Happy Second Birthday Annie!!! (# 1)

Both of the girls' birthdays are turning out to be non-conventional this year. This is mostly because of moving, as well as for one reason or another. SO, as we were in limbo for a day or so as we waited for the movers, we celebrated Annie's (early) second birthday with Grandma & Grandpa at Alan's & Cassie's. : ) And Annie's favorite part of the celebration? Alan & Cassie made her HOMEMADE french fries!!! Was there a happier kid on the planet? I think NOT!!! : )

I should also mention here not only how Leia Rose is incredibly enamored with the kitty cat on the cake, but with birthdays themselves these days. This is a result of an Elmo's World, a Miss Patty Cake, and a Yo, Gabba, Gabba that focus on birthdays. There was plenty of time during moving to allow her to watch them again and again, so she got to be a pro at singing the birthday song. And everyone laughed at her at Immaculata when, during Leia's first school assembly, Annie yelled "CAKE!!!" after they sang "Happy Birthday" to the children of the week. [Not to mention that everyone's comment about Annie is always that she is so HAPPY! And everyone's comment about Leia is that she's so INDEPENDENT! Big surprise. : ) ]

The other cute little procedure that Annie has for blowing out her birthday candles (other than wanting to do it again and again) is to lean far forward to blow, like this . . .

. . . and then lean back and blow with this funny face. : ) Gosh, I just love this picture! : )

And, of course, forget about all the fun presents she received, . . . she was most excited about this bow. Ha! : )

Now, Brian and I saved our birthday gifts for Annie's real birthday on October 1st, . . . and there was a time when I wanted there to be ONE family celebration only. But you know what, . . . how many times do you get to celebrate your small child's birthday? Eighteen times if you're lucky? So why the heck not do it a couple times each year. It just makes more memories. (I suppose this is also a result of "second-child-syndrome" and similar to this scenario: the first child has chapped hands from anti-bacterial wipes and the second child is happily eating dirt. Ha!)

And I can't BELIEVE I don't have a single picture of Chester!!! You see, Alan & Cassie just got a puppy named Chester (or "Esther" according to Annie) ; ) , . . . and both girls (although not really wanting to get too close to him) just LOVED calling Chester's name and watching him respond. What a WONDERFUL way for the girls to get their full dosage of animal loving! . . . without Mamma or Daddy to have to deal with one themselves. ; )