I'm 6, I'm 6, I'm 6 - yah, we know

Six years old, and one day.  Helaina is thrilled to be six.  All day yesterday the first thing she would say to people is "I'm 6.  I'm 6 now." - not that it was her birthday, but that she was 6.  She's excited that her age is no longer just five fingers on one hand, but that she needs that extra finger on her left hand to show people she's 6.  She woke up at 4:30am Monday morning to go to the bathroom and I said to her "Happy birthday, sweetie".  She was still half asleep when she said "It's my birthday?  I turned 6 in the middle of the dark morning?"  Thank goodness she went back to sleep.

"What do you want for your birthday breakfast, Helaina?"  "Well, turkey sausages, a corn muffin with syrup (just like Daddy eats them) and juice.  No wait, can I have a smoothie because it's my birthday?"  Yah, she went to school with a fully loaded belly.

Sunday morning I realized that we didn't get Helaina her trio of birthday helium balloons that we always get out balloon-obsessed daughter, so I headed to the party store on a balloon run Monday morning after she went to school.  Couldn't believe we forgot.

Jim and I brought cookies and juice boxes to Helaina's class for her birthday.  Here's Helaina standing with her wonderful teacher as the class sings happy birthday to her.  She was so excited to have us at school.

She got off the bus proudly wearing her paper birthday crown.

We took her to lunch at Tulley's and she chose the mini cheeseburger sliders and fries.  When we got to the restaurant she told our waitress that she was 6 ...

... which prompted the birthday sundae after our meal.  She's looking a little baffled because there were lots of servers singing the Tulley's version of happy birthday and she was a bit shocked.

At home to open presents after lunch.  I saved the comics for months to wrap up her bike ramp (yah, we're nuts) to go with her new bike.

Opening just a few gifts ...

... and just a few more ...

... and then just a few more.  Yikes.  Having a birthday just 2 months after Christmas is not good.

Monday night is gymnastics night and we asked Helaina if she wanted to skip gymnastics and go out to dinner at Red Lobster instead.  "No, I don't want to miss gymnastics."  That's why we went to lunch at Tulley's instead of out to dinner.  Here she is practicing her candlestick.

We stopped for an ice cream cone on the way home from gymnastics for one last celebration of sixness.  She had a good day and we still have a party on Saturday at a bounce house with her friends.  The fun never ends - when you're 6.

Our sweet, considerate Helaina
When we were at school yesterday Helaina's teacher had her select someone to help pass out the napkins.  She looked around the room at all the kids with their hands raised and selected a little boy.  One of the teaching assistants said to her very enthusiastically "Good choice, Helaina.  Good, good choice."  When the little boy came up to me to get the napkins I saw that his eyes were all red and he looked as if he had been crying.  Miss S came up to me and whispered  "He had a yellow day today and he's been crying."  (green, yellow, red stoplight method of discipline).  On our way to lunch I asked Helaina why she chose that particular boy to pass out the napkins.  She said "He had a yellow day today and I was trying to cheer him up, so I picked him."  That's our gal.  She's always concerned about her friends.  If someone is crying or upset she's the first to try to help them feel better or put her arm around them in comfort.  Happy 6th birthday, sweet baby girl, and many many more.

6, really?

Helaina Marie will be 6 years old tomorrow.  February has just flown by bringing us near the end of the month and Helaina's birthday.  We had a family party today.  Tomorrow Jim and I will bring cookies and juiceboxes to school for a celebration with her classmates and we have another party planned for her on the weekend.  She has been looking forwad to her birthday for quite some time now and the excitement has made one exhausted little gal.  She was in bed about an hour before her usual bedtime tonight.  Being the life of the party is tiring.

Although I like to bake, I usually let Wegmans do the baking for Helaina's birthday cakes.  This year I had the idea to make a snake cake because of Helaina's obsession with snakes.  If you google "snake cakes" you get several hundred ideas - amazing.  My original plan was to pipe the frositng onto the 2 halved bundt cakes, but that didn't work.  Plan B, spread the frosting as best I could - which wasn't so fancy.  Helaina didn't mind the messiness though.  She loved her snake cake that had a small similarity to her stuffed snake, Viper.

Opening presents a day before her birthday - an added bonus.

The cake head had a "6" candle, the body had her name spelled out in candles, and the tail had curly sankey candles.

The more candles, the better.  She blew out every one of them.

Frosting face.  Her favorite type of face.

I've got to get to bed now.  Even though I'm exhausted, I'll probably lay there thinking about where the last 4 years have gone.  Every year Helaina's birthday also brings my thoughts to her birth mother and how I wish she could see Helaina now and know that she's a happy, healthy, beautiful, energetic, amazing little gal who is loved beyond belief.  Four years ago at this time we were waiting for our travel approval, which came the day after her birthday in 2008.  Tomorrow will be a fun day with our "baby".

Daddy Daughter Dance - a hit!

The Father Daughter Valentine Ball was a success.  Helaina had a blast.  She loved getting dressed up.  She loved her wrist corsage.  She loved the dancing, the cookies and punch, the magician and the balloon dude.  I just wish I were there to watch it all.

Getting a glimpse at her flowers for the first time.  Smiles galore.

How beautiful she looked.

The dancers.

Daddy and daughter love.

My french braiding technique needs some improvement, but Helaina didn't care it wasn't perfect.  She loves having her hair done.

We didn't know it ahead of time, but one someone Jim knows from work was there with his daughter too.  Little Zoe was one of the people who met us at the airport when we came home with Helaina in March 2008.  Yikes, it's coming up on 4 years with Helaina now.  Time really does fly by.

A little boogeying.

There was a balloon dude at the party.  Can you believe this hat?  Since Helaina has a balloon obsession, this hat was perfect for her.

Last weekend Helaina and Josh went swimming at a local high school.  They swam for about an hour then when I told Helaina it was time to go she didn't want any part of it.

Helaina made her way slowly to the end of the diving board and stood there for quite a while.  We were encouraging her to jump but she was just a bit too timid for her first time.  She really wanted to jump and even though Josh was ready in the water waiting for her, she couldn't muster up the courage - this time.

Yah, we were suckered into children's theater again.  Helaina just loves it so much we couldn't deny her.  She's been going for about 3 weeks now.  Auditions were last week, not that it matters because at her level all the kids are the same type character.

Here's a little assignment from last week about sea creatures.  Hmmmmm, sea creatures.  What could the play be this session?

Yup, the Little Mermaid.  Not the Disney version, though.  This one is the story by Hans Christian Andersen, which has most of the same elements as Disney but different characters.  We just found out this afternoon what characters they will be.  Helaina and her buddies are a school of clown fish!  She was so excited to find out she'd be playing a fish like Nemo.  And the absolute BEST part of it all -- the theater has the costumes.  All I need to get Helaina is a white long sleeved top and white pants or leggings.  That's it!  No costume to make, no hot glue gun, no felt squares, no feathers or elastic.  Wooo hooooo!!!!!

I arranged it, and I can't even go

I surprised Helaina and Jim with a ticket to the Father Daughter Valentine Ball that benefits Golisano Children's Hospital - a place we are unfortunately all too familiar with.  I told them over the weekend about the surprise and Helaina was overjoyed.

 It's killing me that I can't go watch the fun and take tons of pictures.

Her dress is ready.  It's Helaina's first big girl party dress and she can't wait to get all gussied up.  "Mom, can you french braid my hair and put ribbons in it?"  Sure sweetie.

Helaina has one more surprise when she's getting ready tonight.  I bought her a wrist corsage to wear and she's going to flip when she sees it.  She absolutely loves fresh flowers and it's going to look adorable on that pudgy little wrist of hers.

We were talking about the dance yesterday and this was her conversation with Jim:

Helaina:  Daddy, what are you going to wear?

Jim:  A sweatshirt.

Helaina:  Daddy, you can't wear a sweatshirt!  You have to get dressed up.  You have to wear a shirt and put your hair up.

Jim:  Put my hair up?

Helaina:  You have to put mousse in it.

I didn't know she even knew what mousse was!

Helaina's fast asleep on the couch now resting up for her big night.  This morning she was showing me some of the dances she plans on doing tonight.  She showed me her disco dance (from the movie Despicable Me) and her hotdog dance (from Micky Mouse Clubhouse).  She's also got a wild free style dance along with a bootie shake that makes me nervous for when she gets older.  And then there are all the dances she learned at children's theater.  I think she'll definately be teaching Jim a few moves tonight.  I can't wait to get her all girlied up after dinner!

The 'Cuse is in the house

A few weeks ago we took Helaina to her first SU basketball game.  The last time Jim and I went to a basketball game (or did anything by ourselves, for that matter) was pre-Helaina.  She was very excited about 2 things:  seeing Otto and singing the National Anthem.  She got to do both.

A picture before the game started.  So cute decked out in her orange t-shirt.

She belted out the National Anthem in true Helaina form - loud.  Everyone around us was laughing at how loud she sang, how well she knew the words for such a little gal and how stinking adorable she was.  It brought tears to my eyes, unbelievably enough.

I told Helaina that she'd see Otto on the court but that she probably wouldn't get to see him (or her) up close.  Part way through the game I couldn't believe my eyes.  Here comes Otto walking up the steps in our (nosebleed) section.  Jim and Helaina headed to the aisle and Helaina followed Otto up the steps for a hug and picture.  She was thrilled.

A sea of orange and blue.

I brought lots of snacks to keep Helaina amused but popcorn was the one thing I didn't bring.

The man sitting behind us thought Helaina was adorable and chatted with her throughout the game.  At one point he told her he liked her orange hair ribbon.  Helaina said to him "Well, actually it's a scrunchie."  I couldn't stop laughing.

She did so good at the game.  Considering that she was getting tired, the seats were incredibly uncomfortable and crowded and had no backs - she was a real trooper.  About the last 15 minutes she was ready to leave and ended up on my lap, almost asleep at one point despite the loudness (I was glad that I packed ear plugs for her to wear).  It was a good game with SU winning only by one basket.  I thought West Virginia was going to tie it up with 5 seconds left on the clock but mercifully they didn't.  There's no way Helaina could have lasted through overtime.

As if the excitement of the game wasn't enough, we had our FCC Chinese New Year Party that same afternoon and evening.  We left the game and headed to our second party of the day while Helaina snoozed in the car on the way there.  Once at the party she got her second wind, as usual.  A show, friends, food, games and fun.  We were all exhausted by the time we left the party that night.

Some adorable dancers from the Chinese school.

Very interesting dances, singing and music.

There were all sorts of games set up for the kids to play with tickets to win and turn in for prizes.  There was a bounce house (Heaven help us), balloons, candy, glow sicks and more.  Some weekends we have nothing planned and others we don't have a free moment.  The next day we went to a dumpling making party at a friend's house for more Chinese New Year celebrating.

Helaina with some of the dumpling making gang.

School pictures

Here is Helaina's school picture taken in October.  We had to laugh when she brought home the envelope with the pictures and we opened it up.  "Oh my, Helaina, how beautiful!  What a BIG smile!!!" , while thinking to myself "why the heck did you raise your eyebrows like that?"!!!  I'm a firm believer in keeping the original picture - no re-takes on re-do picture day at school.  The beauty and fun of school pictures is that you never know what you're going to get - a smile, a frown, hair sticking straight up, food on their face, wrinkled clothes - whatever.

Cutie patootie.  She was thrilled that the photographer combed her hair before the picture and she got to keep the comb and bring it home.  Absolutely thrilled.

Did her dress match that background or what?

We went to Disney on Ice Treasure Trove the first weekend in January.  It was a good mix of the Disney classics and some new stories.

Here's the crocodile from Peter Pan just before he swallowed up Captain Hook.

Pumba from Lion King.  Helaina's never seen the Lion King but she's read the short story.  She likes Pumba and Timone and clapped like crazy when Pumba took the ice.

Simba and Nala, all grown up.

What Disney show is complete without Donald, Minnie and Mickey.

Snow White about to bite the poison apple.  Every kid in the arena, including Helaina, was screaming "No, no Snow White!  Don't bite the apple!"  Thank goodness Prince Charming happened to be skating around too.

Jasmine waiting for Prince Ali Abbaba and the magic carpet.  The giant skating elephant was pretty impressive.

Mulan with Princess Aurora in the background.

Each show ends with fireworks.  Pretty impressive (and loud).

Bye bye, see again you next January.

During intermission we told Helaina she could pick out one item and Daddy would buy it for her.  Jim was suckered into buying another overpriced light-up spinner.  This one is Tinkerbell.  If I was thinking I would have brought her Cinderella spinner from last year and saved the $22.

Helaina has exciting news.  She's got a loose tooth.  I found it last weekend.  While I was flossing her bottom front teeth I couldn't believe that one of them actually wiggled.  When I told her it was loose she broke into song, dance and then unbelievable screaming.  "I have a loose tooth!  I have a loose tooth!  When can we pull it out?  How will the tooth fairy know when my tooth is under my pillow?  Yippee skippy, I have a loose tooth and I'm not even 6 or 7 or 8 yet!"  I've never seen any child so excited over a loose tooth.  She told everyone at the bus stop, her bus driver, everyone on the bus, her teacher, classmates, gymnastics instructor, children's theater teachers and anyone else that would listen to her.  We've told her that it's only slightly wiggly and it will be a very long time before its ready to come out.  Heaven help us when it's hanging by a thread and ready to yank.  I can only imagine how happy she will be.  Wonder what the going rate for a tooth under the pillow is these days?  Hmmmmm....