Birthday Gifts from Mommy

I decided to give Mena her scooter tonight so she would have time to ride it before going to her dad's tomorrow.  I told her to close her eyes while I got it out of the closet.  She yelled with excitement when she opened her eyes!

 

Before I gave her the two gifts, she'd been telling me how she'd gotten lots of doll house toys for her birthday but she still didn't have the bathroom and would I buy it for her 6th birthday.  I said, "We'll see."  When she opened it, she said, "I can't believe it!  You had it and you forgot it was outside when I asked you earlier!!"

 

 

You are supposed to be able to attach the chalk to the scooter and it should draw lines as you ride down the sidewalk.  It wasn't working that great so Mena shared her chalk with Maggie while she was riding the scooter.

Mena had her 5 yr check up today.  Her height is 44 inches and weight is 44 pounds.  Dr. Bernhardson decided to increase her Miralax to 2x a day since once a day hasn't been keeping her regular.  Other than that, she's a healthy girl!

Train Ride and Picnic

Kylinn, me, Maggie, and Mena on the train ride.

Karen is behind Angie on the train.  Haley is sitting by Karen and Aurora is sitting by Angie.
I should have asked the strangers ahead of Zane and Tracy to take a picture of them, but I didn't think of it at the time.

 

 

 

 

Opening presents was exciting for all the girls.  Mena's enjoying her play dough toys from Aurora, her clothes from Ky, and her princess dress up toys from Haley.

I didn't get any pictures during the picnic and I totally forgot the cupcakes!!  I got home and realized we now have a dozen cupcakes for 3 of us to eat!!  Mena wasn't too sad when I said we could eat them for snack since I forgot them at the party.  2 for each of us on Saturday and another 2 for each of us on Sunday and we finished those off with no problems!

Friend Birthday Party Group Pictures

In the eagle's nest, Mena, Kylinn, Aurora, Maggie, and Haley.

On the caterpillar, Aurora, Mena, Maggie, Haley, and Kylinn.

 

Great group of climbers, Maggie, Kylinn, Mena, and Haley.

Tracy helping Maggie climb higher.

 

Petting Animals at the Zoo

 

 

Both girls are getting braver to touch the animals at the zoo!

Waiting for the Zoo to Open

 

The girls and I arrived early at the zoo for Mena's friend birthday party.  They are so silly!

Mena's Family Birthday Party

 

We celebrated Mena's 5th birthday and Tyler's 4th birthday. 
They both successfully blew out their candles!

Mena has played with her new cash register every day since receiving it from Aunt Beth, Uncle Tim, Peyton and Tyler!

I love how cards are opened just like presents at this age!

Maggie was excited for Mena to open her presents.

More doll house toys!  The girls were both excited over these and have played with them every day since receiving them from Grandma and Grandpa!

The mystery of "what's inside?" was facinating for Maggie!

Mena wore her new dress to church on Sunday that she received from Aunt Peg, Uncle Jon, and Jake.

A crazy group of cousins!!!
From Left:  Tyler, Jake, Peyton, Mena, and Maggie.

Playground Fun at the Campground

Maggie sat opposite me on the teeter totter and did some squats to make her go up and down.  Good way to sqeeze in some exercise at the playground :)

The slide was a hit again.

Mena was "no hands" and stomping her feet on the metal slide to make lots and lots of noise!

 

 

 

As with all children, dirt (and wood chips) are a great place to play.

 

I think the metal merry-go-round was cool to lay on when Maggie got hot.

All the kids on the merry-go-round for a group picture!

Shannon taught the girls how to play flashlight tag, but it ended up being more a game of "where's Mena's flip flop" since she kept losing her shoe while she was running!  Mena saw how much Jacob was riding his bike, and she kept following him on her bike.  Jacob never waited for her, but Mena was happy to keep riding around the same area that he was in.  Mena also followed Jacob onto the playground we were camped beside (the new one, not the one I got pictures on).  I think she felt safer with someone she knew nearby.

We got the best site we've gotten so far at Louisville.  It was right beside the new playground and just a short walk to the beach.  We went swimming both Friday and Saturday.  I was successful in getting fires started both nights so we could roast marshmallows and our brats and hot dogs.  The playground was so close that the kids could ride bikes and play while we got meals ready.  It was a great weekend away before my fall classes started up.  We're done camping for the year.

 

These last two pictures are ones that Mena took of Maggie when she was using the camera.