Lenninger Family Blog: Kate's 6th Birthday!

Whoa! I thought I had already posted about Kate's birthday. Whoops! I'm going to have to post a couple photo-heavy posts to catch up with life;)

Kate had her first "friend" birthday party the Saturday before her birthday. We decided on a ballerina theme and held it at her dance studio (thanks for the idea, Mom!) She was allowed to invite four friends and we decided two hours was enough:)

Arriving and seeing the space decorated. Mostly.

The girls had some dance instruction from Kate's teachers

Mom, Dave and I worked on decorating the waiting area of the studio

These cupcake toppers were a hit:)

We even hung a bunch of things from the ceiling!

Kate, her friends and dance instructors

Pink sparkly drinks!

In her element

I think it all went well. We needed a little more time to set up, there were tears during the party. Kate started crying when I said that her and Gracie couldn't both pretend to be dance instructors. The party was getting divided and feelings were starting to get hurt. It didn't last long. There are two "leader" personalities within the five girls. Kate is definitely one of them:)

The gals! Thank you to Mom for helping me!

After the party, the boys rejoined us and we went to a Trunk-or-Treat event at Silver Star in New Lisbon. It was a little cold but the kids were adorable and it was fun to see the trunks decorated! We went inside to play some games (Collin killed it in there) and then home to relax. A nice pre-Halloween!

The week of her birthday, they didn't have school Thursday and Friday! That made the Halloween party Wednesday, so Kate was to bring treats on Tuesday, Oct 27. She wanted cupcakes of course, so we baked them up and made homemade buttercream frosting. You know. Just to torture ourselves:) It was awesome. Though I baked extra, only one came home and she ate it in the car:)

The next weekend, we headed to Burr Oak to celebrate Kate's birthday with family, see Great/Grandma and get the kids in a tractor on the farm:) See a post about all that HERE!

Opening gifts on her big day. Late at night:)

Collin "helping"

One of many rounds of cupcakes, this was the only time she blew out a candle:)

We decided to celebrate her bday on her actual birthday (October 30) at Mom and Dads. Andrew and Kylie came over and we had a late night gift opening and cupcake. She somehow received a ton of gifts:) A happy little time to remember her coming into our lives! (it was also a Friday evening 6 years ago:)

Later that weekend, we invited the regular crew over to Mom and Dads so we could visit. The typical Sunday afternoon, football on TV, snacks and treats, sitting around the table chatting kind of party. The weather actually got quite nice so Kate and Collin played outside most of the time:)

I'll have to be brief on an update on Miss Katherine Grace. Maybe I'll do another post with more on her later. But in a nutshell...

-She loves school. I think she is a leader socially and academically. Conferences are next week, so I guess we'll find out! I've heard from many moms that their girls come home complaining that they didn't get to play or get in a group with Kate that day:)

-She can read! She likes to so far. She also will watch our lips when we help her, I'm always telling her to look at the word, not my face:) I LOVE sitting with her and having her read to me. I was obsessed with reading and I'm so excited for her, this is going to open up so much for her! Woo hoo!

-When she plays, she plays being a teacher, dance instructor, mommy, chef....she has to be in charge:) Occasionally, she will pretend to be a baby and Collin is supposed to take care of her! She has a favorite blanket (Frozen) and stuffed animal (Leppy the Leopard) that she wants at night.

-She can be a little afraid of the dark or storms. She is generally not afraid of new situations or places. She does not like to be put on the spot. She might sing her heart out for us at home and want that attention. But if Dave or I ask her to sing for someone else, she'll say no.

-She still talks like a baby way too much. But I've been around all her peers and they all sound exactly alike. I'll be very happy when this phase is done!

-She is adding and subtracting a lot right now too. I love hearing the math she is doing all day in everyday things. I'm trying to instill a wonder and love of math and science at this precious age! So far, she likes it.

-She will bawl during a movie. Most movies. At the token sad part. Sometimes it's sniffles, sometimes it's sobs. Dave picked out the movie Bolt last night to watch after our early supper on a rainy day. She sobbed A LOT! Oh my goodness. She feels every emotion quite intensely. It doesn't make her not want to watch, but one of us better be ready for some hard-core cuddle time with her! :)

-She likes to go outside and play. She'll swing by herself. Trudge through the woods and make up some play. Haul things around. She likes her bike and also rides on all kinds of things that are too small for her. At school, I believe she likes the tire swing and then pretending games and running around (they pretend Girl Scouts {??} and parade and Lord knows what else).

- She is wearing a size 6 most of the time. She is tall and lean. She is roughly a size 13 shoe. She weighs 46.1 pounds and is 47 inches tall. We just had her 6 year well-check (along with Ayden's 9 month check) and she was a champ.

-She lost her top two teeth! Did I mention that before? She will be singing loud and proud "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth!"

-She can crack an egg. :) I waited a long time before I let her try, but she can do it. She likes to help, but will get distracted and hop down to play with the boys before we're done.

-She LOVES her brothers and plays with them all night long. She doesn't like it when we have plans to go somewhere after school (other than her activities - gymnastics and dance) because she really wants to play around with them.

Okay, well this is a bit choppy but it is what I can think of off the top of my head right now. It will have to do! In some ways, she is so grown up and I can totally believe she is six:) But WOW. She is six. I love looking back at pictures of her as a baby, just mind-blowing how we've come so far, so fast. Our sweet baby Kate forever!!