Pretty In Pink--Cara Beth is 2!

Cara's 2nd birthday was a long time in the making. It was the last party we'll have at our house (too much work and cleanup and stress!), but it was a lot of fun. A two-year-old party is very different than a one-year-old party... Cara's birthday fell on a Saturday, so we had her party on her actual birthday, which was really fun!

When she woke up (eaaaarrrrllllyyyy...), we let her run into the living room to get her first present--a play kitchen! She was really excited and immediately got busy for almost 30 minutes opening all the doors and "cooking". She loved it, and we were really excited, especially Chance, who worked many hours the week before to put it together.

Cara played while we played with her and took pictures, and M&D got up and gave her lots of birthday kisses too.

We scrambled that morning, running party errands, finishing up the decorations, letting Cara nap, trying to get ready, spend some family time together, and (mostly me) trying not to stress out.

Cara got another birthday present and spent quite a while walking delightedly around the house, pushing her own babies in her HEB buggy!

After her nap, we did some presents with just our family before the craziness of the party.

When it was time for the party, all our friends and their kids came over to play. I had some toys set up outside, and lots of toys inside since it was hot. Cara was a little overwhelmed with all the people in her house, playing with her toys and being loud. She wanted to be held a lot until she acclimated. I should've expected this because that's par for the course with her. So I held her, we walked around and socialized, ate food and took family pictures.

Next we sang to Cara and cut the cake! She was SUPER unsure when everyone was looking at her and singing to her, but she figured it out by the time she blew out the candles.

Then it was time to open presents! Cara did a great job pulling the paper out and peeking in the sacks. She wanted to play with everything instantly, especially if it was a book!

She got so many great things from our friends and family--people who know her so well and her likes and loves. It seemed like the party was over before we knew it. I think her little friends had fun playing with the fun toys, even if she didn't like sharing too much. :)

We took a few more pictures as our friends left and the party wound down.

And we took our traditional picture at 6:05, when she was born.

And my sweet birthday girl:

I can't believe she is 2! The beginning of her 2nd year hasn't been my favorite with her difficult transitions, but it was so sweet on her birthday to reflect on all that has changed and how she has grown in 2 years. I spent a lot of the day feeling nostalgic and remembering many of the details from her birth and her first birthday. What cherished memories we are making.