Five Years Old!

I think it is a rite of passage for parents to often say, "where has the time gone?"  I know I have said it thousands of times and I know it can be written many times throughout this blog when talking about Lila and how quickly she has grown-up, but it is true.  It is like life gets placed in a vacuum when you get older, get married, work 40+ hours a week, and start a family!  

Lila's transition from 4 to 5 was a little harder on me than I anticipated.  She is officially a "kid," not a toddler; she will always be our baby, but it feels like in the eyes of society she is now expected to be that much more grown-up.  The night before her birthday I was tucking her in and I got a little weepy thinking that I was putting a four year old to sleep and she would wake up a five year old.  It isn't like she would be different when she woke up, but the year ahead is full of so many new adventures, some exciting, Kindergarten, and some which require her to leave things, such as daycare, that she has known since she was 8 weeks old.  She caught on that I was a bit sad and we had a moment talking about all of the new, somewhat scary, events that would take place this year, and with a little squeeze and a kiss goodnight, I tucked in my four, almost five, year old!

We do birthday's big in our house!  When I was growing up birthday's were something to be celebrated!  It is something that Mike and I believe, too, and have continued that tradition ever since we were dating.  This particular year, Lila's birthday fell on Easter weekend.  At first I didn't really think anything of it, until our weekend started filling up quickly with family gatherings for the holiday.  While I love the time spent for Easter, I started to get a little bummed out that it was potentially going to interfere with Lila's big day!  We traditionally have a big party for her with family and friends, but this year it looked like we might have to mix things up a bit, which I was a bit skeptical about.  We decided to split up her celebrations among the family time we had scheduled for Easter.  While it was different, it worked out perfectly for everyone, including Lila.  I think she secretly enjoyed all the mini-parties!

Her birthday landed on Good Friday, so her first gift was the fact that she didn't have school that day!  Mike didn't have class that day, so I took the day off so we could all spend the day together celebrating!  We properly decorated the house in anticipation of Lila waking up and seeing all of the love and thought that was put into her special day!

Getting prepped for the birthday girl!

Balloons...

and more balloons!

Birthday decor everywhere!

Waking up to balloons on her ceiling...how did they get there?!

First morning as a five year old!

There is something about the "oohs & aahhs" of your child when they come upon their birthday gifts or something that was made especially for them!  Lila's excitement bounced around the room as she looked at each of her princess art pieces and her bike.  She hadn't even gotten to her wrapped presents and she was exclaiming how "happy" she was with her gifts!

Elsa & Anna

Ariel & Rapunzel

New wheels!

On to the gifts with wrapping!

Unwrapping her new toys!

Taking a quick spin around the house!

After presents were all unwrapped we got cleaned up and headed to Iowa City to Lila's favorite spot, Build-a-Bear!  Lila has many toys, but her most favorite things are her "buddies!"  So, she was thrilled to know she was going to get to bring a new buddy home with her!  After we stopped at Build-a-Bear, she chose to eat at her favorite restaurant, Red Lobster, for her favorite biscuits and noodles!

Lila and her new friend, Treasure!

We got back from Iowa City and got prepped and ready to have a small celebration with my side of the family.  Lila requested a taco bar for dinner, so we had everyone over to eat tacos and have some birthday cake and ice cream!

Three amigas!

Make a wish!

 

New rain boots!

What could be in this box?!

It's an Elsa dress!!!!

Posing with Grampa and Laura in her new dress!

We had a busy day the next day, but there was a little bit of time in the morning for a little dress up and play!  She didn't waste any time getting that Elsa dress back on!

Queen Elsa

Goofing around!

Saturday brought our first event in our new neighborhood!  One of the things that we have been excited about is the close knit neighborhood group that we keep hearing about!  There are many events throughout the year in which the neighbors all get together, this particular event was the Easter egg hunt in the park.  Lila has already met a few of the neighbor kids and is having tons of fun playing with them in the evenings, but this was another way for her to get to know more friends and for us to get to know the neighbors a bit better!

Hunters to the line!

On the hunt!

The Easter event was really cute!  Not only did they have the egg hunt, but they had many other activities for the kids to participate in: bunny sack races, cupcake decorating, painting, cake walk, etc.  The weather was perfect and the kids were having a blast!

Painting her Easter egg!

On the playground

Sweet girl!

After the Easter event we loaded up and headed over to Mike's grandparents for Easter dinner and another birthday celebration!  At this point, she could get used to having presents and birthday cake everywhere she goes!

Coloring with Aunt Maria

After more presents we ate a yummy Easter meal, and Grandma knows how to get right to our girls heart, by combining cake & ice cream, with an ice cream cake for dessert!

"Happy Birthday to you..."

Make another wish!

After two fun filled days it was Easter Sunday!  What on earth could that Easter Bunny get her that she didn't already get for her birthday?!  We weren't totally sure the bunny would come this year considering she had gotten so many good gifts for her birthday, but guess what...he found us!

The Easter Bunny has been here!

Where will the trail lead?

Look at all the eggs!

Getting closer & closer...

She found a basket full of goodies!

Bunny ears!

An Easter tradition!

We finished up with our family time on Easter morning and got ready for an Easter road trip to Lamont and Strawberry Point!  Our first stop was Lamont to see my Dad's side of the family for a little while.

Road trip!

The Smith side is always packed full of people!  With family members scattered about, we don't get to see everyone together that often, so it is always fun to get together and catch up.  Lila's little cousin Audra celebrated her 3rd birthday in March, so they exchanged gifts...surprise...they both got each other Sofia stuff! Too funny!

Birthday girls!

We arrived in Strawberry to have lunch with my Mom's side of the family!  My grandparents spend the winter in Arizona, so this was the first time we had all been together since Thanksgiving!  Once again, we had a delicious Easter meal and celebrated Lila's birthday, yet again!

Family love!

While Lila's birthday was a bit different this year due to the holiday, it was a wonderful weekend celebrating with her and all of our family!  We are truly blessed to have everyone relatively close so we can have our little girl grow up knowing what it is like to celebrate special occasions surrounded by the people that love you.  

I can't even imagine the posts that lay ahead as we navigate this fifth year!  I know it is so cliche to say this, but birthdays become less and less about material presents as we get older, the real celebration each year is the gift that she is to her Daddy and I!  

Mexican Getaway!

Last year we made plans to go on a trip to Cabo during Mike's Spring Break.  Sounds great, right?!  The trip was planned before we moved and it is probably a good thing it was, we likely would have decided against it with everything we have had going on, opting to focus on settling in to the new house.  I have to admit, as much as I was looking forward to the warmer weather, I was dreading the trip.  I had so much going on in my professional life, my volunteer life, and our personal life that leaving for a whole week felt like a total burden, something that was extremely inconvenient.

We packed up our bags and picked Lila up from school on Friday, March 14th.  She greeted us at the school giddy with excitement, she couldn't wait to get to the airport, we had been talking about Mexico for weeks!

Our little traveler!

Airport selfie #1

Airport selfie #2

Lila is a really seasoned traveler at 4 years old!  She is an amazingly lucky little girl to have gone on all the trips she has.  Even though she has been on many airplanes, the experience is more exciting to her every time!  As she gets older she discovers something different about flying that she didn't realize the last time! You would have thought this was the first time she was on an airplane, she was basically cheering (loudly) when we took off from Cedar Rapids!

We had a small layover in Dallas and after an easy flight we had finally arrived in Cabo!  We arrived in the evening, so we would have to wait for the sunshine, but it was already W-A-R-M!  As we walked out of the airport to meet our car, the first layer of stress started to peel away!

We arrived at our resort, Casa Dorada, got changed into jammies, and ordered room service so we could eat and get to bed...we had a big day of sunshine & water the next day!

So happy to be in Mexico!

It wasn't until the next morning when we woke up and saw the beautiful sunrise and the gorgeous scenery that I finally took a deep breath and realized we were exactly where we needed to be...on vacation!  And from that moment on relaxation was our only priority!

Good morning, Mexico!

I could get used to this!

We didn't waste anytime getting our bathing suits on and rounding up our pool gear!  Lila was super excited to model her new bathing suits and cover-ups that were purchased specifically for the trip!

Ready to hit the pool!

A sunny breakfast!

Finally in the water!

Swim Buddies!

Taking a break!

A lounge chair that was just her size!

Enjoying a poolside lunch!

Even puppy wanted to get some sun!

Defend yourself!

The Casa Dorada had wonderful restaurant choices on the property, but we were also surrounded by a lot of great spots, too.  One of the nights we ventured off to a spot called the Artichoke Heart for dinner!  The atmosphere was beautiful and the food was delicious, too!

Dinner at the Artichoke Heart

Night view from our balcony!

On Monday, March 17th we went to Dolphin Discovery!  I swam with the dolphins when I was younger and it was such a cool experience I just knew Lila would love it!  She is small enough that she has to do it with an adult, and Mike was happy to do it with her!

Getting ready to meet the dolphins!

Smooch!

A kiss on the cheek!

Handshake!

Stand tall!

Nice to meet you, Lila!

Hugs!

More hugs!

Swimming with the dolphins was such a cool experience for the two of them!  To top it all off, the dolphin's name was Ariel!  Miss Lila couldn't love the Disney Princesses any more than she does, so the fact that the dolphin they swam with was named after Ariel couldn't have been more appropriate!

After the swim we went back to the resort and grabbed lunch at The Office.  It was super yummy and a really fun atmosphere!  The whole place is done in bright beach colors, with lively music playing, and blown glass hearts and artwork everywhere!

The Office!

Mike and Lila spent many hours in the pool while we were there!  It was pretty neat to see the transformation in Lila.  The first day she had Mike's hands almost the whole day as they swam.  The next day he bought her a noodle and by the last few days, she was swimming without the noodle all together!  She was definitely a happy little girl in the water and mentioned a few times that she wasn't interested in ever leaving Mexico!  I would be lying if I said that Mike and I didn't talk about never leaving, too!!!

Little fish!

It wasn't until several days after we got to Mexico that we finally convinced Lila to have a morning away from the pool and spend some time down at the beach!  She seems to be a lot like her Mom...I love the ocean, but I much prefer to look at it, and be near it, than be in it!

Ready to hit the beach!

A little sand in the hair never hurt anyone!

Beach babe!

A little unsure about the force of the waves!

Looking towards the marina!

While she wasn't so sure about the BIG ocean, she did enjoy playing in the sand...as long as the water didn't get too close and destroy what she had been working on!

Building!

On Wednesday my Dad and Laura joined us!  They got to Cabo in the afternoon and Lila was so excited to show them her home for the past five days (even though they have been there many times)!  She shared with them that this place was "AMAZING" and the trip was "AMAZING" and everything was "AMAZING!" She is clearly a girl who loves the sunshine & water!  Not to mention she loved the fact that Mom and Dad were hers completely!  We didn't have the hustle & bustle of every day life to distract us, she had our full attention!

Pool attitude!

Thursday was the one full day we had with Grandpa and Laura.  We got up and walked on the beach to The Hacienda, an absolutely beautiful resort, and had breakfast.  Shortly after breakfast we boarded a boat and headed out to do some cruising on the ocean and whale watch!  It was a gorgeous day, so the time on the water was welcomed!

Loving life!

While out on the boat we saw a few whales, one that was pretty close to us and was HUGE!  In fact, the guide mentioned that the whale looked like an adult male that likely weighs around 55,000 lbs!  At that very moment I realized that we were in a very small boat next to a gigantic animal!  Surreal!  We took the boat to the famous rock formations in Cabo, which is home to many sea lions, too!  They were barking away when we pulled up and enjoying some sunshine on the big rocks.

The famous rocks of Cabo!

El Arco - where the Pacific Ocean meets the Sea of Cortez

After all of the excitement of the day we got cleaned up and went to Edith's for dinner.  This was by far my favorite dinner spot on the whole trip.  It makes sense since The Office and Edith's are owned by the same people!  It was the perfect way to spend our last night in Cabo.

Our last night in Cabo!

Grandpa, Laura & Lila

Mariachi band singing "La Bamba"

Cheers to a great trip!

Friday morning it was time to pack up and head to the airport.  It has been a long time since I can say I wasn't ready to go home while on a trip!  As much as I was dreading going on the trip because I felt it was the worst timing, it was actually a huge blessing.  I didn't realize how much I needed to get away.  It was absolutely wonderful to be "stuck" in paradise with the two people that matter the most, the two people who have to share me with all of the other things that go on in my life.  I was so happy to be just theirs for a week...so much so that I actually cried when we left the resort to go to the airport.  I wasn't ready to go back to reality, I wanted a few more days to just be theirs.  Even though I wasn't ready to come back, I was so thankful for the time that we did have, and I knew I was going back home rested and a bit more centered than when we left!

Hasta la vista!