turning 2

there is one thing that i am truly blessed with and that is an amazing family. i cannot tell you how lucky i am to have such wonderful parents and in-laws...warren and i are constantly saying this. and they couldn't be better grandparent's to taylor. she is definitely loved...maybe a little bit too much at times :) it is so crazy to think that she is two....here are some pics showing how we celebrated her special day (well twice).
my mom gave me one of those giant cupcake pans for xmas and i thought that this would be a perfect occasion to try it out. luckily, my mother-in-law and sister-in-law are fabulous cooks and basically made the entire first one at the beach. it looked great!! we shared the party celebrations w/ my nephew who happens to share my same b'day. both loved opening presents...tay is so animated when she opens a gift...it doesn't matter if it is stickers or a doll house the excitement is just the same! i think that is what makes having kids so special, seeing their eyes light up just makes my day.
we headed to my parent's house after our beach trip was over...tay's actual b'day was on sun. so mom and i went out to find decorations (aka the dollar tree....hello, great balloons for a $1). in the meantime, tay and dad made gingerbread cookies. they were too cute...the m&m's were so randomly placed. on the way home from decoration shopping, i made mom make a pit stop at one of my favorite junkin' spots...she hates it but i love it b/c that is where i scored my DR table. i told her i could make it super quick and within one minute i spotted an activity table for taylor. something that i have been trying to find for awhile now b/c she loves to draw. for $5 and a quick coat of chalkboard paint, it will look better then ever! and btw, tay loved it.
once tay took a nap, it was time to begin making another giant cupcake...well, let's just say that the task is a lot easier when your mother-in-law makes it. mine didn't turn out so great. poor tay, her mom is no betty crocker. once tay woke up from her nap it was time for the presents to be opened...once again the excitement on her face was priceless. unfortunately, by the time her favorite meal was made (hot dogs and pickles), tay was feeling terrible (the beginning of a 103 temp) so she ate very little and went to bed w/ no ghetto giant cupcake or ice cream...
we felt the need to continue the fun in tay's honor and cooked fab hamburgers and homemade french fries. fortunately, my family was sweet and said that it didn't matter how the cake looked but that it tasted fabulous...