Happy 4th Birthday, Eleanor!

Our beautiful, sweet Eleanor is 4 today! We celebrated her birthday on Saturday at the Canticle Park shelter at Assisi Heights. It was a perfect day - a bit cool, but sunny and warm when you sat in the sun. Obviously, the theme she wanted this year (and by theme I just mean what type of cake!) was Hello Kitty. She was so proud of her cake which had a little purse and compact mirror on the top to be removed and played with later.

We had a special surprise for Eleanor. Her little friend Olivia came to her party! Eleanor met Olivia this summer when she spent three days with Mari Lee in St. Cloud. Mari Lee's friend Alice is Olivia's grandmother. Alice was kind enough to bring Olivia down to Rochester for the party. They came to the house first and the girls immediately started playing and pretty soon were dressed up as princesses!

Miriam wasn't too sure how she felt about all this birthday stuff....

The girls also put a little dance "show" on for us which I got on video. I'll post that later.

Miriam (in her fall coat!) up at the shelter. It was absolutely gorgeous up at Assisi Heights and it was great because we were able to let the kids just run. Wide open spaces + small children = happy adults. :)

Besides Olivia, Theodore & Lucy came to the party (with Jon). This was kind of the first "friend party" for Eleanor. I love how Theodore has his hands in his pocket in this picture. Theodore & Eleanor (aka The Roosevelts) will be in preschool together this fall. Aunt Sue, Matt & Melissa, Mari Lee & Alice were also at the party. Eleanor got a lot of cute gifts (I had no idea there was so much Hello Kitty merchandise!) and fall clothes including a purple plaid pea coat and flare jeans w/rhinestone details from Matt & Melissa. And, an adorable polka dot Hello Kitty dress with a bubble skirt from Mari Lee. Truly, clothes for a big girl!

Eleanor got a double treat having Olivia come to Rochester. Mari Lee & Alice got a hotel room with a pool and the girls spent the night with their grandmothers. After the party, Michael and I joined them at the hotel to watch the girls swim. Eleanor was really tired the next day because they didn't get to sleep until after 10 o'clock. Eleanor told me the next day (after she had a good nap) "I didn't have trouble going to sleep because I just sucked my fingers, but Olivia had trouble." She also told me she had Fruit Loops & a pancake at the continental breakfast in the morning. Every 4-year-old's dream birthday breakfast!

The kids got so silly when I was telling them they had to wait to have cake. They wanted to tear into that frosting so bad!

This is the only picture I could get with the candles lit. It was hard to keep them lit with the breeze at the park.

"Happy birthday to you, Happy birthday to you..." With all of us musicians, this was sung beautifully (perfectly in tune w/harmony) as you can imagine! :)

Proud Mom & Dad with the birthday girl.

We truly can't believe that she's 4 already - sniff, sniff. She's already becoming quite the little lady.

Eleanor - we love you so much and are so proud of the mature, smart, kind little girl you've become. You are so precious to us! Happy Birthday!

A special Happy Birthday to Uncle Jordan who also has a birthday today. He's 29!!