Meryl is FIVE! And we all made it into the picture!

Forget ‘surround sound,’ we’ve got ‘surround scene!’ Gotta see the moment from all angles, physically and digitally:)

“A Frozen birthday. It’s just what I wanted!” - Meryl

Such a big day, despite not physically seeing many people! We’re all thankful for Meryl’s birthday dinner request: Beefaroni. Cheese powder is the MVP yet again. She Zoomed with her preschool classmates and teachers for a school year farewell and birthday celebration. Her favorite pianist (yep, you read that right) FaceTimed her to play “Let It Go.” She received a myriad of Elsa mania (hello, coronation shoes from Xanna!) and more mania she never knew she desperately wanted. And we forced upon her, and us, Elsa Blue Family Shoes…matching Nikes in pale blue. Because, we like to walk on air:) Happy Birthday, Meryl!

Trying out the twirl factor of the Elsa dress Lola made for Meryl:)

Five-year check-up today! Darth Vader and Boba Fett joined in with tea and a knitting project. What’s normal or average anymore? Meryl walked out exceptionally exceptional.

Forever and ever, Meryl and cousin Lainie are birthday twins! Happy Birthday, Lainie! And there’s no one better to celebrate today together in all of its sparkly royalty:)

Walking out like a boss! (He’ll be back in a week, when he gets to claim alllll the limelight upon his return with Meryl elsewhere at Kindergarten!)

Holmes loves Jenga!

Meryl has successfully slept on her bed, the trundle bed, bean bags by her bed, the doorway floor, the floor, the floor underneath her bed…and now the closet floor! Because we used to have more room for ourselves, Frank’s ties still hang in her closet and she picked her favorite one to make a mobile above her bed:)

Wishbone!

Well, this kid’s last week as a four-year-old was pretty sweet. We masked up, we explored new playgrounds, we rode the outdoor escalator (which now goes up instead of down!), she chatted with Xanna, she did Zoom ballet, she tried black licorice, and she did lots of coloring during afternoon quiet time:) Here’s to tomorrow with a five-year-old!

We’ve gotten hooked on an Australian series called, Bluey. One of the episodes, called “Mount Mumandad,” is about two young siblings who gear up in their base camp tent and then climb atop their parents’ tired and lifeless bodies. (Yep, the show is as much for parents as it is for kids.) We watched it today while in line to get our next round of COVID testing and decided to recreate it at home!

Of course, Mount Mumandad might rumble and cause avalanches during an expedition. Climb at your own risk!