Grace is Two!

Gracie turned two a few weeks ago, and this Momma is still reeling in disbelief that she has been in our lives for two whole years. At the same time I feel that this astounding toddler of mine is wise beyond her meager two years. She is so poised, polite, and has such a sweet disposition. Simply put she is such a joy to be around.

To kick off the celebration, she had a mini-birthday party with her Uncle Keith and Aunt Krissy. There was cake, gifts, and lots of hugs and kisses. 

 A few days later it was time for the big birthday bash! The house was decked out in girly rainbow attire, which I must admit that I was very pleased with the end result. (I had my doubts about the crazy idea of hand dying over 800 coffee filters to string together, but was in love with the final product. Her birthday balloon wreath has almost 400 balloons, and I'm not sure how many pieces of tissue paper went into making the giant tissue pompoms, but I think I had the most fun melting down jolly ranchers to make jumbo rainbow suckers, as well as the rainbow cake baked in mason jars, those were a pretty nifty idea too. Please click on the collages below to enlarge and see the birthday decorations.)

Her birthday banner I made last year for the big one year party. My goal is to hang it each year. I'm sure as she gets older she's not going to want to have such juvenile birthday decor, but at least for our little family at home, it will be a cute reminder of how far she's come.

It was so nice to have the house full of family to help celebrate the day. The party itself was a rather intimate get together, mainly just her immediate family. However we did invite our neighbors from across the street. Luke, Lesley, and their two girls Jillian and baby Katelyn. (In the summer months Jillian and Grace take turns sharing yards to run around in, chasing each other, and trying desperately to catch fireflies.) And we also invited our good friends, Renato, Jodi, and their two boys, Matteo and baby Marco. (FYI, Matteo is Grace's boyfriend. Ooh la la! He's a cutie!)

For her birthday Grace got a "big kid" table from her Mom and Dad which was put to use right away. It became the center hub of activity for all the little ones. The main activity was a bowl full of cookie cutters, random molds, and tools, and lots and lots of playdoh! My goodness, this was a huge hit! Funny to think of the wasted hours I spent trying to devise about a bazillion-and-one toddler friendly party activities. Lesson learned here folks, K*I*S*S... Keep It Simple Sillhead! (Taryn's version, of KISS, can you tell?)

Of course no birthday party, regardless of what year you're celebrating, would be complete without birthday cake! I made a red velvet bundt cake, with icing in the middle, and rainbow frosting liberally drizzled on top. It was scrumptious if I'm allowed to toot my own horn. 

Everyone sang happy birthday, and to express her gratitude Gracie gave her cousins the most loving hugs ever! She adores her cousins, and is truly blessed to have them in her life. Her older cousin Shayla is always ready to play, and is so full of life. And Grace loves smooching and stealing kisses from her two younger cousins, Shane and Jack. 

 Gracie's second birthday was a spectacular celebration. One for the record books, as they say. Of course, this Momma wouldn't have it any other way. I am so thoroughly enjoying watching this truly sensational little person explore the emerging world around her. I am so grateful to have been given such a blessing in my life. She makes every day glorious. She gives my life purpose. And I am sincerely enraptured by every little thing she does. I look forward to watching her create a life for herself, and I'll be there for her when she wants me to be there, when she doesn't want me to be there, and always when she needs me to be there. Every step of the way. She's my little baby, and she's already turning into such a fine little lady. This proud Momma couldn't love her more!