Rachel Turns 2!

Invitation:

Pooh Bear Cake (made by Brandon!):

Rachel holding her cake - how cool is that?

Hey, it was my birthday too!

My attempt at a cake = cupcakes with grass-like frosting and toothpick characters (so Brandon's definitely looked cooler, but mine got eaten.)

The Family - happy birthday, girls!

The birthday girl, so happy she got a Pooh Bear Cake:

Rachel turned 2 and I turned 27 on June 17th!! It really is fun to share a birthday with my little girl. We had a super fun swim party with close friends/family to celebrate! We had pizza, opened presents and ate cake - the NBA finals game was even on in the background for the hubbies. (Thanks to the Perkinson's for letting us use Clubhouse Villlage!)

The only noteworthy story is probably the background on the cake. I do not think cakes are/should be a big deal in my household - probably because I stink at it (whatever happened to a 9x13 cake with frosting, sprinkles and candles?) and I also don't think I should feel like I have to go take cake decorating classes to make a cake for my 2 year old. Plus, I don't have any desire to do this, so why do I feel so much pressure/anxiety about having an amazing cake for my child's birthday party? Anyhow, luckily Brandon has the cake-decorating gene and skill (his side of the family makes amazing cakes!) and he volunteered to put something together.

Rachel talked about the Pooh Bear cake dad was going to make her for at least a week before and she was so excited. And I was thrilled that I didn't have to worry about making one. Well, the day before the party, Brandon got really busy at work and thought he wouldn't have time to make a cake for Rachel. No big deal since my mom was there, we just threw together some cupcakes with little toothpick Pooh Bear & Friends characters and thought that would be good. When Rachel woke up on her birthday morning, we showed her the cupcakes and she seemed to like them. Then she wanted to talk to dad on the phone (like every morning) and she reminded him that he was going to make her a Pooh Bear cake. Oops! Brandon had planned on getting off early that day anyway, so he stopped at the store and got all the ingredients he'd need for the masterpiece and threw it together in just a couple hours - he even had time to spare before the party. He absolutely MADE HER DAY with the Pooh Bear cake and he even let her hold it (which if you know Rachel well then you know that holding things are very important to her).

Pooh Bear cake is made out of rice krispy treats, which he molded into the bear shape. Then he covered it with fondant that he made himself! I'm still impressed! Even though it turned out great, I'm still thinking that I'll look to hire someone to make her a birthday cake next year (unless Brandon wants to take off work again) or I'll come to my senses and make a simpler cake and call it good.

Picture collage descriptions:

1. Giving Pooh Bear kisses

2. The Birthday girls!

3. Holding Pooh Bear cake made of rice crispies and fondant

4. The cake boss himself

5. Blowing out the candle

6. New sunglasses - cool dude! Friends - Macie, Lezlee & Rex

7. Jett, Rex, Dalan, Cole and Rachel all playing with Nana

8. The Smart's - Lore, Dalan & Macie (sorry I didn't get Dustin in the picture)

9. Yours truly - happy 27th birthday to me!

10. Clubhouse Village Pool - all to ourselves - so nice!

11. Cooper Perkinson

12. Cole Perkinson and Quince Crittendon (rest of Critt family not pictured)

13. The only picture I had with Kasey in it!

14. Motorcycle rides for the older boys with Papa after the party

15. Papa playing with Rachel

16. The Johnson's - Jett, Asher, Ryan & Mandy (Rex not pictured)

If you're still reading this, then you must really love my little family so you'd care to know more about Rachel on her 2nd birthday.

- When you ask her how old she is, she usually says 6 or 7, but I think she's finally accepted the fact that she's 2 now.

- She is done with her binky and sleeps in a big girl bed!

- Loves to talk - from the moment she wakes up until she goes to sleep

- She's not even close to potty trained yet - I'm not going to attempt that until she's ready

- Can sing her ABC's

- Counts to 10 and ends with "ready or not, here I come"

- Knows her colors

- Still a big dancer

- Loves to sing just in the past 2 months or so and she sings completely off tune, but I still think it's the cutest thing ever. (Happy Birthday; Twinkle, twinkle little star; Old MacDonald; Baa Baa Black Sheep; I am a Child of God; Once there was a Snowman & Mr. Golden Sun are just some of her favorites)

- She really is a great eater and her favorite is mac & cheese and scrambled eggs

- She was a great sleeper up until the loss of the binky and move to the big girl bed, so we're still working out some kinks with that

- Loves to read books together but she has to hold a book and she flips through it's pages while you read a different one to her

- Only likes to wear her green croc shoes, so she wears them everyday except Sunday - to church I make her wear white sandals and she says they hurt

- She is BUSY and she still runs amazingly fast! What a sweetheart - we just love her to pieces!