Six.

It was her year for a "friend" party.



So we invited a few over for an afternoon tea (lunch) and cake.





Think she liked the cake?



We practiced our best table manners (and our English accents), decorated hats with flowers, ribbons, and feathers, ran a sugar cube relay, played "pass the parcel" (as always), and made our very own beaded bracelets. One of my intentions in allowing my kids only one birthday party with friends every other year is to cut costs - I figure that I can afford to schedule a party somewhere where someone else does all the work since I will only do so every two years. Unlucky for me, my kids actually like parties at home - or they like having me work my tail off - one or the other - so I never really get a break. Then again, in spite of all the hard work, it was a blast!
A few tidbits about Lily at age 6:

1. She is still the pickiest eater on the planet. However, we have reached some sort of understanding so dinnertime is rarely a battle.

2. She just started reading Magic Tree House books.

3. She is uber-emotional - a trait that earns her a lot of time in her room while she kicks and screams about how I'm not her real mom and she will never love me again - only to crash for a nap, wake up later and shower me with hugs, telling me how wonderful I am and how much she loves me.

4. Everything is someone else's fault. We're working on that.

5. She has a knack for music and I've given in to her pleas to teach her piano. Her singing fills the halls - I guess all that screaming for the past 6 years is worth something after all, if only to develop her lung capacity.

6. She holds the door open every single time we get home from somewhere - until the last person enters the house.

7. She has a sparkling personality and makes friends easily.

8. Her imagination never fails her - and the knees in her pants bear the evidence of crawling around on all fours (as a dinosaur, a pony, yada yada).
Happy Birthday Lily!