Toucie is 5!!

Pancakes breakfast for the birthday girl!
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 Before heading off to work early in the morning, Daddy left a surprise at Toucie's place at the table: this tiny little Japanese tea set...so cute!
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Toucie's special present this year was to get her ears pierced...it is partly a cultural thing (I had mine pierced when I was 5, too) little girls in my family are adorned with little gold rings in their ears when they are babies. She has been asking since she was 2 to have them pierced and has always been told that she had to wait until she was 5. She was bursting with excitement to think that the day had finally come...can you tell? The other thrilling rite of passage was to go and sign up for her own library card. I'm afraid there are no longer any babies in this family...

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We had a 'Rain Party' in the park...although, as it turned out, it only sprinkled a little.
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Sloshing through the rills was the favorite activity of the littles.
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Big kids tried out some other challenges.
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 Those girls can rock the hula hoop! Omigoodness...is that my hubby there on the right? I am surrounded by talent, people...utterly surrounded.
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My mom and dad have got the moves, too!! (well...at least my mom does! keep at it, Dad!)
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Naya and Sodie sheltering from the drizzle.
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Toucie surprised us by requesting pie instead of birthday cake...we made one apple and one blueberry (from the last of the summer's frozen berries...can't wait till blueberry season is here!)
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Yeah, kiddo...I'm totally with you...birthdays are awesome!
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Back at home, with just the family, the special request for birthday dinner was Spaghetti and Meatballs (we've been reading "Bread and Jam for Frances")...a wild experience for mama who had never before made this dish!
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(Yes, there was an excess of cakes and pies...you're only 5 once!) Those are the candles Toucie dipped back at Candlemas....look at that happy face :)
Happy Birthday little one!
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