Butterflies!

Last night,

Tim and I were working late

and our kitchen was completely torn apart

for the painters.

So, Grandma and Papa took Kate out for pizza!

(I know - they are saints!)

The restaurant had a face painter

and Kate let her paint butterflies on her arm.

She was very, very excited about those butterflies!

Waterfall Obsession

Kate is completely obsessed with this water fountain!

It sits outside an office building in downtown Falls Church -

and she asks to stop almost every time we drive by the building.

So, in a stroke of genius,

we decided to spend a gorgeous Sunday evening there

eating a Panera picnic dinner

and letting Kate toss the rocks onto the fountain,

scoop them off,

and then put them all back on

Over

And Over

And Over

Again.

It's the little things, ya know?

National Aquarium in Baltimore

We had THE BEST time

at the National Aquarium in Baltimore

on Saturday morning!

I promise you have never seen a little girl

as excited as Miss Kate

was to meet all the fish!

She literally ran through the entire place squealing!

I can't wait to go back.

Face to face with a shark

One of our favorite new friends - the giant sea turtle

Running to meet the dolphins

More new favorite friends - the dolphins

Birthday Extravaganza - Zoo Animal Party with Friends

Kate was really excited about the "Zoo Animal" party

with her friends!

We told her last weekend that the party would be on Saturday,

so,

what did she ask me every single morning?

"Mommy, is it Saturday?"

Well, Saturday FINALLY came

and we had a blast celebrating Kate's birthday with our friends!

Lela, Emily, Lindsay & Tiffany

The swingswet was a HUGE hit with the kiddos!

And I was relieved that we had a bit of a break in the heat!

Pennas, Browns and Luongos

Gathering to sing "Happy Birthday!"

Kate was completely obsessed with the cake!

She didn't want to let it out of her sight...

... the only thing that could distract her from looking at the cake...

was the opporutnity to EAT the cake!

Once again, my Mom proved that she has earned her title

as "The Baby Whisperer"!

Here she is with Christy & Sophie.

This was one happy birthday girl!

Although seeing my baby's 2nd birthday come to an end

was definitely bittersweet,

the party was the perfect culmination

of the Birthday Extravaganza!

Thanks to all our family and friends

who helped celebrate with us!

Birthday Extravaganza - General Merriment

Throughout the Birthday Extravaganza,

our sweet girl enjoyed spending time with her family!

Especially our special guests - Gran & Aunt Loren

and Grandma and Papa

(who were recently returned from a 2 week vacation!)

It's been so much fun to be pregnant with Loren!

Here's the very first picture of Kate with her baby brother

and TWO cousins!

In this picture,

we are at about 32 weeks (me) and about 26 weeks (Loren).

A favorite activty during the Birthday Extravaganza

was playing dress-up

with all of Kate's new dress-up clothes!

I wonder how the pink princess dress layered

over a red t-shirt look bodes for Kate's overall sense of style.

Oh well...

I think she's adorable!

Birthday Extravaganza - Actual Birthday

We continued the Birthday Extravaganza

on Kate's ACTUAL birthday!

Our very first activity of the day was opening more presents!

We are so glad that Gran was here to celebrate with us!

And we ended the day with popsicles

and a stroll through the neighborhood...

with Gran and Aunt Loren!

Birthday Extravaganza - Family Party

Can you believe that little Kate is TWO YEARS old???

We certainly can't -

but we were very excited to celebrate with our sweet girl.

So excited - that we decided to celebrate with a

Week-Long Birthday Extravaganza!

Step #1 - Winnie-the-Pooh Themed Family Party!

We had a nasty thunderstorm the afternoon of Kate's
family party -
so Grandma & Papa moved their present inside.
It's a wonderful picnic table!
Kate was very excited to share it with her cousins!

After a yummy meal,

we had birthday cake!

And then we opened presents!

These butterfly wings were a gift from Gran & Pop.

Aren't they awesome?!?

(We just wish Pop could've been here

to celebrate with us!)

And a fun wooden microwave from Nana and Great Pop!

The family party was a great opporutnity for

Kate to warm up to the ideas of

presents and birthday cake.

(Just kidding!

Kate certainly didn't need a warm-up round!

But we had fun!)