Happy 2nd Birthday Serena Camille!

Easter also happened to be Serena's 2nd birthday, but I wanted to separate them. I felt bad that she had to share her birthday with a holiday, but luckily she is young enough that she didn't care and will never remember. Plus I think we did a good job celebrating both. I left Sunday morning/early afternoon for Easter activities and the late afternoon for a birthday celebration.

Here is the birthday girl first thing in the morning with her favorite gift: an oversized Minnie Mouse balloon!
When we got home from lunch I was on birthday mode. I decorated Serena's cake and wrapped her presents. She was so excited to finally get to open everything! Gifts poured in from grandparents, great-grandparents and her godmother Kendra (we are still waiting on Auntie Allison...what a slacker!!). Plus there the presents from us of course. Here she is with all her loot.

Serena was sooo funny. She runs hot and cold about having her photo taken and for some reason she was very camera friendly this afternoon. She insisted on having her photo taken with every present. She would point to the camera and wait patiently saying "cheese" for me to snap a picture. She couldn't open the gift until it was done. Look at that sweet cheesy face!

Here she is opening her gifts from Grandma Keri and Grandpa James

Presents from Auntie Kendra, who spoiled her, as she does all my kids. I opened a huge box that arrived on our front stoop on Friday to find shirts for all the kids from Giants training camp, which she attends every year. Under that were five, count 'em FIVE, gifts for Serena. I am constantly amazed at the kindness and love from my best friend. She never forgets a birthday and always sends way too many presents for the kids, always on time. She sends things for Christmas and even Halloween! I could not have asked for a better godmother for them, so thank you Auntie Kendra!

Opening her gift from Oma and Opa

Here is the cake I made Serena. The idea started out as something completely different and transformed into this. First I wanted to do my traditional character pan. But a quick google search showed me that the Minnie pan is discontinued and ebay's lowest price was $99. No thanks! I knew I wanted to do Minnie so I would have to find another option. I found a couple great cake websites and had my eye on a really cute design that I thought I could replicate. It was a two tier cake using some fondant (which I've never worked with) and a BIG Minnie head/ears on top made out of rice krispy treats. I was going to do this exact cake and then over time decided to just do one layer and make it easier on myself. I baked two nine inch cakes and used frosting with chocolate chips for my middle layer. I rolled and cut out fondant with some fondant circle shape cutters I had gotten at Michaels. Fondant is extremely difficult to work with and it will definitely take some practice to get better. I am not sure I am ready to give up on it completely, but it's not my favorite. Anyway, so I frosted my entire cake bright pink and stuck the fondant Minnies on the sides around it. My rice krispy treat ball/ears for the top of the cake turned out to just be too much. It wasn't holding at all so I had to scrap that idea and think fast. I just decided to do a much smaller Minnie face. I had bought a bow at the store for her instead of trying to make my own bow with fondant. I think the cake turned out alright. But practice makes perfect and I will make my kids' cakes each birthday and get better and better. By the time they are turning eighteen I will have this perfected and be able to do three tier cakes complete with fondant, icing and lots of detail ;). But as my mother-in-law pointed out, my kids will remember the fact that I took the time to MAKE their cakes each birthday and that will be special to them. I don't know many, if any, moms that make their kids cakes. Everyone goes the bakery route. Which is fine, to each their own, but I like being able to do this for my kids.

I think Serena had gotten her photo fix during present opening because she refused to pose with her cake and smile.

Daddy had to help her blow out her candle.

And after the cake and ice cream we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa's hotel for some swimming, hot tubing, dinner and roasting marshmellows. The kids had a great time and it was a nice, relaxing way to spend the evening. By the time we were getting out of the pool we realized it was 8pm and we had yet to eat dinner! Oops! Time flies when you're having fun.

This was Jameson's first time in the water (I think). Here he is with Daddy and his new Spiderman trunks from the Easter bunny. He loved it!

Since I felt a little bad that Serena didn't really get a whole birthday to celebrate, I wanted to do something special the next day. She had her two year check up at the doctor, which went great because there were no shots, yay! She is super duper tall and skinny, at 36 inches tall (off the charts tall) and 25 pounds (30th percentile). No wonder everyone keeps telling me she is petite. Not in height for sure, but in her build. I ran her numbers in a height to weight ratio calculator and she's underweight for her height. She eats all the time, she's just skinny! I'd rather have her tall and skinny than overweight. Calli is the same way with her height to weight ratio. Anyway, after her doctor appointment we headed over to CHUCK E CHEESE. Serena was so excited when we drove up. She started pointing and saying "Chuck E, Chuck E!" and clapping her hands. I loved seeing her reaction and how happy she was. We had the place all to ourselves for a bit; we were even waiting on Daddy to get there! Finally he showed up with Calli, Jameson and Grandma and Grandpa in tow. We were also joined by my friend Dot and her daughter. Everyone had a great time and I enjoyed the salad bar immensely, thanks for asking! (it's my favorite! Seriously, Chuck E Cheese has the BEST salad bar!)

Can you spot Serena in the background?

We had to say goodbye to Grandma and Grandpa after Chuck E Cheese, but we enjoyed their visit and know we'll see them again soon!

And happy 2nd birthday to our dear, sweet little Serena! You are so different from your sister so you keep me on my toes constantly. I love hearing your little laugh and seeing that cheesy smile light up your face. I love watching you play with your sister or share something with your brother. You are such a great big sister to him and he just adores you. You are starting to talk more and more and say sentences now, which I love. You understand everything we say and are pretty good about following directions, although you're starting to test your boundaries.

How are you two years old already? It seems like I was just in the hospital giving birth to you. What an easy labor and delivery you were, my easiest one by far! I got to labor all day at home and get to the hospital already being 7cm dilated and ready for my epidural. Just a few hours later you were born, at 1:02am. "It's a girl!" the doctor told us and I was so happy to meet you and to give Calli a sister she would have a bond with for life. You were a pretty easy baby and slept so well through the night, you spoiled us! And now here you are two years later, my little blonde haired, blue-eyed beauty, loved more than life itself. I hope your twos are fantastic!!

Love and Hugs,

Mommy