Hello, Birthday Girl

Last Tuesday Nicole had her gymnastics recital. But that's not all!  Look at the sign behind her left shoulder. What does it say?  Happy Birthday, Nicole N!  6 years old!

Nicole has been looking forward to her sixth birthday for years! Six is the age when she gets to start having sleepovers at Grandma's house while her cousins are in town. And six is also when she gets to have a "friend" birthday party for the first time. Looking at this picture, I can't believe how much she has grown up since last year.

At her family birthday party, Nicole received the 18" doll she's been dying to have. The doll doesn't have a name yet but she does have several outfits to change into already and has been declared to be Nicole's sister. I'm sure we will be seeing a lot of her in the future. (But don't worry, nobody has been replaced. Nicole said that Monkey will still be her baby.) 

Nicole chose a Hello Kitty theme for her birthday this year. She received some fun Hello Kitty birthday gifts from family, and this fall when she gets her own room she plans to have Hello Kitty decor. We're already dreaming up ideas for it.  

Have I mentioned that this girl is a blast to be around? 

Nicole's friend party was the next day. She dressed up for kindergarten in all her Hello Kitty gear, from the shoes to the jacket, backpack, necklace, bracelet, and of course headband. (The latter were gifts from her brothers.) I thought wearing a pink tutu over her jeans might be pushing it but at this point, why not? 

We made cupcakes to take to her kindergarten class that morning. We even made the cute little toothpick toppers. (Pinterest is a wonderful thing.) Nicole's class is mostly boys.  

After kindergarten, we brought some of Nicole's friends here for her party.  Three girls and one boy, plus her little brothers. That's all she wanted. We started out by playing Pin-the-Bow-on-Hello-Kitty. The girls were really close to the target.  The boys... not so much. 

Look at their faces! 

Close, Greg. Haha. 

So much excitement opening presents!   

We had a picnic lunch outside with surprisingly warm weather. The kids ate quickly so they could get back to business on the playground. 

We also played the human pretzel game, which they LOVED.  They had to grab random hands and then untangle themselves without letting go. I hate to say it, but 6-year-olds are way better at this game than adults. 

(Dallin, Preslee, Lauren, MaKaye, Nicole, and Greg)

 Happy 6th Birthday, Nicole! We love you! Hello Kitty and all.