Happy 2nd Birthday, Laura!!

It's hard to believe our baby turns 2 tomorrow...time sure has flown. It seems like just yesterday she was a little immobile ball of joy with spiky black hair. Now she can't sit still for more than a few seconds at a time and her preferred gait is running (she seriously never walks anywhere!). Anyway...enough reminiscing!! We celebrated her birthday with a big backyard bash yesterday afternoon. The rain was threatening the whole time, but fortunately all we got was a little wind and thunder. Enjoy the pictures!

Mommy and Laura are all ready for the party to start. Laura spent most of the day pointing at decorations saying, "O Wowah's burday pody?" (Translation: For Laura's birthday party?) and singing Happy Birthday to herself. It goes something like this: "Hoppy to you, Hoppy to you, Hoppy Wowa, Hoppy to you. Yaaaay!"

She just couldn't wait to get in the pool. I had hoped we could keep her cute outfit on until all the guests arrived, but after the first guest she ended up in her swimming suit. It was only about 75 degrees out and overcast, but the kids played in the pool until their little lips were blue and they were all shivering.

The kids eating their dinner. We had 13 kids, age 5 months to 4 years (and their parents). I'm so glad the rain held off since I wasn't sure how we would fit everyone inside!

Granddad graciously posing while filling his plate.

Trying to light birthday candles in the wind isn't easy! We finally got them lit, though, and Laura tried really hard to blow them out. She kept getting her little lips closer and closer to the flame before I just blew them out. I was afraid she was going to get burned!
Laura enjoying the icing on her cupcake. All day she had been asking for a cupcake ("Cake, mommy?") so I thought she would devour it once she was given one. After licking all the icing off, though, she told me "All done, mommy! Don't yite dat!" (Translation: Don't like that!)
Opening presents is always fun. This is when the weather started getting really stormy looking, so I rushed us through. I actually think that worked well because she didn't have time to get attached to a toy before we moved on to the next one. But today she had a great time playing with everything. I took it all out of the boxes and packaging last night and laid them out in the center of her playroom. She was in awe when she came downstairs this morning to play!

After a lot of the guests were gone, Laura started playing around the pool again even though she was dressed. I kept an eye on her because I figured it was very likely she would fall in -- and she did! She thought it was great fun to play in the pool in her clothes and shoes. Mommy didn't think it was quite so funny!
After she got all dry with new clothes (and mommy and daddy dumped the pool!) she had a good time playing on the swing set until the last family left.

Overall, we had a great party. When I asked Laura this morning if she had a fun birthday party she said a very emphatic, "uh-huh, mommy!!" Thanks to all our friends and family here and far away that helped make this 2nd birthday so special! Laura loves you all (and so do her parents:)

Fatherly thoughts: getting the splinters out

Ok, it wasn't brain surgery ... but you try holding a 2-year-old's hand still while removing a splinter.

It took both Stephanie and I working together to perform our first "de-splinterization."
I spotted it while washing Laura's hands after dinner. She must have gotten it playing in the yard yesterday.

Armed with a needle and peroxide, I lightly scraped along the skin trying to loosen the splinter. Let me just say ... Laura is one strong kid, and she didn't want to sit still as I poked around on her little hand. The "procedure" took about five minutes. It felt like an hour. After much work, we finally were victorious and removed the splinter!

Just as Stephanie and I were putting everything away, consoling Laura and patting each other on the back for a job well done ... we spotted another splinter on the same hand. This one was longer and deeper. Oh, good grief!We decided to take a break, and let Laura watch a cartoon. After a few minutes, it was time to get serious. I grabbed my cap with built in flash light. With the help of Clifford the Big Red Dog playing in the background, the second splinter wasn't as tough to remove. It only took a minute or two, and Laura seemed to hardly notice as her eyes glazed over in cartoon mode.

So ... sometimes there are things parents have to take care of even though they're not popular. Laura, I know you're not always going to appreciate your mommy and daddy's attempts to protect you from bad things ... like splinters... but just know that we love you and are doing the best we can.Hopefully, we didn't traumatize you too bad with that needle ... or that goofy hat with the light.

Mother's Day

We had a great Mother's Day weekend. My parents came over on Saturday to help us finish building Fort Laura. Granddad's expertise was needed on some of the final details of making the fort strong and secure. (He also was a big help getting us started -- Shawn and I aren't the most handy people when it comes to building things!!) Laura was thrilled when she was finally able to swing, slide, sit at her picnic table and play in the playhouse.

Granddad and Shawn bracing the picnic table bench.

One of Laura's first rides on the swing.

Our family:)

On Mother's Day I was woken up by Shawn and Laura bringing me breakfast in bed and singing me a song -- it was very sweet. My gift was two beautiful hanging baskets of petunias for the front porch. We met Nana and Granddad at church and had a good time worshipping with them. We enjoy having grandparents so close by -- Laura just loves her Nana and Granddad. After Laura's nap, my parents came over again for a barbecue for Mother's Day and my dad's birthday. We had good food and good fun! At the end of the day, Laura was able to Skype with her MeMa and sing her a few songs. Laura has definitely turned into a performer. All I hear lately is "O mor son, momma!" (One more song, momma!)

Laura with her daddy and Granddad.

All of us dressed up.

A great picture with Nana and Granddad.

Laura loving her new swing set.

Swinging with Granddad.

Reading with Nana.

A fun game of Ring Around the Rosy.

Daughterly thoughts: Happy Mother's Day, Mama!

Dear Mama,

You think I'm taking a nap right now ... but I snuck away to write something just for you. Daddy says I'm a natural.

I just wanted to write you a quick note to tell you how special you are to me and wish you a Happy Mother's Day! You're the best mama a kid could ask for. You take good care of me and make me feel special. You clean up after me ... and daddy, too. I love your hugs and kisses.

You've also taught me to be a good mommy to my dollies. I even know how to give them a "time out" when they don't obey, but I always give them a hug and tell them how much I love them. Thanks again for being a wonderful mommy.

I love you!

-Laura, guest writer