Amara's 5th birthday party was pretty magical and incredible, I must say. We decided to have the party at the new house--even though we weren't moved in yet, because Amara had asked for a princess party, and we thought the setting was perfect for it!
We surprised her with Princess Jasmine as a special guest, and also had a horse and carriage show up to give rides to all the kids.
A face-painter rounded out the entertainment for the party, and a decorated barn served as the perfect party backdrop. Rain threatened us all day, so it was a little muggy, but the kids didn't seem to notice.
Megan and Tony helped us decorate the barn--it looked great, and Little Miss Cupcake provided us a wonderful castle cake--another detail Amara handpicked herself.
Cora wasn't quite sure about all the commotion--the people, the characters, etc. She still had a great time in her princess dress and crown. She played with some of the friends, grandmas and grandpas, bubbles, and being the life of the party.
Amara loved spending time with Jasmine and so did the other girls. It was a very nice treat and Amara was especially proud of her Jasmine costume and crown!
We didn't overdo it with princess'y' things, but we did try to make it a magical day for her. Most of the kids dressed up, and between that and the face-painting, there were more than enough costumed royalty.
Toby the horse was a big surprise too--everyone enjoyed getting rides, petting him, and spending time with him on leisurely walks up and down the driveway.
Princess Cora was a heart-breaker too, especially with daddy.
At cake time, everyone gathered around to see if the cake tasted as good as it looked, and boy did it ever! All her friends and family sang to her and she blushed and got bashfull as usual, but blew out her candles with no hesitation.
After the party, Amara and Cora had fun setting all the balloons free. A few got caught up in trees, but it was a fun after-party for our two princesses in the making.
We all had an amazing day--even the parents! We got lucky with weather and all feel so amazing to have spent the time with a great bunch of people. xoxo Amara!
We moved the annual birthday zoo trip for Amara's birthday to the Monday after the jam-packed week of fun, and ended up with a bizarre weather day. It was actually chilly enough for sweatshirts on June 3! The good news is the zoo was empty and we whizzed around wherever we liked!
As predicted, Amara wanted to head for the polar bears first. They weren't super active, but we did spend some time at the snow foxes.
And at the arctic playground, where the girls had fun running back and forth across the snowy climbing obstacles.
In the reptile house, Amara and Cora both petted a Rose Boa without any hesitation at all. I love that they are so interested in all the amazing creatures around us!
We rode the carousel only three times. We guessed pretty well on the tickets this time. We could have gone more, but as it warmed up, it started to get busier in the park. 
Cora is getting big enough to ride herself--she really didn't need me there, and certainly by next year she won't for sure :(
But the enjoyment she gets--whether i'm holding her or not, is worth every second of our time at the zoo. The girls picked pets to take home--a giraffe for the bday girl and a pony in a purse for Cora (SMH) we had a great morning all together and I really cherish this now 5 year old tradition so very much.
Amara got to take cupcakes to her class on her birthday, which happened to 
She was greeted by her teacher with her special birthday crown from Mrs. Misty
Sarah planned a PJ day for the kids--always a hit. She also got to make and bake her own birthday cake!
The kids loved playing outside too--sand and sensory tables are fun for all of them at this age.
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