Her Fancy-Nancy Birthday Dress

In my defense, it was so superlatively pink and sparkly and fancy and cheap (clearance is my BFF), I was physically incapable of not purchasing it for Yvette. The pictures just do not do justice to the confection it is.

I knew her birthday was on a Sunday, so having a dress to spring on her that morning at breakfast was too perfect to pass up. Blame me? Never.

Of course, she knew nothing about it. And when I suggested putting her hair in curlers after her bath - "so your hair can be all curly on your birthday!" - she thought nothing of it. But I was already scheming at how I could deck her out and do her hair and make her as positively twee as I could.

I think it turned out famously.

But even though it was Yvy's birthday, it was still Sunday morning, and I had a lot to do. So I handed the camera to Gabba, and send her to take pictures of the birthday girl and document the charm and poise of the newly minted five-year-old.

My vision of things, and that of my daughters doesn't always jive. Gabba paraded Yvette all over the block, and posed her in front of every flower in bloom. So posed. Lucy jumped in to the action and volunteered to let Yvette wear some of her jewelry, the most note-worthy of which are those scene-stealing orange clip-on things you can't help  seeing in
          every 
               single 
                    shot.

Twenty minutes and almost forty pictures later, Yvette's hair was ruined from being out in the humidity. I made a pointed mental note to NOT mention that to her, because it would ruin her entire day. I did acknowledge that the curls had "relaxed" and that her hair was now "wavy". It sounded exotic to her, I guess, because I overheard her telling several people about her wavy hair.

Yvette and her fellow May birthday celebrators

I might be forever perturbed by the obnoxious orange earrings ruining the photos, and the hair that wilted before I could show her off at Church, but that's just me being petty and distracted from what really matters (anything new? no). What matters is that Yvette felt like a million bucks.

Yvy with her her favorite buddy (and most ardent sparring partner), Eliza

Her birthday party may have been postponed due to weather, and she may have had to wait to open her scooter until Monday (no scooter/bicycle access on the Sabbath, sorry), but her day was wonderful to her.