Tales of Two Southern Kids Raised by Damn Yankees: Well, it happened and I couldn't stop it...

Alli turned two on Saturday.

What an amazing, fun two years it has been. A little crazy, a few more sleepless nights than I'd like, a few more tears and tantrums than I'd prefer, but I wouldn't have it any other way. She was really a sweetheart this weekend, with very few meltdowns, and a whole lot of fun.

On Friday evening, our great friends Gena, Rob, Anneliese and doggy Wallace came down for the weekend to celebrate with us. What wonderful friends they are... they came last year to celebrate Alli's first birthday, too. By the time they got here Friday, Alli was already asleep. Aiden had stayed up past his bedtime to welcome them for the weekend, so he partied with Anneliese for a little while and then finally, all the kiddos went to bed and the adults were able to relax, enjoy some adult beverages, and catch up.

Saturday morning, our birthday girl woke up a little late for her, 7ish!, and we made her cinnamon rolls and sang her Happy Birthday. She loved it, she sang along, and tried to touch the candle as soon as we brought it to her. She tried and tried to blow it out, and with a little help from mommy, she made her wish. (Look how dark it is outside, Rob, Gena & Anneliese were still sleeping, not our crazy kids!)

After breakfast, Alli & I went to her gymnastics class... where she was the star for the day. Everyone let her go first on all the routines because it was her birthday. She had a blast, as always.

Then, it was time to rush home and get changed for her birthday party. Now mind you, we have had this party in the works for quite a while. Her and a good friend from daycare, Scarlett (ironic, same name as her dog, but, this little girl is way cuter!) have birthdays a day apart. So Scarlett's mom, Holly and I decided to throw a party together, seeing as all the same kids from daycare would be attending. We had planned on having it outside at Holly's, with a rented jump castle, hay bales being delivered for the kids to sit and eat on, pumpkin decorating, a very fall-ish, Minnie Mouse themed party. Well, Hurricane Sandy had other plans for us. So, we quickly found a backup plan on Thursday, and luckily there was availability at Monkey Joe's... an indoor jump castle place. The kids loved it! They had so much fun and everything went smoothly (despite Holly and I having to raise h*ll a few times about certain issues here and there, we are still trying to speak with the owner about certain things! but anyway!) All that matters is Alli had a blast.

After the party, we headed back home. The birthday girl passed out on the drive back... it was adorable. However, it meant that when we got home, she was not in the mood for a nap... we had basically missed our window of opportunity. So, she laid up in her bed for awhile for some "quiet time", and we got to sit down for the first time all day. That evening, we went out to dinner as a family with Gena, Rob & Anneliese for Alli's final birthday celebration of the day. It was a great time with great friends, and I think Alli had a wonderful day.