Our sweet Hallie Rae turned 5 years old in September! She's been excited about her birthday since the moment her last birthday ended. Ha! I don't know how many times we've seen a toy in a store or on TV, and she's asked us to take a picture of it so she can add it to her birthday list. Fortunately, she forgot about most of them as soon as they were out of sight, or she would've blown all our savings!
Hallie brings us so much joy! She's the lone morning person in our family, and she infuses our house with boisterous energy and enthusiasm during the early hours when the rest of us are still trying to get our eyes fully open. She's not super outgoing, but she's 100% a people-person. She loves playing almost anything as long as she has a playmate. Asking her to entertain herself for more than a short time (like when I'm working from home) is a challenge, but she's getting more independent. Hallie loves being out and about and is the best companion and helper. When she was in preschool and didn't attend school full-time, I'd save all my errands for the days we were home together. She'd wake up and ask "where are we going today?" and I'd tell her about the amazing day we were going to have buying food at the grocery store, dropping off our library books, etc. She was always legitimately excited about it! On the flip side, when we arrive home exhausted at 6:00 pm after work and school, one of her first questions is still "where are we going today?" 99% of the time, the answer is "nowhere," and she launches into a woe-is-me dramatic episode that requires food to help her recover. When we do stay at home, her favorite things to do are experiments, art projects, and crafts. She can't do them independently yet, so it's always a treat when Dan or I can sit with her and help her create something. Her favorite food in the world is sugar, and she's constantly asking for candy and cupcakes (the cupcake is optional; she really just wants to lick the frosting off the top). She's our girly-girl, who loves dressing up in fancy dresses and jewelry, and her #1 gift request for her birthday was "real" makeup and a vanity. We sure do love our fun, sweet, enthusiastic, and friendly 5-year-old!
We had an early birthday party for Hallie at Dan's parents' house with the extended family.
We can't believe how big our baby is!
The kids had fun swimming and having a water balloon fight. The funniest part of the party was watching Hallie and Emma's boy cousins' faces while Hallie was opening her gifts.
Josiah (age 9) and Micah (age 4) were absolutely horrified at the dolls, dress up clothes, and other girly things that came out of those pink gift bags. Hahaha!
Hallie got a sweet jewelry box and jewelry set from her out-of-town cousins, Naomi and Miriam.
And she got a fun Lego bakery set from her other long-distance cousins, Meera and Rowan.
She did get the "real" makeup and vanity she wanted. She's such a pretty princess!
We also got a trampoline! It's for both girls, of course, but it arrived close to Hallie's birthday.
Dan was playing "Crack the Egg" with the girls. They didn't stand a chance!
We normally do something fun during birthday weekends, but we were going to be out of town the weekend of Hallie's birthday. So I kept the girls out of school that Friday and took them to Water Country USA to celebrate!
This is one of the best kid play areas at Water Country
Our sister-in-law, Dawn was able to bring our nephews, Josiah and Micah, for a few hours to play with the girls. It was so fun!
On Hallie's actual birthday (Saturday), we flew to Texas for our annual family reunion with my mom's side of the family. We gathered at my Uncle Brian and Aunt Margaret's Ranch House near Italy, TX. They're the most amazing hosts, and we always have an incredible time there.
The Ranch House has a large pond that's stocked with fish. Our girls immediately gravitated to the one other young girl cousin, Sadie, and she showed them how to fish.
Within a few minutes, Emma caught this fish by herself! We were amazed!
Proud dad moment!
Then I caught a fish and Hallie helped me reel it in. Hallie and I agree that slimy fish should be handled by someone else, and Emma has happy to step in. Heh!
It was 100 degrees in Texas, so pretty soon the entire extended family jumped in the pond for a swim.
Uncle Brian and Aunt Margaret have gradually collected accessories for the Ranch House over the past decade, so they have an assortment of water and land toys for everyone to enjoy.
The kids loved climbing on this stand up paddle board, balancing, then jumping off.
Our girls loved this horse-shaped tire swing!
I'm pretty sure that Emma won't fit on this swing next year.
My sweet cousin, Remy, found out that it was Hallie's birthday and ran to the store to buy some decorations and small gifts for her. So Hallie had a mini-celebration that night.
My cousin, Emily, has two boys and misses out on doing girly things with her family, so she bought colorful hair extensions so she could spend time doing the girls' hair.
The weekend was full of outdoor adventures and exploration for Emma and Hallie. We loved watching them try new things with their Texas cousins.
Cousin Laura showed Emma how to ride this Ezyroller around the concrete and even down a big, grassy hill.
There are several golf carts to ride around the Ranch property, and Dan took the opportunity to give the girls their first driving lessons. I guess it's never too early!
The adults enjoyed excellent food and had fun playing games.
We did plenty of relaxing and catching up, too. It was so nice to spend time together!
The whole family participated in a game of whiffle ball, and we had an egg toss competition.
We made a video with everyone saying "We miss you!" to my cousin Kyle, and my brother Steve and his family, who weren't able to make it to the reunion. So this is the only group photo that I took of everyone who gathered that weekend.
It was a whirlwind trip, but it's always one of the highlights of our year!
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