Lola's Birthday

     Celebrating Lola is so fun. She is just the sweetest, cutest, most thankful girl there could be. She's not sassy or disobedient, or any of the things that people have told me little girls can be like. She's still such a light of our family and we all adore her every day. Earlier in the week she helped me make the layers of her cake and loved helping with her apron. I still can't turn my back on her, she may add something or spill something if I'm not looking, but she's a fun little helper that will lick all the spatulas and beaters.
     Leading up to her birthday, we realized that Lola doesn't really like swans. The real reason is because she has 2 aprons, one pink and very girlie and the other is a swan or goose that has a cute little swan neck that wraps around the wearer's neck. She would rather wear the pink one because she loves pink so much. But she told me that she doesn't like swans. This was a problem for me. A few years earlier my Mom sent me some swan slippers that were pure magic from Restoration Hardware but they were size 4-5. I tucked them away in my closet and waited for her 4th birthday so I was a little devastated that she didn't like swans. We kept talking about it and trying to convince her that swans were great! But it wasn't working. Finally I told her that I had a birthday present for her that had something to do with swans and if she didn't like swans then I would just return her present. She looked at me and promptly said, "Well I kind of like them." Progress!! It all spiraled from there. Phil's mom found about the swan slippers and had the cutest little ballerina swan that Lola got too. The swan cake was definitely from my persuasion. She really wanted a ballerina cake, but I thought maybe that would be a better idea for when she's actually taking ballet classes. Oh poor Lola--thanks for indulging your mother and letting us celebrate you with swans. She did end up really liking the swan slippers and for some reason hopped around in them all day. It was hilarious. The swan cake she may have liked, but only had one bite of...
     We had fun making Swedish pancakes for breakfast and watching her open her presents. That same day, Lola and I got to attend a baby shower for a friend that seemed pretty special for Lola too! She was probably tickled that so many of her adult friends got to see her on her birthday and wish her a happy day. In the end we had friends over, sang happy birthday and let her open the last presents. It was wonderful loving on her extra hard on her special day!