Look Out World! Sheeeeeeeeee's Two!!

Hello, people!!!! I am two years old and I am ready for my Minnie Mouse party!!!!

Flashback to two years ago: I was waddling around our church's Trunk or Treat event helping my little astronaut (Jacob) play games and collect candy (mostly for me to eat). I joked about how all the walking, combined with excessive chocolate consumption, would send me into labor. As it turned out, my comments, made in jest, became reality. I began feeling contractions later that night. The next evening, at 8:41 PM, our little live wire made her grand entrance into the world. Annabelle has been running at full throttle ever since. Hmmmmmm...now that I think about it, perhaps all the chocolate and my insatiable craving for Texas Pete hot sauce had something to do with Annabelle's spunky personality. :)

So, here we are, two years later. I know I always talk about how wild and crazy she is, but Annabelle is the sweetest little thing. I love her so much. She is more fun than I could ever imagine. She's spontaneous. She's funny. She likes to make silly faces. She loves it when you spin her around and throw her up into the air. She LOVES sweets and can polish off a cupcake in record time. She has an infectious laugh. She likes to climb on ANYTHING. She likes to dance...on tables. She's messy. She doesn't mind getting dirty. She has an odd fascination with the toilet. She sucks her thumb when she's sleepy and carries around her most treasured posession, Minnie Mouse, upside down, by the leg. She practices very good oral hygiene, brushing her teeth no less than seven times per day. She still likes to be rocked before she goes to bed. She loves music and can play a mean air guitar. She loves animals and gets super excited even when she sees a dog. She can maneuver her way out of any high chair, booster seat, stroller, buggy, etc... She refuses to be tied down. She prefers running over walking, and jumping over running. She likes a good nap -- three hours everyday. She likes to play hard. She loves to slide. She has no fear. With Annabelle, each day is a new, exciting adventure and I thank God for blessing our family with this beautiful little girl.

I can't believe she's two already. She's growing up so fast. Everyday, she learns and says new words. She recently started saying, "No tat-you." (No thank you.)

Me: "Annabelle, please just take one more bite."

Annabelle: "No tat-you."

How cute is that? Pretty good manners for a two year old, huh? Unfortunately, those good manners seem to come and go. She's a little inconsinstent -- one minute she's saying , "No tat-you", the next, she's slapping her brother in the face....or even worse....biting him. Yes, folks, it appears we've got a biter on our hands. Like I've been saying, she is a feisty one!

To celebrate her birthday, we had a small, low-key party at the house with family and a few friends. Although, Annabelle is so high-energy, I'm not sure if you can call any party for her, low-key. :) The party's main event was painting with pudding. I knew Annabelle would love it. It's messy. It's colorful. And the best part? It's edible. She started out fingerpainting and ended up shoving handfuls of pudding into her mouth...and all over her face. What fun!! Jacob created a masterpiece a little at a time -- a little pudding on the paper....a little pudding in the mouth.

"Yook, Mommy!" (Look, Mommy!)

After the pudding paint, we let the kids play for a bit. They needed to burn off some of that sugar rush before round two: cake and ice cream.

Since she loves Minnie Mouse so much, I decided a couple months ago Annabelle should have a Minnie Mouse cake for her birthday. My fabulous friend, Erika, and I searched the internet for ideas and finally settled on what I think is now my favorite cake that we've made. We were especially excited to try out a new marshmallow fondant recipe. I'm so glad we decided to go with the fondant over the buttercream. We were very pleased with the finished product! THANK YOU, ERIKA for helping out again this year!!!! I would never attempt these cakes without you...not to mention....it would be really boring if I had to bake and decorate by myself.

Yes, that is a tear under Annabelle's eye. She and Jacob collided in the hallway just prior to the cake celebration. And, of course, that little collision left her with a bruise. I guess we can call it "the birthday bruise." After I turned the camera off, everyone kept encouraging Annabelle to blow out her candles. She heard the word "blow" and blew her nose instead. Eventually, she stopped blowing her nose and focused her efforts on the two candles. :)

Annabelle is a girl after my own heart. She loves cake and finished off her slice in a few short minutes.

After every last chocolate crumb was eaten, we moved on to the presents. She had plenty of help opening her gifts. After all, opening presents is fun...even if they aren't yours.

Until recently, Annabelle never really played with toys. She's always been more into running, jumping, and climbing. Now that she's two, she seems to play a little more. She loves to push buttons and likes anything that plays music. She also enjoys her baby dolls and especially likes to push them around in her new stroller and grocery cart.


So, we've officially crossed the line into what everyone calls, "the terrible twos." However, I am choosing to think a bit more positively. I will call it "the terrific twos." I mean, Annabelle is already a "spirited" child. How much more "spirited" can she possibly get? Hmmmmmm....I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Let the fun begin!!!!!