Happy Birthday Isabella!

Isabella turned 6 yesterday and it was, in her words, "the best birthday ever!"  It was a really fun day.  We started, as always, with cake and presents.

I think that face says it all.  Her presents were a hit.

I asked Bella weeks ago what she wanted to do on her birthday.  I really expected her to say she wanted a party, but instead she said, "I want to get my hair and nails done."  I found the cutest salon called "Sweet and Sassy" just a few miles from here.  It's a salon just for little girls.  Sadly they didn't survive the economic downturn in this area and they went out of business 2 weeks before her birthday.  I was so bummed.  But my gym has a salon in it and so I decided to go there and explain my situation and see what they could do.  Normally their prices are kind of high, but I hoped they'd cut me some slack as a former employee and long-time member.  They were awesome about  it.  They offered to give her a shampoo, cut, dry, and style plus a manicure, complete with milk soak, hand massage, and polish all for $30.  Cheapest birthday ever.  I was thrilled.  So was she.

She loved every minute of it.  The hairstylist talked with her about Frozen and The Little Mermaid while she shampooed and cut her hair and it looked fantastic. I couldn't believe how grown-up she looked with her hair done!  All blown out and curled at the ends with a little bobbypin holding her chopped bangs under so you couldn't see the tufts.  Gorgeous. I was so shocked at how beautiful my little girl looked that I forgot to take a good picture of it. (Yes, she cut her own bangs a month ago because "they were bugging me."  I didn't see until I walked into the bathroom and there were long clumps of hair on the floor.  She cut them to the hairline and now they're 1 inch tufts on her forehead.) I did get one of her getting her nails done, though.  Wish it showed her hair better.

She was in girly heaven.  The manicurist was wonderful and she was so good with Bella - even got the green marker and pen off her hands first.  "That was fun!" she declared when it was over.  I just stared at her as we walked out to the car - in her cute silver dress and leggings, her nails and hair professionally done.  She was so beautiful and so mature looking.  I couldn't believe this was my little nose-picking, thumb sucking Bella.  We got into the car and she looked in the rear-view mirror, pulled out the bobbypin, grabbed a purple Dora the Explorer headband from the backseat, and put it over her beautifully blown-out locks, cramming them all back so you couldn't tell they'd been done.  "That's better," she declared. :)  My little girl was under all that fancy treatment after all.

Thereafter I took her out to lunch at On The Border (her choice - "because I want quesadillas and chocolate milk").  I loved going out with just her.  I'd taken Christian to a friend's house for the day so Bella could have her special day without little brother complaining it was boring.  Being just us girls doing something other than home-school was wonderful.  She's really a fun girl to hang out with.  I was also shocked when after the waiter took our order she said, "He was really nice.  He's really cute too."  What??! There was that teenager in her again that I'd seen in the salon. I'd never heard her say that before!  She only ever commented on girls - how pretty their hair or clothes were.  This was the first time she'd ever called a boy "cute."  Much less a 20 year old guy!  I have to admit, though, she was right.  She's got good taste.  I said, "I agree, he is cute.  Are there any other guys you think are cute?"  "Oh yes," she said, grinning.  "Who?" I asked, dying of curiosity.  "Daddy."  Aaaahhh, my little girl was back again.  I think we are coming upon that tween stage of life where she's hovering between child and teenager and we'll see bits of both for the next 6 years.

After lunch she wanted to go shopping so we went out for a while and found some cute things as well as her favorite bread from our corner bakery.  Then we picked up Christian and spent an hour playing at the friend's house.  The rest of the day was spent watching Frozen for the gazillionth time and playing outside once Benjamin got home.  She, of course, got to pick our meals for the day.  She picked baked oatmeal for breakfast, On The Border for lunch (as I mentioned), and hotdogs, mashed potatoes, and tacos for dinner.  I tried to add some nutrition in there by making the potatoes my favorite potato/turnip/cauliflower mixture and I made a fruit smoothie to drink with dinner. She asked for double and triple helpings.  When the day was over, she was still all smiles.

She kept telling me all day long how much fun she was having and how wonderful this birthday was.  She also thanked me multiple times for all the things I provided or made possible.  She was such an angel.  I sure love her.  She's so smart, loving, creative, compassionate, and spunky.  Bella is a joy to have in our family.