Ethne’s birthday celebrations.

Yes, this girl turned FIVE YEARS OLD on the first of November.  Yes, five years ago I had the most easy and pain free labor I’ve ever had the pleasure of …enduring?  It makes me wonder what’s wrong with my head that I didn’t have an epidural for the following two children.  Anyway.  Now this sweet little baby

looks like this.

She lucked out with having 3 celebrations this year.  I figure I’d post all of them in one fell swoop.
The first was on her actual birthday with her family.  We had brownies.  Yum.

Before I handed her her three presents, I said, “This one is from Daddy and me, this one is from Jethro and Hazel, and this one is from Talmage and Orrin.”  Which was kindof untrue since those people had had no hand in picking out the presents nor did they even know what the presents were, but Talmage raised his fists in the air and yelled, “Yeah!!” and laughed because he was so proud that one present was from him.  It was so funny.


(Yes, I know that Brett looks weird with a naked, beardless face, but he had to shave after he did his funny Halloween facial hair.)  We love Ethne!

Then, on Thursday she didn’t walk to school at the usual time because her kindergarten class all walked to our house to pick her up in the little birthday wagon and take her back to school.  That’s just the cutest thing ever.  What a special thing for the little birthday kid!


Orrin and I followed along and Talmage rode his bike, and I had to keep yelling at him not to get too far ahead.  (p.s. My mom was talking to me the other day and mentioned how her neighbor drives her son from their house to the road where the bus stop is every morning.  They do not live very far from the road at all.  I was like- oh my gosh, move to Switzerland where I don’t know a single person who drives their child to school no matter what the weather, AND then when they get there they go out in the forest once a week.  And they just say dress warm.)
Then she got to sit on the special chair in front of the special floating birthday candles while they sang to her and then she picked out a little gem/rock thingee from in the water.



Then she walked around showing everyone in the class the one that she picked out.


Then they all went and did their normal kindergarten things.

And Orrin fit right in.  I’m thinking of sending him every day.

I love kindergarten classrooms.  All their fun decorations and awesome toys. 
I loved this little table for kids to play at where there were trees and a few forest animals made from wood, and then some painted boxes and then leaves and nuts and acorns and rocks brought in from outside.

  And I loved this Swiss farmhouse with little wooden dolls and animals and furniture and tractor.

And lots and lots of cows.



Orrin liked it too.
 
Oh, and I took a picture of this because I want Brett to make one for us.  So, one kids sits on the chair part, and then another kid puts on a  little harness and lifts up the two handles and pulls the other kid.  I wish I would have got a picture of some kids playing on it, but I didn’t.  Anyway, it was totally awesome.

And finally, on Friday afternoon Ethne had her first official “friend” party.  (She had one with cousins before which mostly counts.)  It was a Fancy Nancy party and she invited all the girls from her class, which was seven, which was too many.  But luckily I asked a girl in our ward, Alyna, to come help me out since you know, I don’t speak the same language as all these kids, and that was a GREAT idea.  I would have really gone crazy without her.
Anyway, some balloons were hung up by strings all over the ceiling (and by the way, I’m totally doing this for Orrin’s birthday because he was IN LOOOOVE with them.  Every time he saw them he was overcome.), and Alyna brought some of her old dress-up clothes, so Ethne and Hazel dressed up in them.
 

(I had to post this picture just for Jethro.)

They played Pin the Jewel on the Tiara, and we read Fancy Nancy to them (Alyna translated it), and then they decorated cupcakes with some sprinkles and things.  Then Ethne opened presents and then it was time to go home and let me tell you I was so glad.  They were crazy.



But I think Ethne had a good time and felt pretty special.  So all’s good.  Happy birthday to my girl!