5th Birthday Fun

What a day to remember. The kids 5th Birthday was jammed packed full of fun and memory making moments. The day started off with the kids crawling into bed with their daddy. He told them that they looked like five year olds. This got them going right away. A asked how he could tell that she looked 5 and then decided that she was going to examine herself in the mirror to figure it out. She looked herself up and down a few times in the full length mirror. It was a precious moment. I of course had to inspect them from their ears all the way down to their toes to determine if they were 5 and they all checked out!
Soon after all the inspection and mirror checking we Had a request for some sausage and pancakes with candles for breakfast. They were so delighted to get their pancakes with 5 candles in them. We sang Happy Birthday to them and they quickly blew out their candles.
We then headed to the zoo to meet some of my college friends and their kids. It was a beautiful day and such a great day for a zoo outing. We saw lots of fun animals/fish like grizzly bears, sea otters, sharks, sea turtles, wild boars, bison, tigers, zebras, and ostriches. The highlight of our zoo trip though was seeing and feeding the Giraffes. It was so cool and I was amazed at how up close we were to the Giraffes. We even noticed that they have long and very pretty eyelashes. The kids were thrilled that the Giraffe ate crackers right out of their hands. It was so fun and such a great memory on their 5th Birthday. After lunch with our friends and a ride on the train at the zoo we headed home. Since it was their Birthday, I decided on the way home we would stop at the Gas Station for an ice cream treat. We even picked one out and surprised Daddy with it.
Later in the day we met Grandma Mary, Jane, and Uncle T out for some Birthday dinner. Grandma stopped and got balloons on her way and these were each tied to their chairs when we arrived. It was so special and cute. The kids loved it. Grandma Carol sent each of the kids a music card and K got one that was his favorite Madacasgar. When he opened the card he just smiled from ear to ear and then he let a giggle as it sang one of his favorite tunes from Madagascar. He then told us that that card was "hiwarious"!
For the mama, today was bittersweet. It actually took me by surprise how bittersweet it was. I long for my babies but I love how big and independent these kids are getting. This age is nice because they love to cuddle but yet they can do so much for themselves. I kept looking at my watch all day today and thinking about where I had been just 5 years prior. I will never forget that birthday and how it changed our world forever. Tonight as I tucked the kids into bed, I prayed with each of them asking God to keep them safe and help them to learn all the important things they need to know about being five. Each of the kids really enjoyed me praying over them and it was a nice end to such an important day to all of us.
Jon and I are very proud of kids and the past 5 years. It is hard to remember the early days but after talking with Grandma Carol tonight on the phone, she reminded me what it was like back when I had three babies. What an accomplishment all of this is. I would say that in the past five years we have had many moments where three were quite the challenge. To be honest, I can't remember "how we did it" but I do know that both Jon and I agree that we would not change a thing. We love what we have and these kids rock. Here is to another, happy, fun filled 5, 10, 20, 30, 40 plus years of memory making family fun. May God continue to bless The Erickson Five!!!!