Joanna is FIVE!!

This is the last picture I took of my four year old:

They crack me up.  :)

Joanna almost always sleeps until at least 7 but often close to or past 8 in the mornings.  She was up before 6:30 today!

We snuggled, and I told her about the day she was born.  She LOVED hearing it this year!

We managed to wait until after breakfast, but Joanna was just sooooo excited to open her presents from us!

I took this picture just to make sure the settings on the camera were okay, but I love of James!

Opening her card from Nana and Popo that came in the mail.  She opened the present from them another time and it didn’t make it onto film.  :)

The first birthday call of the day!  Hi Gran!

FIVE?!!!  How can this be?????

Five just seems so monumental – such a milestone.  Partly because she will start Kindergarten this year I guess.  I remember being five; it just seems so crazy!  I guess I have a few spotty memories before five years old, but I have lots of memories from when I was five.  Now my BABY is FIVE!!

Matt and I got her some Melissa and Doug play food for the kitchen.  Yay!

Even though it’s been a busy day, they’ve enjoyed playing a lot with the new “food.”

That’s how I like to eat butter too James!

As aside: I think this is the best picture I’ve gotten of his “help” sign.  Hand motion plus the look on the face.  :)

James practiced cutting the food too:

LOVE this face!!

We had a pretty lazy day around the house today.  Matt took the day off from work to spend more time with his birthday girl.

Mamma and Pop came over after lunch to give Joanna a birthday present.  She got a gift card to Toys R Us and and trip with Mamma and Pop to shop there!  She looooooved it so much!

Does she look older?

So pretty!

Had to fit in a little 5 year old photo shoot outside!

So big!!

Me and my five year old:

We headed to The Table tonight for spaghetti dinner and then the Ash Wednesday service.  Gary stopped by our table and started singing “Happy Birthday” to Joanna.  She stick her fingers in her  ears (the toot!) so he came right behind her to finish it.  I couldn’t get the iPod camera on fast enough to get a picture of it, but this is how she looked right after he walked away.  Don’t let the fingers in the ear fool you – she LOVED it!

The kiddos were pretty wired at bedtime, but, as far as I can tell, they also crashed pretty good!

I am so thankful God allowed me to be Joanna’s momma.  She’s the most incredibly wonderful five year old a girl could have in her life!

Happy Birthday my sweet love!