On August 18th, our sweet Liam turned 5 year old! It just so happened to be the start of our family vacation, too, so we celebrated Liam's 5th Birthday with an 11 hour road trip to Myrtle Beach. It may not have been our usual birthday celebration, but we filled his day with our favorite birthday traditions!
Even though we spent 11 hours in the car, Liam didn't seem to mind one bit. He's a perfect traveler, and always does great on road trips. He didn't complain once, and the reward was spending the rest of his day in Myrtle Beach!
It's so hard to believe our beautiful boy is already 5 years old! I swear, he was just born. Time is a thief! The arrival of Liam's 5th Birthday was bittersweet, but it was definitely a memorable one...
When Summer began, it seemed like August was so far away, but the months flew by. It felt like I blinked, and August was over! I took off half of the month for vacation and family time, so I left a lot of blog posts hanging out in my drafts folder, just waiting to be published. That included my usual weekly mom life recaps, so I figured I would just share the rest of August in a quick monthly recap!
At the end of my last recap, I left off a week into August. So let's play catch-up on what happened last month! Spoiler alert: It's a lot!
Turning 5 years old was a big deal for Lily! Not only was she officially "one whole hand old" on her last birthday, but that magic number brought so many changes into her life. From starting Kindergarten to starting dance to being just hours away from losing her first tooth, this little girl is rocking life at 5 years old!
Lily is one of those kids who is incredibly loving, sweet and kind, but she also has a HUGE personality. She is truly the funniest kid I know! We always joked that she was going to be the class clown and that's playing out exactly as we expected! She is an extrovert who has no problem making friends wherever she goes and she loves to entertain. Considering she has two thespian parents it's very likely that she's going to end up on stage!
Just a few weeks after turning 5, Lily started Kindergarten. We were on the fence about sending her because her birthday was just before the Kindergarten cutoff date, but we are so happy we went ahead with it. She LOVES school and is so excited to go every day. Math is her favorite and she thinks it's so cool that she's learning how to read. This little girl is thriving in Kindergarten and I don't regret our decision one bit. Her only struggle is the fact that she gets warned once or twice a week about talking in the hallway or during class! (I'm not surprised!)
Right after she started school, Lily also started dance. She was torn between gymnastics or ballet but dance ultimately won. Instead of just taking ballet, she is learning ballet, tap, jazz and acro. I had a feeling she would like it but I'm honestly surprised by just how much she loves it. I foresee many years of dance ahead of us!
Just before Lily turned 5, one of her teeth started to get wiggly. Now she has two loose teeth and the one is just hours away from falling out. I'm honestly surprised it hasn't already, but her first visit from the tooth fairy is so near. Lily's going to reach that big milestone this week! That toothless grin is always a big change and definitely a sign of how quickly they grow up!
It may be almost 2 1/2 months late, but Lily and I sat down tonight to finish her birthday interview! I took her photos on her birthday but never got the chance to share the pictures or her yearly interview. It's just a testament to how fast-paced life is these days. But better late than never!
Lily's 5 Year Interview:
LILIANA KATHRYN
"Lily"
Age: 5
Stats: 37 lbs and 45 inches
1.
FAVORITE COLOR? Blue!
2. FAVORITE TOY? My Barbies.
3. FAVORITE CHARACTER? Elsa!
4. FAVORITE SUPERHERO? The one with the pink hair. In Wonder Woman.
5. FAVORITE FRUIT? Tomatoes. Never mind...Apples.
6. FAVORITE VEGETABLE? Tomatoes!
7. FAVORITE BREAKFAST? Eggs.
8. FAVORITE CEREAL? Froot Loops.
9. FAVORITE LUNCH? Mac and cheese!
10. FAVORITE DINNER? Hamburger Helper! 11.
FAVORITE DRINK? Lemonade. 12. FAVORITE SNACK?Granola Bar. 13. FAVORITE RESTAURANT? The restaurant at Virginia Beach. (The Raven.) 14. FAVORITE TV SHOW?Spongebob! 15. FAVORITE MOVIE?My Little Pony. 16. FAVORITE ACTOR/ACTRESS?Jessie 17. FAVORITE SONG?Let It Go from Frozen. 18. FAVORITE SINGER/BAND?Christina Perri. She sings Jar of Hearts and Lonely! 19. FAVORITE BOOKS?Princesses. All the books with princesses.
20.
FAVORITE BOOK SERIES? Ummmm...Little Charmers! 21.
FAVORITE OUTFIT?My little pony shirt and colorful tutu. (From her 4 Year Interview.) 22. FAVORITE GAME?Operation. 23. FAVORITE SPORT?Penguins. (Hockey.) 24. FAVORITE ANIMAL? A panda. And a koala, too. They are both SOOOO CUTE!
They are cuties. 25. FAVORITE PLACE TO GO?The zoo! 26. FAVORITE THINGS TO DO? Go play with my friends. 27. FAVORITE SUBJECT? Doing math. 28. FAVORITE STUFFED ANIMAL?My little panda. 29. FAVORITE DAY OF THE WEEK?Friday! It's Friday, Friday, Friday, yeah! 30. FAVORITE MONTH?June!
31.
FAVORITE SEASON?Winter! Snowing! We get to make snow angels and snowman. 32. FAVORITE HOLIDAY?Christmas. 33. WHO IS YOUR BEST FRIEND? Charlie! And Victoria and Lily. 34. WHO DO YOU LIKE TO PLAY WITH?I like to play with Charlie! 35. WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY?Doing a funny face. It's so funny. *giggles* 36. WHAT SCARES YOU? Someone in a costume with a pretend zombie mask. 37. WHAT MAKES YOU SAD?When best friends doesn't let me play with them. 38. WHAT DO YOU WISH FOR?I wish to drive! 39. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE MEMORY?I remember going to the beach! 40. WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP? When I grow up, I want to be a pet doctor...a
vet! 41. DISLIKES? I don't like to eat ice cream cones for breakfast. NO! *giggles*
As Lily curled up on my lap tonight while I asked her the questions for her birthday interview, I couldn't help but squeeze her tight. She's growing up far too quickly for my liking. I just want to protect her innocence and sweetness, and shield her from the world. Although she may look and act so grown up these days, she will ALWAYS be my baby!
Our sweet Liliana Kathryn turned 5 years old today! Or, as Lily says it, "one whole hand old."
I truly can't believe that she's already 5. It feels like she was just born. I mean, she was just a baby yesterday, right?!?
Birthdays in our family are a BIG deal. Grant and I firmly believe that childhood birthdays deserve to be celebrated fully. We have so many favorite birthday traditions and we go all out to make sure their birthdays are special while they're young!
The birthday fun started on Tuesday evening. Lily decided to join me for a donut run and when it's your Birthday Eve, you get a 3 1/2 foot stuffed dolphin!
Lily decided to stay up until midnight to greet her birthday. She was greeted with birthday smooches from her siblings, then everyone was sent to bed. And even though I had a lot to do, seeing her huge grin when we sang happy birthday to her at midnight was a very special moment!
While she slept, the birthday decorations came out, balloons were blown up, birthday letters were written and presents were wrapped.
When Lily woke up, she was officially 5 years old! She was so happy and full of excitement! She woke up to a room filled with balloons and immediately got to open two small gifts.
On their birthdays, our kids get a special donut breakfast complete with the birthday song and a candle. Every birthday should start out extra sweet!
They also get a special birthday outfit, which can be found hanging somewhere in their room when they wake up. Lily loved her beautiful "5" shirt!
Even though my heart is a bit broken over how quickly she's growing up, I know Lily's going to rock 5 years old!
For Lily's special birthday outing, we spent the entire afternoon at the pool with best friends! Everybody had a great time!
After we got home, we fit in a really quick birthday photoshoot. This is just a sneak peek at the upcoming pictures!
Lily took a quick post-swimming nap while we waited for Grant to get home from work. When he did, Lily got to choose where to go for dinner. Of course, McDonald's won!
As soon as we arrived home, my parents and Grant's mom came over for a mini birthday party. Presents came first because Lily couldn't wait any longer! (Lily just wanted one small thing for her birthday, so I ended up turning to Target clearance to help me out with the rest of her gifts. I'm not going to admit how many gifts I bought her, but let me just say that everything was over 75% off!)
Each of her siblings gave her a special gift, too!
The extra special gift that Lily requested was a hit! She loves her stuffed Rarity!
Lily was so thrilled with every present she opened. Her jaw would drop and she would exclaim, "Thank you!!! I love it!" She also loved her special Frozen Birthday card with a handwritten note from me and her special 5th Birthday book with an inscription (both are favorite birthday traditions). She truly did love everything, but she seemed most excited about the ballet clothing my parents bought for her (lessons are included)!
We ended the evening with cake and ice cream! My mom makes our kids a special cake for their birthdays. This pudding filled cake with whipped buttercream frosting was delicious!
With one final birthday song, the party ended and the grandparents got ready to leave.
After everyone left, Lily found a new pair of birthday pajamas in her room then enjoyed a few snuggles with Grant and me!
Our sweet Liliana had an amazing 5th Birthday! She's now resting up for all the HUGE milestones ahead of her this year.
Here's a glimpse of sweet and sassy Lily at 5 years old:
To find out how I REALLY feel about those fleeting moments in childhood, you can read my post today on Pittsburgh Moms Blog!
"I vividly remember the day my youngest daughter was born. We raced to
the hospital as I screamed in agony. We arrived in the middle of the
night to a completely silent labor and delivery floor. As the sun rose
over the Pittsburgh skyline, our beautiful child quietly entered the
world. When she drew her very first breath, in that tiny sliver of
sunlight, it took my breath away. It seems like that moment was just
yesterday, but childhood is fleeting. I blinked and somehow my sweet
Liliana is celebrating her 5th Birthday."
Happy 5th Birthday, Liliana Kathryn! You are SO loved and so special!
Hi! Welcome to Our Five Ring Circus! I'm Stefanie, co-ringleader with my husband, Grant. We live in Pittsburgh with our five kids - Dylan is 15, Alexandria is 13, Liliana is 8, Liam, who is rocking an extra chromosome, is 6, and Coen, our bonus baby, is 12 months old - plus an English Mastiff, two indoor rabbits, and a kitten! In addition to blogging for 12+ years, I'm a photographer, and I volunteer daily for The Down Syndrome Diagnosis Network. You'll also (occasionally) find me on Pittsburgh Mom's Blog! When I'm not too busy wrangling the chaos, you'll see posts about life with littles, what life with Down syndrome is REALLY like, big family living, fashion, recipes, lifestyle, and more! Thank you for stopping by. I look forward to getting to know you!
