How is Lena 4 years old already? I always get a little sad around her birthday, obviously because my baby is growing up and it's exciting to see what the next phase will bring! But on the other hand, it's another year further away from my baby being the last of the baby Barnhart's! Lena is the baby of the family and she definitely knows that and knows exactly how to use her position for her own good. I mean, her face, the glasses and the voice that is SO sweet - it's a weapon! Gets me every time. But don't let that fool you. She's smart, stubborn and tough as nails so don't make her mad!
Lena loves kitty cats. In fact, sometimes I think she meows more than she talks. She loves to play 'rainbow kitty' and respond as a cat. Sometimes she asks you to address her as 'rainbow kitty' or she won't answer so this is why a kitty themed birthday was her first choice!
Lena is in preschool this year and she's looking forward to Pre-K next year, already. She always says, 'when I get bigger and bigger I can....' She loves to tease her sister but also wants to be her biggest fan. I hope someday that Laila understands just how lucky she is to have a sweet sister that loves her so much and only wants to be her friend for life. It's hard when they're young to see the big picture but I pray that someday she'll see what I see.
We invited our family and a few friends to spend the day with us; some traveled several hours like they always do. It means a lot to Travis and I that the girls get to see and spend time with family that we don't get to see often.
Laila and I decorated for the party and threw in some of Lena's favorite things! We had a lot of fun wearing the cat ear headbands!
I threw together some desserts and added in Lena's favorite ice cream toppings! I don't think the mini gummi bears lasted long! The cake was a vanilla funfetti cake because what's a party without a funfetti cake?
It was a beautiful day so we took a long walk to visit our horses and for her actual birthday on Sunday we visited our neighbors up the road at the A&R Alpaca Farm! They're very docile animals and very sweet. They loved having their picture taken and looking at our sunglasses! Maybe someday we'll have one of our own(hint!)! The girls loved visiting and learning about the alpacas and they're excited to go back and visit again. I recommend checking out the farm - super sweet people that love their animals!
To me, there's nothing quite like celebrating your child's birthday. It's better than any, other day of the year, really. The day they were born; the day they changed your life forever. It's a big deal, am I right? Of all the good and hard things about being a mom, it's celebrating each year and watching them grow that's the very, best part of this life.
Sweet Lena Grace, don't ever let anyone steal your fire for having fun!
Cheers to 400 more!
xoxo - Mom
