Four Years Old!

Natalie is four. How is that even possible? The days are long, the years are short, etc. Also, I think my sense of time is extra-warped, since we didn't really celebrate her turning three until October of last year. So, July just seemed a little . . . soon?

Anyway, needless to say, Natalie was definitely ready. This was the first year that there was real birthday anticipation and excitement - and it was totally adorable.

We started things off by taking Natalie out for Big Girl Breakfast.The picture isn't super-clear, but this is a dinosaur pancake.

Natalie's birthday fell on the Saturday of the family reunion weekend in Michigan, so it was prime party time. And dinosaurs were, in fact, the theme of the birthday party (which is odd because Natalie is not, in general, especially into dinosaurs, but she was remarkably consistent that this was what she wanted for her birthday party). We were so lucky that Bubbe and Grrr did everything for the dinosaur party. 

Prior to the party, we all gathered for some family photos.

The above are my photos from the photo shoot. The whole album from the photographer is also available. Here are a few of my faves that she took:

Here are some party animals:

The kids also got to hunt for dinosaur eggs:

And then there was cake. Which Natalie was a bit ambivalent about. 

Ha, ha, NO.

I mean, the cake even had her face on it (check it out on the lower right there). What's not to love?

Tiny dinosaurs at work:

It was a fun party! Thank you so much to Bubbe and Grr for working so hard on all the details!

p.s. So many pictures, right? Well, as they say, "not reading this is absolutely free," so, please feel no obligation - the blog is like my scrapbook. Otherwise, enjoy!