She's 'tutu' much fun!

I am happy to say that M2's 2nd birthday party was a success! She was as adorable as ever, and the cupcakes were delightful...among other things. ;) The theme for the party was 'two two cute', so there was plenty of tulle to go around! I made tutu centerpieces for the tables with some help from my amazingly talented grandma - thanks, Joey! Now if I was as talented as her, I could make and do just about anything, which would come in handy for when I become an event planner!

I think one of my first ideas was to put a tutu around the cake stand...and BOY, was it cute!

Just precious!

Sisters like parties too.

the decorations...

(the back sides of the picture 'lollipops')

The cupcakes were just as yummy as they look!

She got a little spoiled...but how can you resist?!

We feel truly blessed to be able to celebrate her birthday with our families and friends. Unfortunately, the cold/sick season meant that some of our friends couldn't be there...silly February birthdays anyway! M1 was home most of the week with a fever, so the party was in limbo for a while. I'm glad everything worked out! If you recall, her bday bash was postponed last year because of RSV. It's a sad day for a party planner to do all the work and have to reschedule! :)

Her actual birthday was the day before the party, and we tried to make it special! I had the day off, so we celebrated ALL day! You only turn 2 once, ya know! We started the day with birthday muffins after a little present for the birthday girl...

She wasn't real sure what the candles were all about. :)

So we tried again at lunch...candles in the apples. This time she gave it a little effort.

God has truly blessed us! We are so thankful to have M2 around, and we hope we get to spend many, many, many... more birthdays with her.

What should we do?

Let me set the stage for you...we live in a small town, it's a Saturday (not sure why that matters - there's really nothing to do on any given day in a small town during the winter), too muddy to play in the skiffs of snow that are left, too messy to go for a walk (plus I didn't want to drag the stroller out of it's winter home in our basement), but it's nice enough to leave the house, and we're tired of sitting around. What should we do? Well, we should go play at the gym at school, of course! After airing up our deflated balls, we packed up a couple and headed out. The girls were MORE than thrilled to be having a 'gym day'. As soon as we pulled into the driveway at school, M2 could barely control herself, and would have jumped right out of the carseat if she could have. So cute.

We flip on the light switch, and you would have thought that we had just won a million dollars! Both girls have eyes open wide and smiles across their faces. I can only imagine how big an empty gym would look to an-almost-2-year-old. It was almost like they couldn't STOP their feet from moving once we got settled. It was kick the ball here...run over there...repeat, repeat, repeat...

M2 taking her inaugural lap

M1 keeping an eye on the ball

playing 'keep away' with daddy

Maybe she's thinking about the big plays she'll make someday.

(Her uncles can wish, can't they?!) ;)

Sisters

He wanted me to take this picture and photoshop a real size ball into it.

Sorry hunny, the secret's out.

Hey...Now why didn't anyone get a picture of me sinking that 3-point shot?!

After a little exercise and a lost game of 'pig' (I only lost by 1 letter though!), we packed up and headed home. It really was a GREAT way to spend time as a family and burn off a little energy. I'm thinking I might have to work a little harder than that to fit into my swimsuit in a couple months though, huh?! Shucks. And I guess living in a small town isn't SO bad...it forces you to get creative. I guess I can handle that.

Three's a Crowd?

So there comes a time in your life where, I guess, you have to decide if the amount of children you have is the 'right' amount. I AM almost 30, ya know! I feel like I am waiting for 'signs' to tell me if two beautiful, healthy girls is the right amount for us. Let's run through the reasons why TWO kids are perfect, and three's a crowd. And if you're wondering, YES, this blog is a type of therapy. Anyway...

#1 - I can almost reach out and TOUCH family vacations...or trips to DesMoines, for that matter.

#2 - We don't require a minivan!

#3 - We can still fit in a booth at a restaurant. *Thanks, Candi - I like that one! :)

#4 - We aren't outnumbered.

#5 - We are enjoying the girls being older and more independent.

#6 - After having 2 girls, it's nice (and less $) that clothes can be passed on. What if we had a boy? Start all over with clothes, room, decor, etc (Ya know...because EVERYTHING we have is pink! ;)

#7 - We will be able to do more as a family - SOON!

You get the idea...

So, yesterday my good friend had her first girl, and I'm feeling like that is THE sign. I went through the tub (filled to the top, of course) of 0-3 month clothing and took out the really special things...although my husband doesn't really understand what makes those things so 'special'. (Guys never understand the important stuff.) As I carried the large tub through the hospital entrance and into the OB, I was reminded of the feeling you have when one of those rooms is yours. The feeling you have when the nurse says "it looks like you're going to be staying today". The feeling you have when they roll in that sweet little bundle of joy in a tightly swaddled blanket. The feeling you have when guests come in and can't stop smiling at that precious baby that I carried for 9 LONG months. The feeling of being proud of how hard I worked to get that baby OUT! So as I left that tub of clothes behind and walked out to the car, I kind of felt like I was leaving more than just clothes behind. Hmm...something to ponder?

On my 3-block trip home, I have a rush of emotions. I also remember that I LOVE sleep, I LOVE routine, & I LOVE that my kids can talk and don't need me 24/7. So maybe I won't ponder it?

These two girls bring more joy to my life than I ever would have imagined. Before we had kids, I knew I wanted ONE girl. I got two. I cannot complain. I'm lucky.

Beach Day!

M1 had a special day at preschool today...it was BEACH DAY! The directions were to send them in 'beach clothes' ON TOP of warm clothes. Hmmm...sounds like a fashion nightmare to me! So I dug around in the overflowing bin of clothes from the summer. (I know that you're surprised that my children have more clothes than they can possibly need.) ;) Anyway...I brought a few things upstairs to show my husband and he said, "It doesn't have to match, ya know?!" ...

WHAT?! You want me to send her into public with uncoordinated clothing? Umm...apparently he hasn't been paying attention for the last 10 1/2 years that we've known each other. She is GOING to match! Ha! If she is going to wear pants UNDER shorts, at least she should look kinda cute..right?!

This is what we (I) came up with...

Leggings proved to be a winner under shorts. I'm trying to think back to when I was little...did we have leggings? I'm picturing myself wearing real sweatpants (you know - the kind that are baggy but cinched at the ankles?!) Oh my!

If someone is going to have this crazy assignment...you couldn't look cuter than this... :)

Beach day calls for a 'pretend like you're surfing' picture.

We have had a great start to 2011 so far! And I count it as a success that I have updated this blog within the first month of the year. Hopefully this entry will get the ball rolling...