Her party yesterday turned out awesome. The day started out crazy with me baking red velvet cupcakes (that were actually green because Evie’s favorite color is green), Eric doing the dishes and straightening up the house, me hanging decorations and both of us trying to get Evie ready to go out to breakfast with my mom. (Where they saw the easter bunny! I didn’t know he was going to be there until they got back!)

My dad came early, as usual, and brought Evie three roses. They’re beautiful. He’s always been big on the flowers. When I was growing up, he’d bring me flowers for every concert, play or graduation I was in, every birthday and some random days. I’m so glad Evie’s going to get that too. There’s nothing like flowers to make a girl feel appreciated.

We didn’t have a huge party but it turned out so nice. Everyone was talking and having a good time and Evie had a blast! She got a lot of nice toys but not so many that it was insane, which I liked. I was terrified she was going to fill her room up again, right after I cleaned it and got rid of two totes worth of toys.

She loved everyone singing her Happy Birthday and made us do it twice. That’s quite the change from the first two birthdays when she’s cry because it was too loud for her and she didn’t like being the center of attention. She wanted green cupcakes this year, which kind of sucked because I wanted to show off my crazy cake skillz but I’m not sure I would have had time to do it anyway. 

He favorite gift was the play-do set my brother got her. I don’t know how he does it but it always ends up that Evie likes his present the best. She’s been playing with it like crazy and me and Eric have been having a pretty good time with it too. She likes that she can do what Mommy does (I’ve been working with clay a lot lately) and I like that I can show her how to make little animals and how to use cookie cutters and what-not.

Eric took his vacation this week so today we continued the birthday goodness and went to the mall. We let her ride the mechanical cars to her heart’s content, got her a strawberries and cream frappuccino and went on a little shopping spree. She got a ton of summer stuff, including three dresses and a Hello Kitty lunch box which is now filled with her Littlest Pet Shop animals. We got her Easter dress too and it’s just the most beautiful thing! Check it out:

It’s not the best picture ever but trust me, it’s gorgeous. We got it at Gap Kids so it cost a little more than I liked but it was worth it. All the dresses we saw everywhere else seemed so tacky. This has a nice vintage feel to it. I hope it stops snowing in time for her to take full advantage of its cuteness and not have to cover it up with a fur coat. It snowed today and yesterday! Like, accumulation snowed. Where the hell is spring?! It’s not supposed to be freezing this late into April! I remember when we brought her home from the hospital after she was born and it was like summer outside!

It’s been such a great two days. Everyone had a good time at the party, Evie’s a happy girl (as usual) and I’m sitting here wondering where all the time went. 

Happy Birthday sweet girl. I know your birthday is technically tomorrow, but we’re celebrating it today and it has me feeling reminiscent. 

Where has the time gone? I remember the day you were born like yesterday, and taking you home through the pothole lined streets of Buffalo, where your Daddy almost had a heart-attack, driving with cargo more precious than the Hope diamond. I’m pretty sure he did 20 mph the entire way, trying (unsuccessfully) to dodge the craters on Bailey. 

For the next two months I slept in a reclining chair next to you because I was too scared to leave you alone in your room. I learned how to sleep sitting up and how to take a picture of you with one hand while the other one held you. I was delerious with sleep deprivation but it didn’t matter. Even when you slept I stayed awake, watching you and making sure you were breathing. I couldn’t stop myself. You were the greatest thing I’d ever done with my life and always will be. I could become the Queen of England and it still wouldn’t compare to the feeling of being your Mommy.

I’ve been watching you grow up, slowly but surely, and you’re becoming more of an angel every day. Even on the days you’re less than happy, you’re still sweeter than any other child I’ve met. I’ve never heard a more polite little girl, and while people attribute it to me being a good Mom, I know the truth. You’re the closest thing to heaven that I’ll ever get to see, and you act accordingly. I know I really didn’t have much to do with how sweet you are. Your joy and happiness radiates from inside. I just try to bring it out of you.

So today we celebrate the day you were brought into our lives. It’s more of a celebration for us though. Your Daddy and I are so proud of you and so happy to have you. You completed both of us in different ways, and I’ll forever thank you for that. I promise to make sure you always know that too. We’ll always be home to you.

Happy Birthday Sweet Girl. I hope all of your dreams come true. And yes, you get to eat the cake. You can stop asking now. ;)

Evie literally played with Alphie all day. She carries him where ever she went, talking to him, dancing with him (as you can see in the third picture) and watching TV with him. (She told us to put “something good” on for Alphie. She took him on the walk her and Eric took to my mom’s house for the giant garbage bags she gets from work and we even made him a little bed to sleep in after she told me to turn him off “because he needs to sweep”. I’m so happy she likes it so much! It made my heart smile to see how happy it made her.

Thank you guys for saying such sweet things about Evie and Eric and I being good parents. We try! We really didn’t try to teach her the manners she knows. I did a little bit when she was just learning to talk but generally we just make sure to talk to her the way we want her to speak to us. It’s working out pretty well! I don’t know how she’s stayed un-spoiled so far. Every time someone comes over they bring her a present of some kind, including Eric and me. If we go to the store we just can’t help ourselves! She always says thank you though, without us asking her to. She makes me so proud! Even when we go out to dinner she tells the waitress thank you for the menus and food or what ever she brings. She’s been doing that since she started stringing sentences together and it always catches people off guard. Then they smile and it makes me so happy inside. I’m glad she’s not learning my awkward social skills. Luckily, Eric is super outgoing and talks to everyone. He’s always telling me “how” to talk to people but I just can’t do it. He tells me to surprise them with how nice you are, which he does all the time. I can’t even being to explain how happy it makes me that Evie is picking up on that.

Tomorrow she’s going out with Eric’s mom while she finish straightening up the house and on the morning of her birthday party, my mom is taking her out for breakfast. I love that I don’t have to worry about how she’ll be when she goes out. Every time someone takes her somewhere they always come back with glowing reviews of Evie’s demeanor. 

I don’t remember what the point of this post was besides saying thank you for the kind words and to show off my Evie-girl. In the third picture you can see the fluffy black kitten sitting on the chair. That’s the first good picture I’ve gotten of him (her? We can’t tell because of the fluff) since he/she started walking. Also? Look at the muscles on Evie’s little dancing legs! All she does is dance and jump all day, so I guess it makes sense that she has muscles like that going on. Maybe I need to start jumping too loud 12 hours a day (she sits during meals).