Mary Grace's birthday party

For her 5th birthday (!), Mary Grace decided on a Barbie themed party. She had all her girlfriends from school, play dates and the neighborhood over for 2 hours in the afternoon. A total of 15 under 8 for two hours means LOTS of fun!

The kids started with coloring pages and tattoos while we waited for everyone to arrive. We moved on to "pin the pony on Barbie" and "the jellybean game" (guessing how many jellybeans were under a cup using only yes/no questions). After that, we all sang Happy Birthday to Mary Grace and had cake and ice cream back in the dining room.

We did a little Barbie Saves The Nutcracker on TV while we got prepared for gifts, then opened some wonderful presents! That took us to 3:00pm, and we gave out gift bags to all the girls and said our good-byes.

I think Mary Grace didn't stop smiling the whole time, she LOVED it.

William had about 10 crying fits because he wanted it to be his birthday too. It was a good lesson for us and the other parents :) He'll get his moment in the spotlight in two months.

So, just like that, my baby girl is 5. People always tell you how quickly it goes by, but you never really get it until it happens to you. I've got to learn to live in the moment more.

So tonight, I read to Mary Grace for half an hour at bedtime and was rewarded with a nice long snuggle.

	Sharing some kettle corn before the party
	The birthday cake, made by Mommy!
	Getting ready to sing Happy Birthday and blow out the candles
	Posing with one of her favorite presents! My daughter, the rocker!