Happy Birthday, Orelia

 Our little girl is now five years old, and we had the best time celebrating with her last week!

 I set up a little nook in our house with some balloons, a banner, and most importantly, all her presents.

 She had been waiting for maybe 11 months for her birthday to finally come around again, and she was very happy to delve into the day.

 Bennett got in on the fun too, and was sweet and happy for his sister all day.

Orelia remembered us putting a candle in a doughnut for her on her birthday last year, and specifically requested it again this year.

 Thankfully a 7:00AM Door Dash order to Krispy Kreme makes the request even easier to fulfill than last year.

 I specifically didn't sign Orelia up for camp the week or her birthday so we could do something fun together.

 I was hoping we could go to the beach, but the weather wasn't warm enough, so we headed to our favorite little kid amusement park, Happy Hollow.

 Orelia and one of her fellow daredevil best friend loved riding the rides together.

 Orelia enjoyed wearing her poofy birthday costume all morning, and had so much fun just lounging around with her friends.

These three girls have known each other since before they could even sit up, and it's so special that they are still friends.

 Orelia knows how to bring out the excitement in people.

It was the perfect morning for Orelia, and it made me appreciate her summer birthday where she will always be able to spend it outside in the sun - her favorite way to celebrate.

 On the night of her birthday, her best friend flew in from Portland and was able to come over in time for pizza and cake.

 Orelia got an ice cream cake in her favorite ice cream flavor - birthday cake!

After her friend left, I bribed Orelia with one more present if she would pose for a photo.  A mom's gotta do what a mom's gotta do.

 I can't remember what this "one last present" was, actually, but I can assume it was something that arrived that evening form Google Shopping.

 This was the first year Orelia wasn't overwhelmed by presents and quite happily wanted more and more.  A blessing and a curse, I suppose.

 I had been trying to find a pack of sparklers all summer, though they seem to be illegal in California (or at least very hard to find).

 I stumbled upon a pack at a ritzy candy store (randomly enough), and scooped it up immediately so my kids could finally see what sparklers were.

 Orelia absolutely loved holding them and lit one after another to just hold and watch.

 Bennett opted out, and played trucks in the background instead, while we watched Orelia in awe.

Happy birthday, sweet Orelia, we are so lucky to have you light up our lives every day!