Alice Turns Two!

Somehow, an entire year has gone by and now my "baby" has turned 2. We all still call her "The Baby" and she still goes by her nickname, "Bee" (which Daniel gave her. It's short for "Bay-bee"). Really, though, she's a big girl now. She's so smart and so funny and she's kind and generous and helpful. She loves birds and cats and stuffed animals and Mickey Mouse. Alice loves to feed Whiskey dog treats and for some reason she runs over to grab a piece of ice whenever the freezer drawer is opened. She's the best eater of all three kids and is always up for trying a new food. She has a large bank of words that she says. So many that I have lost count. She seems to learn a couple of new words every day.

Alice loves Mickey (and the rest of the gang), so a Mickey Mouse themed birthday party was a no-brainer. We had her party in the afternoon on her actual birthday, which happened to fall on a Sunday. She woke up from her nap and came downstairs to find a party! The first thing she saw were these Mickey and Minnie "air walker" balloons.

After the initial excitement over the Mickey air walker wore off, Alice realized that there was a crowd in her house and she turned into Shy Girl.

So, I went and sat with her in the middle of the living room.

Then, she found a new stuffed Mickey in a new baby stroller and she perked up a little

She decided that she was ready to tear into the gifts (from the safety of Momma's lap, of course). So, we just went with the flow and Alice got to open her gifts first thing. 

Most of her gifts were Mickey themed. 

^^^Etta wanted to hold the camera^^^

Then she took this picture:

Alice's haul! I think we're pretty set on Mickey stuff....

VIDEO

Someone handed Granny a baby and she was in Heaven! 

Keeping with the theme of doing things backwards, we had dessert before dinner. Time for Cake!

(VIDEO)

The weather was cool that day and overcast for most of the day. The sun peeked out just as it was getting ready to set.

(VIDEO)

As the party wound down, we ran outside to take a picture with our little Bee. Trying to get a picture of all five of us would have been a circus and there are A LOT of outtakes from this little photo shoot. She wanted to be put down so she could play in the yard. So, I would spin her around and make her giggle and then Keith and I would jump together and squish her between us in an attempt to get THE shot (We eventually got a pretty good one).

I know I have said this before in other blog posts, but birthday posts are a time for reflection. Alice truly completes our family. She was a bit of a surprise, but absolutely the most perfect addition to our family. Happy Birthday, Bee! We love you!