Birthday Countdown: Part III

Our Dearest Elliott…

You had so many adventures on your way to THREE! Spent a lot of time at the local amusement park Bonfante/Gilroy Gardens. Summer concerts. Garlic Festival. Your first gymnastics class with some friends from the neighborhood. You visited Grunc at “Camp Duke” in Yosemite for the first time. More apple picking. Lots of trips to Happy Hollow Zoo with Charlotte. Halloween in South Carolina. Shared Holden’s First Thanksgiving and Christmas. Visited Popsi in Seattle for Easter. Started dance class with your friend, Maya. Enjoyed MANY playdates and visits from family and friends. You celebrated your 3rd birthday with an Afternoon Tea Party with tea sandwiches, Ina Garten’s Herbal Iced Tea and again, your favorite, piggies in a blanket!

On your way to FOUR you continued to amaze us and make us proud. More trips to Gilroy Gardens. Dance classes. Became potty trained and celebrated with Wall-E at the movie theater. More Summer concerts. A day at the local Lake. A trip to the Oregon Coast for cousin Kim’s wedding. A visit to San Diego for Mommy’s 20th high school reunion! Lots of story times at Barnes & Noble. Dim Sum at our favorite China Town restaurant in SF. More apple picking. Annual visit to the Pumpkin Patch with the Coronas. You were a beautiful butterfly for Halloween. A move to Southern Cal in mid-November. Turkey Day in San Diego. The family’s maiden voyage to Disneyland! Celebrated a beautiful Holiday Season in our new house. Met your first friends in Valencia. Started preschool in January. A trip to the Bay Area to visit family and friends. A visit to The Getty. Your first fundraiser walk for Autism Speaks at The Rose Bowl. Again, many playdates with good friends and visits from family! You celebrated turning Four with an Ice Cream Social. We had mini sloppy joe’s, Ranch potato salad, piggies in a blanket, and a build your own ice cream sundae station with sprinkles, mini marshmallows, Fruit Loops, graham cracker crumbs, chocolate syrup and whipped cream EVERYWHERE! It was fabulous!

Your girlfriends and you decided to play dress up at your party and you changed into your cheerleader Halloween costume from 2 years prior!

Your FORTH year also continued to be full of fun and new experiences. A trip to San Diego to help Cousin Dorothy celebrate her 100th birthday. A darling end-of-the-year program at school. A wonderful trip to Wawona, Yosemite with the family to visit Grunc & Jill. Swim lessons. Awesome concerts in the park. Swim play dates. A weekend in San Diego and your first trip to The Corvette Diner. Visiting Mommy and Daddy’s friends in Newport Beach. A road trip with Mommy and Holden to the Bay Area over Labor Day weekend to celebrate two very special birthdays (Charlotte & Baby Finley) and visit cousins Izzy and Samantha. Trips to Santa Monica. The Pumpkin Patch in 100* weather. Your first UCLA football game. You started your last year of preschool with your new teacher Miss Linda. LA Zoo with Lolo & Lola. Second annual family Disneyland trip to kick off the holiday season. San Diego for Turkey Day. Vegas for Daddy’s 40th. The best Christmas Season ever. Karaoke on New Year’s Eve. Viewed Rose Parade Floats. Started dance class again. Second Autism Speaks walk. Miniature golf. Bumper boats. Nature hikes and SO much more.

You love life and enjoy everything you do. You get such nice feedback from Miss Linda and your dance teacher, Miss Vanessa. You are a good friend and a caring sister. You are crafty, smart, curious, funny, silly, spirited, fearless, sensitive, full of energy and we can’t wait to see what adventures you will uncover as you celebrate your way to SIX.

But first…..

tomorrow is YOUR big day!

Guaranteed to be full of tumbles, leaps, cartwheels and jumps as you celebrate turning FIVE!

We love you Miss Elliott,

Mommy, Daddy, Holdy, Riggs & Rassy