Today my sweet Eliza turned 5!
She is a joy and a wonder every day (and yes, a pain in the butt sometimes too). She loves to sing and dance She wants to be a teacher when she grows up, and is constantly asking questions that begin with "when I am a grown up..." Her imagination, curiosity, and memory astound me on a regular basis. She has a great love of gardening - though Mommy is having trouble nurturing this love since I can't keep even the simplest plant alive. Herbs are a special part of this passion, and she can pick out some by smell - especially cilantro (which she loves to eat) and rosemary. Dominic and I are ecstatic that she loves The Beatles as much as we do. She also listens to Hannah Montana, Selena Gomez, and the Jonas Brothers - which Dom is much less excited about, but I secretly enjoy. Her favorite foods are mac n' cheese and strawberries, though she is generally a pretty good eater, and tries new things with some prodding. She loves Olive Garden for their shells and cheese! Yellow and pink are her favorite colors. She recently changed her favorite animal from flamingos to elephants, and enjoys trips to the zoo often. Her opinions on what clothes to wear are strong - if she doesn't like it, there's no chance she will ever wear it! She chooses dresses more often than any other types of clothes, but loves her LA Dodgers t-shirt too! She is totally ready for Kindergarten and I know she'll jump right in and make lots of new friends.
We had a pretty full week of activities, but I realized a few days ago there was nothing planned for today. We plan to celebrate with a few friends by going fishing next week, but still wanted her actual birthday to be special. So I was more than happy to have our friends Sarah, Colette, and Jasper go to the Safari Park with us this morning.
We fed the Rainbow Loris for the first time at Lorikeet Landing. They eat nectar out of a little cup, so they sat right on our arms - and one sat on my head for a while.
Eliza was a little nervous at first, but decided to give it a try after she saw Audrey do it.
They were such beautiful birds.
Audrey
We brought the kids' swimsuits this time so they could play in the little splash area. It was super hot today, so this was a perfect way to cool down in the middle of our visit.
Eliza and Audrey on the alligator. They had so much fun!
After the splash pad, we got to see the lions for the first time in their newly renovated home! The two females were laying right up against the glass and one of them looked up for a quick picture.
Then we went on the Safari Tram. There were lots of giraffes up close this time, some rhinos cooling off at the watering hole, and so many more animals to see.
We ended the trip with a ride on the carousel for the first time too! Eliza picked the zebra, and was so excited!
Audrey rode on this beautiful hummingbird right in front of Eliza.
We headed home in the afternoon to relax and wait for Daddy. The girls both slept on the ride home. When Dominic got home, we went to Eliza's favorite restaurant - Olive Garden.
Pretty birthday girl ready for dessert!
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you.....
Eliza had picked out these strawberry crunch ice cream bars, so we put 5 candles in one and sang to her. It was a wonderful day!
Her birthday celebration and fishing adventure story coming soon!
She is a joy and a wonder every day (and yes, a pain in the butt sometimes too). She loves to sing and dance She wants to be a teacher when she grows up, and is constantly asking questions that begin with "when I am a grown up..." Her imagination, curiosity, and memory astound me on a regular basis. She has a great love of gardening - though Mommy is having trouble nurturing this love since I can't keep even the simplest plant alive. Herbs are a special part of this passion, and she can pick out some by smell - especially cilantro (which she loves to eat) and rosemary. Dominic and I are ecstatic that she loves The Beatles as much as we do. She also listens to Hannah Montana, Selena Gomez, and the Jonas Brothers - which Dom is much less excited about, but I secretly enjoy. Her favorite foods are mac n' cheese and strawberries, though she is generally a pretty good eater, and tries new things with some prodding. She loves Olive Garden for their shells and cheese! Yellow and pink are her favorite colors. She recently changed her favorite animal from flamingos to elephants, and enjoys trips to the zoo often. Her opinions on what clothes to wear are strong - if she doesn't like it, there's no chance she will ever wear it! She chooses dresses more often than any other types of clothes, but loves her LA Dodgers t-shirt too! She is totally ready for Kindergarten and I know she'll jump right in and make lots of new friends.
We had a pretty full week of activities, but I realized a few days ago there was nothing planned for today. We plan to celebrate with a few friends by going fishing next week, but still wanted her actual birthday to be special. So I was more than happy to have our friends Sarah, Colette, and Jasper go to the Safari Park with us this morning.
We fed the Rainbow Loris for the first time at Lorikeet Landing. They eat nectar out of a little cup, so they sat right on our arms - and one sat on my head for a while.
Eliza was a little nervous at first, but decided to give it a try after she saw Audrey do it.
They were such beautiful birds.
Audrey
We brought the kids' swimsuits this time so they could play in the little splash area. It was super hot today, so this was a perfect way to cool down in the middle of our visit.
Eliza and Audrey on the alligator. They had so much fun!
After the splash pad, we got to see the lions for the first time in their newly renovated home! The two females were laying right up against the glass and one of them looked up for a quick picture.
Then we went on the Safari Tram. There were lots of giraffes up close this time, some rhinos cooling off at the watering hole, and so many more animals to see.
We ended the trip with a ride on the carousel for the first time too! Eliza picked the zebra, and was so excited!
Audrey rode on this beautiful hummingbird right in front of Eliza.
We headed home in the afternoon to relax and wait for Daddy. The girls both slept on the ride home. When Dominic got home, we went to Eliza's favorite restaurant - Olive Garden.
Pretty birthday girl ready for dessert!
Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you.....
Eliza had picked out these strawberry crunch ice cream bars, so we put 5 candles in one and sang to her. It was a wonderful day!
Her birthday celebration and fishing adventure story coming soon!
They are so cute holding the birds :) Happy Birthday again!
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