Six

Six years ago I became this girl's mom, which meant that my life flooded over with joy and love and blessings. And this world became a much brighter place with this sweet girl in it.

 To celebrate the eve of Lulu-Belle's sixth birthday, we began with a birthday bath.

 She loved having balloons in the tub and squirting G with a water gun.

When L was sound asleep, I got to work to make her birthday morning special.

She awoke to a booby-trapped door, and proved more dexterous than I had thought.

 And took a fashionable strut in her pj's down the red carpet.

 She celebrated her party by inviting all the girls in her class to Build A Bear. It's the first year we've ever gone anywhere for her party, and it took so much stress off of me (well, we had a few snags with transportation and reserving tables in the food court, but let's just gloss over those for the sake of the blog and the marriage, shall we? :o)
Lorelei wanted a doll cake that looked like her, and Target didn't disappoint.  It read: Happy Birthday Lulu-Belle.

 She adored the cake, and so did her friends.

Next came the bestowing of gifts.

And we took a single file walk through the mall to the land of stuff 'n fluff.

 All the girls made a decisive quick-pick of their animal of choice, but no, not our Lorelei. She went back and forth between three dogs, a rainbow bunny, a chipmunk, and finally bonded with this tabby cat.  She adores tabby cats.

 She's just a little thrilled with her choice.

Seriously, that kid is oozing with excitement.  Spilling her fluff.

 It's time for a guessing game. With 11 kids in the group, they had to play a LOT of games while they fluffed each furry friend.

She's such a beauty.

For Mr. G. there was no second guessing his pick, Papa Smurf.

Seriously, his affinity for Papa Smurf would have landed him in serious trouble in the 1950s McCarthy era.

 The Connelly Clan.

Taking extra care of their babies.  I love how G's brushing Papa's beard.

Look at the smile on Lorelei's face. She loved every bit of this birthday party. She's only been talking about it, non-stop, for the past six months! (And I love the yawn on G's face, who wanted nothing to do with this picture).

Okay, enough pictures already... they're all looking a bit worn after the Mommarazzi hit.

 Lulu named her new cat Lully, like the lullaby I sing to her.  Sweet.

 These girls were both born just days apart on the East Coast.  Lorelei & Lauryn.

 And it all ended in a serenade.

Happy Birthday, precious girl! Your Mommy, Daddy and Gryffy love you so much!

Six things I love about my sweet six-year-old girl:
1) Lorelei is constantly bursting with creativity and resourcefulness. She finds her "flow" state in artwork and makes the world a much more beautiful and colorful place. I love her drawings, especially the ones of our family. She also specializes in owls, horses, unicorns, cats, dogs and bunnies.
2) Lorelei writes the sweetest "love notes." Her bulletin board is covered with scribbled messages like, "I love Mommy so much." She finds me several times a day to hand me a drawing/note/card about how much she loves our family, and her eyes twinkle as she watches the recipient smile.
3) Lorelei is becoming very expressive about her feelings and has already mastered "I Statements." She frequently speaks by saying, "I feel... when... because...." She has great clarity in distinguishing the many flavors of feelings, like frustration, hurt, anger, love, happiness. I love that she has such a grasp on this at her age.
4) Lorelei has always been a social butterfly, but I've also found that she stands her own ground, stands up for kids who are being picked on (like when a certain boy at her table takes another kid's scissors, Lorelei grabs them right back and hands them to him :o), goes her own way, and treats people with respect and kindness. I'm really proud of her for being such a good friend and example to others. She is strong.
5) Lorelei adores her little brother, and he adores her. They have a connection that nobody else can even come close to forging--they get so tickled together, share a common language, and just care for each other. Sometimes they fight, but by and large, they just go out of their way to do nice things for each other (Lorelei always helps G search for his lost toys, tries to explain things to him like a teacher, and helps him out in any way she can).
6) Lorelei has this way of getting really excited, squealing, and doing the chipmunk nose rub in moments of intense joy. It's so dang cute. And before bed, I tuck her in with butterfly, eskimo and fish kisses, then finish off with a bear hug. She has a loving, joyful spirit that just spills into me and everyone around her.