On July 23rd our baby girl turned 2! Yes I am late writing this post. Partly because I was too busy crying over the fact that my baby is now 2 and a toddler! And partly because well I am a mom and pregnant and just haven't gotten around to dedicating the time needed to writing this very important blog post.
I don't know about you mom's out there but I feel that there is a lot of pressure now a days to through a BIG EXTRAVAGANT birthday party every year for your kiddo. Well for me, I believe that it is more important to make memories and spend the time and money doing that than throwing a big party. For Lily's first birthday we did the big party with all of our family and friends but this year we opted to go small and I am so happy that we did.
We threw a small party with our immediate family the day before Lily's birthday. Her grandparents, aunts and uncles joined us for a day full of fun and celebrations all about Lily. It was PERFECT! Just the right amount of chaos that it wasn't to overwhelming for anyone. Lily and I made memories the day before making a special donut birthday cake and #2 cookies which she helped decorate. I decorated the house in a Donut Theme for her which she LOVED! And made sure to get her some special balloons for her day. One tradition that we started on her first birthday was to take a picture of her each year the number of balloons for how old she was turning. I love watching the progression pictures as time goes on. Lily enjoyed time with her family and then we opened presents. This was the first time that Lily truly showed interest in opening presents. She had the biggest reactions for ALL of her presents (even the clothes!) and it was so much fun watching her enjoy opening up all of her new goodies. Some of her favourites were her new horses, her trampoline, piano and her Audi Car! Little girl has nicer wheels than her momma does! But Momma and Daddy couldn't resist spoiling their little girl. We sang Happy Birthday 3 times because she loved it so much and then enjoyed a nice long nap! It was the perfect day full of lots of love but most importantly A LOT of laughter.
On her actual birthday we took her to Ripley's Aquarium. I grew up learning from my parents that memories are what last. That's why I think it is so important to share moments like this as a family. As I am sure most of you can agree your children have WAY to many toys. And I felt this way when people were asking me what to get Lily for her birthday. Thankfully she is a summer baby so outdoor toys are always awesome gifts! But she didn't really need anything and isn't at the age yet to ask for anything (THANK GOD!). So we encouraged family members to purchase gift cards or vouchers for us to take her to do things. That way we can continue to have fun together as a family and make memories together. One thing that is nice with Lily only being 2 is that she is FREE for a lot of places still. So even if she won't remember it (which she does remember parts and talks about fish now) or if she hated it (which thankfully she didn't) it was FREE!
Reflecting back on this past year with Lily I have to say my favourite part has been watching her learn new things. Everyday she learns a new word and continues to surprise us with her fearless sassy attitude! She is starting to learn her colours; her favourites are red and blue. She loves counting but still mixes up her numbers. She is obsessed with Shrek, Scooby Doo and Spirit. But most importantly, she is so full of life and energy and it truly brings out the best in both Chris and I. While there are days that this girl may make me want to rip my hair out, she truly is such an amazing kid. She may be sassy (and what can I say she gets that from her momma) but she is so smart, and overall is generally happy which all that matters to us. As long as our girl is healthy and happy we couldn't ask for anything more!
Thank you to everyone who took the time out of their day to wish Lily a Happy Birthday! We all are truly thankful for all the love and support we have for our daughter. Lily is lucky to have so many amazing people who love and care about her.
