all of the kids eat about four rolls while we wait for our food, and then by the time it comes, they are too full of rolls to eat any of it. This time we ordered ONE kids meal for all three them to all share, and they still didn't even come close to finishing it. But lots of rolls and peanuts were eaten by all, along with a pretty good portion of Grandpa's steak. (thanks Dad!)

I asked Arden a few questions so we could remember what 5-year-old Arden was like:

• What is your favorite color? "Red. My new favorite color is green, but red is my real favorite color." (huh?)
• What is your favorite song? "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." (Arden things this song never ends...when she gets to the last "how I wonder what you are," she just jumps right back into "up above the world so high" over and over...and over. Cora also loves to sing that song the same way.
• What is your favorite movie? "Despicable Me." (Arden and Dax quote that movie all day)
• What is your favorite activity? "Play with my friends."
• If you could be any animal, which one would you be? "A bear because they they're furry."
• What is your favorite food? "Chicken nuggets and macaroni and cheese."
• What do you want to be when you grow up? "A mom."
• How old is your mom? "Eleven?"
• How old is your dad? "Twelve."
• What do you see yourself doing in 10 years? "Playing with Cora and Dax."
• If you had a million dollars, what would you buy? "I would buy some flowers and take them to Grandma's house. I would get me some binoculars too. And shoes."
• Who is your favorite person? "Daniel and Brynn" (her best friends)
• What is your favorite treat? "Cookies and cake. Chocolate chip with some kind of sprinkles on it." (she is obsessed with sprinkles)

So there you have it. Arden is officially a "big kid."