Cinco de Cindy

My little girl turned 5! Where has the time gone? I swear that it really was just yesterday that I was out in Utah in the hospital thinking "What the heck just happened to me?" Ahh, memories...

Anyhow, I really wanted and intended to do a big friend birthday party for Cindy this year, but I just couldn't make myself do it. Too much commitment and time, and with Spring Break this week, I just wanted to enjoy the time off and not feel totally stressed. Or I am just a big giant wussie of a Mom. Either way, maybe next year, kiddo. So we just had a small family evening at Grandma Sweeney's house, complete with swimming in 74 degree water, hot dogs, cake and ice cream- and lots of Barbie. Here are some of the highlights from the day:




















The Barbie electric toothbrush was a huge hit. She had brushed her teeth multiple times by lunchtime!


Is there a more appropriate gift I could have given my daughter than breakfast cereal?





I bought this singing Island Princess Barbie back on Black Friday last year and saved it til now (yes, I scored big on it- $10). She had been asking for the new Barbie Rapunzel doll that just came out, so when she saw this package all wrapped, she just KNEW it was Rapunzel. I feared a little disappointment, but she was totally happy when she opened it. She shrieked like, well, a little girl! Or Uncle Brian seeing a snake in a tree, as the saying goes...

Some sibling time with Cindy's new watercolor paint set (also a total score at $1.49 clearance at Walgreen's). That is the Birthday hat from Miss Kristie's class at Preschool, she LOVES it.

And now time for the big cake reveal:

I was pretty happy how it turned out, considering I had no real plan going into it. And Cindy was completely thrilled and that is all that really matters, ultimately. Her only requirement was that it have Barbie Diamond Castle on it somehow- and I ended up just cutting out those little pictures from a mini calendar I bought on eBay. Go figure!

We put up some streamers, a banner and balloons at Grandma Sweeney's. Cindy was in heaven.


And apparently she did not get the memo that this party was going to be just her cousins and grandparents because this is how she set the table. If this were a painting, I would title it "Optimism."





And once her cousins, Sadie and Ana, finally came, she was really in heaven! The pool was chilly- but they all braved the water and had fun.









Time for more presents! Sadie, Ana and Molly gave her the new Barbie Thumbelina movie! (And you can see Cindy's new black high heels from Grandma Sweeney- she LOVES them...)

She got more clothes, a new dress, shoes, and some books.




















And of course, there was more Barbie! The Swan Lake Movie...



And she got her Rapunzel doll after all :) Thanks to Grandma Bingham.



Happiness :)


And what Birthday would be complete without an infamous Bingham Ball! Cindy did escape, eventually, and in this picture you can even see her other pair of heels from Grandma Sweeney.



Cindy has really turned into such a beautiful, fun, smart girl. I can't imagine life without her. And it's hard to really remember the time before we had her.

Plus, she has definitely come a long way since the 'evil hat' experience of her first birthday...



And now she is all about the FUN :)