Bunny turns 2!

TWO...   TWO...   TWO...

The above is what you would hear if you heard Bunny counting.  Not just the day she turned 2 but every day!  It is the CUTEST thing you have ever heard!  Her sweet little voice is what MAKES it so darn cute!

As you can imagine I had my hands pretty full trying to take care of Little Man and get the greatest 2nd birthday party EVER planned.  I say that with a TON of sarcasm because I always have big plans and big ideas that I can't possibly bring to fruition but I digress.  I decided that we would just have a little small birthday party at our house for our family and a few close friends.  So, that is what we did!  Those family members and friends, one brand new TWO year old and one PINKALICIOUS idea was the perfect recipe for one great birthday party!

Our sweet friend, Mrs. Debbie gave Bunny the book PINKALICIOUS along with some matching Pinkalicious Pajamas!  After receiving the book, Bunny would ask us to read it over and over again. After about the 50th time I thought we should have a PINKALICIOUS birthday party.  So...dressed in her PINKALICIOUS pajamas, Bunny heard the book one last time as a One Year Old.   

She woke up, her first day as a Two Year Old, with a camera in her face...

We gave her a magna-doodle and a tricycle, complete with a bell and a bunny helmet for her birthday.  Daddy Dearest was the greatest and put it together in a mad dash right before the party.  Here she is riding it around the house...

And of course...Bunny's, Bunny is in tow...

Being the sweet girl she is, Bunny found time to give her friends a push on the new tricycle too.

Here she is about to blow out...okay, stare down the PINKALICIOUS cupcakes...I remember tearing up while holding her and watching her at this moment a year before.  This year I just had a tear in my heart.  What a joyful year it had been! 

Believe it or not...The girl did not want ANY of her cupcakes!  She wanted to eat Strawberries and run around and play with her friends.  She was just too busy for cupcakes!  Here are a few shots of our sweet friends that celebrated with us...

 

After all our friends had left we opened a few gifts from the Grandparents.  Bunny was so tired though!  She still wanted to put on her "HA-t" and ride her tricycle.

 

After a restful afternoon she began playing with the gifts she received from the Grandparents.  She walked around for a long time with her new sunglasses from Grandy and Papa!  SO CUTE!!!!

 

I have to admit that seeing this birthday come and go was REALLY hard on me this year.  I don't know if it was hormones still whirling, the fact that we had a new addition to our family I was still trying to figure out or just the simple fact that my PRECIOUS little Bunny was ALREADY a year older.  I think I was fine until that morning as we were on the way to the stair case to go up.  I asked her if she wanted to hold my hand and she said "no".  She had been 2 for all of a couple of hours and she was already Miss Independent.  I just couldn't help but think that she is only going to think I am the greatest thing on this planet for a little while.  And two years of that "little while" was already behind us.  So...I had my melt down that night after putting her to bed and squeezing her SO VERY tight and praying desperately that time would slow down just a tiny bit. 

The next few days I think I followed her around with a camera because I just want every second on video or caught in a picture.  She followed me around while I cleaned up from her party with her helmet and sunglasses on.  She is in a phase in which she wants you to copy her.  She does this a lot at the table while we are having dinner.  She crosses her arms and wants you to cross your arms.  After you cross your arms she will clasp her hands together with her arms straight out in front of her and wait again for you to copy.  Then she will wait for you to do something that she can copy.  It is a cute and fun little game that always ends in laughter.  I caught a picture of her with her trying to get me to play along while I cleaned. 

Then it dawned on me...20 years from now I am not going to remember if I cleaned up right away after her 2nd Birthday Party.  I am going to remember soaking up the little bit of time I have with her at this age and stage.  So...I left that mess and played "house" with her and enjoyed watching her play with her new doll house.  It was simply a sweet time.  This will always be one of my favorite pictures of her.  You can see the mess still in the background of our house and me NOT cleaning. 

 

Of course...you know we had to go outside and enjoy that tricycle too!  Bunny wanted HER Bunny as close as possible to experience this fun new toy! 

Working during her nap, I did eventually get the house back in some order.  While doing that I came across this red (from Strawberries) hand print that I worked so hard to hide after it was put on the white table cloth the day before her party by Ms. Bunny.  It may seem silly but I wanted to capture that tiny hand print not only to remember how small that sweet little hand is at this moment in time but to remember to enjoy her as well...

To remember that I will blink and this time in her life will be long gone.  But while I have her here and now....ENJOY HER!  Enjoy EVERYTHING about her!  The fun we have together, the things we do day in and day out, fun adventures we have, her sweet voice, the imagination she already has, the PURE JOY that she is and has, even the messes she makes.  Enjoy it all while leaving what "needs" to be done for nap time.