Sweet Hila Camille is turning 5 tomorrow.  In some ways I can’t believe she’s only turning 5.  She seems too perceptive and artistic to ONLY be turning 5.  We’ve been celebrating since Saturday with a trip to build-a-bear where we spent more on a stuffed rabbit and stuffed rabbit clothes than I’ve spent on an entire outfit for Hila–ever.  But it was totally fun and she loved it.  We also rode one of those old-fashioned merry-go-rounds.  The kind with the real horse-hair.  The kids loved it.  She had her favorite cousin spend the night Saturday also.  Today we had cake at Mema’s and tomorrow we’re going to start with cake for breakfast and presents and then cupcakes for her class.  Yes, I’ve been baking cakes non-stop.  Hila wants to celebrate her birthday by firing up the black snakes leftover from 4th of July and dying Easter eggs!  LOL.  She’s such a funny kid.  I just adore her.  I have ever since I knew I was having a girl.  I had her name picked out before I had any children at all.  My great-grandmother passed away and although my only memories of her were strained because she was a bit of a cranky old woman I always LOVED her name.  And I’ve never heard of anyone else with that name.  I found out later that it is actually a Hebrew name that means “aura”.  I always wondered if my great-great grandmother had made it up.  I can think of two naughty things Hila has done in her lifetime and both of them a pretty funny.  First, she and Asher wanted create the illusion of snow inside our house so they got the canister of powdered sugar I had left out and scattered it all over the floor of the kitchen.  That’s what we get for calling powdered sugar “sugar snow”.  Then when she was about 2 she got a container of Vaseline and opened it and smeared the entire contents into her hair.  It took weeks to wash that stuff out!  Hila is such a joy and a peacemaker.  She’s always doing things to make other people happy or more comfortable and I feel so blessed to be her mother!