Totally Two but Totally Loved

So last week was Jane's 2nd birthday. We had a party for her on Saturday at Wildflower Park. When I asked her who she wanted to come to her party, she was clutching her little stuffed panda bear that she sleeps with (that is just one of the many things Jane sleeps with – every night, she has to have her panda, her teddy, her blue blanky and her pink blanky…all four things…always. The rocking chair gets kinda crowded when I sing her to sleep) and so she said “panda!” I said, “Okay then, let’s have a panda party!” So we did. Unbeknownst to me, panda paraphernalia is a little hard to come by, so I did tablecloths and balloons in black, white and pink, made a panda cake (my first real cake making/decorating experience - KayLyn, are you so proud?) and found little panda cut-outs online that I printed up and colored (I felt like I was in kindergarten again…and I still am horrible at cutting along the dotted lines!). All in all, I think it turned out pretty cute. Cousins came from both sides, grandmas too, and even Jane's little friend Peyton. He is in our ward and Jane has a serious crush on him. On sundays, they hold hands all the way to nursery.

Jane had a fabulous time at her party and of course, loved that so much of the attention was focused on her. The whole gift giving and receiving part of the party was a little confusing and overwhelming to her, but she has since had a blast with the toys she received, namely her REAL vacuum (from Grandma and Grandpa Tayler), her tiny bopper car (from us), and a set of keys from Becca and family that she takes in the car everytime we drive anywhere...thanks Becca and girls! Allison also had a good time, mostly because of all the attention she received from her uncle Thomas (don't be deceived by the word "uncle"...he is all of 11). I think she sat and played with his hair for about an hour. Towards the end of the party, Thomas came up and told me:

"I don't think is a single part of me that Allison doesn't like!" He's a crack-up.

All in all, the party was great fun. There was only one incident of biting and only a few handfuls of sand thrown at people (sand throwing compliments of Jane).

I can't believe that 2 years have passed since Jane was born. She has been a true joy in our life. Although she is totally into 2-year old behavior (her new favorite sentence is "mine..dis"..translated "this is mine!") she is so much fun and keeps us laughing continuously. She is clever, courageous and tender hearted, always giving me spontaneous hugs and asking me if I'm okay. My life has been truly blessed by her little presence. Here's to lots more happy years for my little curly-haired, blue-eyed charmer. I love you!