Three Months Overdue Birthday Post!

I've suggested multiple times I needed to write a post about Keira's birthday...at least get SOMETHING down! She did turn two back in mid January after all! This year was so incredibly different from last year. Last year Keira turned a year old while we were in China, just two days before we flew home. Even though we had a cake for her while amongst our new friends from our travel group, and we celebrated again with family once we returned home, she really didn't have a clue what the celebration was all about and cake, well, she wasn't into it at all yet. This year? A different story, totally!

Keira's birthday actually started a day early on the Thursday evening with the arrival of a parcel in the mail. Then, because her birthday was on a Friday and I was still off work, we were able to simply putter and enjoy our day which began with a pile of wrapped gifts on the kitchen table. Having just gone through the whole Christmas experience, Keira knew EXACTLY what the presents were and automatically assumed they were for her, especially seeing as she had just opened a box full of gifts the night before. In a blink, she had reached up onto the kitchen table, pulled off a gift, sat herself down, and had started unwrapping.

Once she had unwrapped her gifts and played with some of her new toys, I managed to convince her to sit down and have some breakfast. After breakfast we headed downstairs for "la piece de resistance". I was so excited to see her reaction. She did not disappoint! As soon as we rounded the corner of the stairs and came upon the entranceway to the family room she saw it....the kitchen. The kitchen the salesperson had told me I'd need "about an hour to build". Yeah, right. It took two of us over six hours to piece it all together. And not because the kit was disorganized or missing parts. Nope, not at all. It was extremely well laid out, but the sheer number of parts?!? Unbelievable!!! I got to bed at 4:00 in the morning. Keira's squeal of delight as she ran across the room was worth it though! She also received play food for her birthday and, unbeknownst to her, would be receiving pots, pans and kitchen utensils from my parents when they joined us on Sunday to celebrate. 

That evening we enjoyed a nice dinner followed by some cupcakes of course. As you can see from the pictures, cake is not longer an issue. This girl loves her sweets!

On Sunday we asked family and our close neighbours to join us for lunch. It was a perfect way to celebrate Little Miss turning two. I didn't want to overwhelm her but also wanted to acknowledge her special day. It worked out perfectly. Being surrounded by people she loves was a recipe for great company and fun playing. Add to that good food and more presents for her to open and she was in her element.

Giving her baby cousin a thank you parting gift

Keira had a super day (days actually) and now figures that any gift bag or wrapped present, no matter the occasion, is for her! And so now I am the mother of a two year old, one who is changing and growing by the day. How did THAT happen?