- Zero.one.two.three.four. F I V E ! ! ! -

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Harper Cecilia, 

So sweet... So beautiful... Sooooo kind... I must admit, I kind of really love having a big FIVE-year-old in the house!!!  You are a dream come true in more ways than one.  I love your inquisitiveness and your desire to learn and grow; you are a dry sponge that soaks up anything/everything we say or do.  You are thriving at the parish preschool three days/week and blossoming in faith and love; your maturity is incredible and your big heart inspirational!  Your birthday started this year a few days early as we prepped a cupcakes snack for your classmates...

...and then on your "real" birthday, you took Daddy to school for the Donuts with Dudes event!

^^ As a surprise treat, we signed you out early from school, and you and Daddy came home with Starbucks and walked right into your birthday scavenger hunt!

You later told me that you "didn't really like the box of clothes that the first group of clues led to but didn't want to say it out loud to be rude," but you MOST definitely loved the Power Wheels, "electric bed," and fort building kit! ...Admittedly, the clothes were my idea and the others were daddy's ideas, but no surprise there because #funparent forever and ever amen.  Whattttt a birthday!

Hours DAYS later, this building kit is still a hit and has been manipulated into probably 15+ structures!  You are awesomely artistic and crazy creative for only being 5!!!

For dinner, you requested to go to "the Mexico restaurant."  I told you in the car that we would tell the waiter it was your birthday, and you asked me three times during dinner if I had told him yet...

...then, all the sudden...SURPRISE!!! :D

We had scheduled your skating party at the YMCA for the following day, but pumppppp the brakes:  ENTER CORONAVIRUS.  Despite the YMCA remaining open through the quickly evolving pandemic, we made the tough decision to cancel the party to participate in social distancing and keep our friends and family safe [and other peoples' friends and families who would've also been at the YMCA that day].  It broke my heart to break the news to you [privately teared up in the bedroom before gaining composure to come tell you!], but you were so understanding and sweet [which cued the private waterworks again].  Was I more disappointed than you?!  ...We'll never ever know, but BLESS YOU for rolling right along with the punches and making the best of plan B after you had been looking so forward to the skating situation.  We still had the grandparents over for dinner and cake, and it turned out to be the best case scenario with the limited options we had!

With a little help from Scarlett on the sidelines, you knocked out all five candles...multiple times!  They were trick candles, which is perfect for you as you're quite the little trickster these days!

I'm really trying to figure out when/how 5 years came and went; it seems like just last week that you were a tiny, red-faced, screaming newborn!  You've now grown into one of the most beautiful little girls we've ever seen!  We love your sweet soul and sassy spirit and are SO LUCKY to call you ours!  

Happy 5th birthday, Harper girl!  We love you to the moon!!!  :)))