Anna turned 6 last week. I'm a bit late updating though. "/ It's been rather busy around here. Nothing exciting or anything, just life... And Meredith is in a phase where she pretty much rules the roost around here...and she doesn't take too kindly to me just hanging out on the computer all that much. But, tonight Josh offered to take the big kids to swim class, and Meredith seems pretty content sitting in my lap watching the Ipad for now. :)

Anna tried very very hard to get us to have a big party again this year. She was really into the idea of inviting all of the kids from school and having her party at a place like many of them did throughout the school year. We persevered though...through all of the tears and fits, we managed to just have a family birthday, and in the end, she didn't complain a bit.

Her birthday fell on a Thursday, which is super annoying because I just really don't have time during the week to make her a cake, but she's very aware of what day her birthday is now, so I can't really pull a fast one on her and wait to celebrate until the weekend, so she got a small store bought cake of her choice on Thursday, and then I made a cake on Saturday. :)

A month or so ago I bought her a small point and shoot camera to give her on the big day. I knew she wanted a surprise egg, but good grief, they don't just sell those things online and make it easy for you...you have to get all the crap and do it yourself. And the youtube people are nuts with their very creative use of play doh to wrap the surprise egg. So, around Easter I bought a set of big plastic Easter eggs in the hope of getting one put together for her. But, as the day drew nearer and nearer, the surprise egg was looking like it would be less and less of a reality. I didn't have any time to go look for all of the blind bags and stuff to fill it. But on the 15th Josh called and asked if I could go "buy a surprise egg". Ha! Yeah right babe. When I explained the problem he offered to go buy the stuffings. He really had no idea what he was looking for, so I sent him some pics, and I'll be damned if he didn't try to wipe Target completely out of blind bags... After I wrapped everything that night, I was fairly certain that her camera would get lost in the shuffle of surprise egg excitement, so I let her open one present early before I took the kids to Granny's for the day. :)

When I picked her up I had to take her to the doctor for her annual appointment and in all the excitement of it being her birthday, she completely crashed in the car on the way home and looked like this for about the next 2 hours after we got to the house.

...which was crazy because we were all ready to give her the surprise egg!!!

We finally just woke her up.

Notice how the surprise egg is not wrapped in play doh.  She didn't complain! — Notice how the surprise egg is not wrapped in play doh. She didn't complain!

As expected, the surprise egg eclipsed everything else.

It ended up becoming a group gift.  :)  They all got to open up packages of miniature toys. — It ended up becoming a group gift. :) They all got to open up packages of miniature toys.

On Saturday I made her a big cake, but it wasn't nearly as big in reality as it was in my head...and I quite frankly made the selfish decision to make a chocolate cake and try to pass it off as a princess cake. "/ It wasn't the prettiest thing I ever made, but once again, no one complained! :)

I thought I'd have room on the cake for some of the princesses...not so much.

And Jasmine was a bit drunk apparently and kept trying to fall over.  I ended up propping her up with tooth picks. — And Jasmine was a bit drunk apparently and kept trying to fall over. I ended up propping her up with tooth picks.

Anna attempted to blow out the candles from like 3 feet away.  She managed to get most of them.  :) — Anna attempted to blow out the candles from like 3 feet away. She managed to get most of them. :)

Well...I'd write more, but Meredith has lost patience with me being on the computer for now.... :(