Alaina's 2nd Birthday!

On Alaina's actual birthday, I worked--BLAH!  I figured that we would celebrate afterwards and we had somewhat already celebrated the day before at the farm.  So daddy took the kids and subbed at the local high school.  HOWEVER, once I got off--we all headed to Culver's to get Alaina here birthday ice cream.  We went to the register to order and when we turned around, Alaina had pushed forward a high chair and crawled into it.  She was ready to eat! :)

Alaina enjoyed her ice cream as well as Daddy & Ky.  I had a burger--I know--me turn down ice cream for a burger!?  But with the pregnancy, burgers was one of my serious cravings.

That night, Rob and I worked to make Alaina's Dora cake.  Alaina LOVES Dora & dresses.  I had found the doll at a garage sale and purchased her just for this cake.  I figured this time around Rob and I would get to make a cake that was a little easier.  My friend Cindi loaned me her bundt cake pan, and that became Dora's skirt.  we then simply decorated with icing to look like a dress and "VOILA!"  Nice and easy--and Alaina LOVED it.  (Well let's be honest she would have loved any sugary cake--but you know what I mean.)

Alaina's party was the next day.  The normal family came to it--Grandpa, Grandma Debi, A. Lisa, Devan, Jordan, Dominic, U. Kirk & A. Barb, Nana, G'ma Jan, & Carol.  Of course our little girl had quite a good time with all the attention.  And successfully did not look at the camera for almost ALL of the pictures I took.  ARGH!  Kylan was not this difficult!

For dinner we had "breakfast."  An egg casserole, pancakes, fruit, sausage, etc...She received a Dora princess set from Grandma Debi and quite enjoyed her new wand and princess attire she received.  In fact everyone got into the spirit by trying on Alaina's new earrings and tiara. 

Unwrapping gifts was NO problem for Alaina.  She was happy to do it.  She received a Dora doll and Dora pj's as well as a Dora video (do you sense a trend?)  She also received a bench and some books and puzzles and clothes.  She was one HAPPY girl. 

When it was time to sing "Happy Birthday" she wouldn't take her eyes off the cake.  (Hence all the pics with her NOT looking at the camera.)  And then she would try to swipe tastes with her fingers.  Some things never change...

The next day we had her open Uncle Adam & Aunt Liz's as well as G'ma & G'pa Vander Heyden's gifts.  She LOVES here new baby set.  She spends a lot of time changing her babies diapers and feeding them.  She also LOVES her new purse and shoes.  In fact, for days all you could hear was the "clop clop clop" of her shoes as she walked around.  She is too cute.  She takes her purse and puts on her heels and says "Bye Mom, I go to work!" 

So TWO years old.  They have passed by SO quickly.  Alaina is so different from Kylan--she is truly her OWN self.  She likes to be girly and wear dresses, but she also likes to climb and be a tom boy.  She plays cars all the time with Ky (in her heels of course.)  At the same time she is so nurturing to her babies.  She wraps them in blankets and then "Shushes" them as she bounces them up and down gently in her arms.  She already has a "mommy's touch". 

She speaks (and has been speaking) in full sentences.  She uses words that surprise me.  Shortly before her birthday she told me "Look mom, he's upside down"  and sure enough she was pointing at a picture of a boy doing a cartwheel.  I haven't worked with her like I did with Ky.  There has been no need to.  She picks up things really quickly watching her older brother.  I have Ky practice tracing and writing his name several times a week.  She also then has to practice writing her name (of course it is just scribbles right now...)  She can count past 10...she gets somewhere around 13 or 14 before they start getting jumbled.  She has been singing the alphabet FOREVER.  She LOVES to sing.  Today she sang "Old McDonald had a farm E-I-E-I-N-G-O and Bingo was his nam-o"  (Too cute, I know!)

Alaina loves to shop and gets excited when I tell her we are going shopping.  She pretends to have coupons (that's my girl!).  She also likes to race Kylan. And she likes to growl...yeah...don't ask. Lately she has been crawling out of her toddler bed at night (we converted her crib since she was just crawling out of it anyway....)and wandering the hall.  She still likes her nuk--yeah, I haven't figured how I am going to break her of that one.  The bed was a big transition, so I didn't want to take away her "comfort".  And now with a new baby on the way, I don't want to take away her nuk and give it to the new baby...I think we may have to wait until closer to her 3rd birthday.  The nuk is just a nighttime thing right now anyway.