How Many Ways Can Addie Celebrate Being 2?!?!

It all officially started the night before with an early Happy Birthday Cupcake with Carter and Cousin Carson. I was looking back at your 1st birthday DAY last year and had fun watching the vidoes of you as a baby.

One of many chocolate cupcakes this week.

Our family tradition is that the birthday girl gets to choose whatever breakfast she wants and we all, as a family, fix it for her.  This year Addie chose her favorite scrambled eggs, bacon and biscuits. Yum Yum!

Then she got to open the present her Bubba got for her...

After breakfast, Cousin Carson and Cali as well as Ella met us at Kiddie Park for a fun filled birthday morning!

When we got to school later that day, there was this sign welcoming Addie on the front door... it feels like it was just yesterday, we walked into see this one. Addie brought chocolate chip muffins as a snack for all her friends to celebrate the BIG "2"!

Just a few hours later, we all met up again at BIGZ to have a great summer dinner.

Addie and Ella broke into the blocked off area and this is what I discovered when I found them. And then YES... MORE CUPCAKES! That is 3 servings in  less than 20 hours and she still hadn't even been to her birthday party.

Addie got her dream present by having not 1 BUT 2 newborns to give attention to...

The icing on the cake was that her B.F.F. was in the most affecionate mood for her birthday and wanted to kiss, hug and hold Addie's hand non-stop!

Happy 2nd birthday our sweet girl... what a great day it was and what an even more amazing year it will be, no doubt!

"Cool Cousins" - Summer Visit From The Nash's

What a great week it was! These 3 are awesome together and this pictures does a perfect job reflecting how much fun we had all week!

Carter was so incredible with Carson at the zoo taking time to show him everything he was already familiar with.

The pool was filled with more cousin exploration.

Sweet Meme was in heaven.

Kiddie Park was a blast and Carson fed off Addie's knowledge with the park and he blew us away at how "up for anything" he was on his very first visit!

Carter and Addie was so incredibly blessed to have their Aunt Hey-Hey and Uncle Chris... they are absolutely incredible role models. Uncle Chris is the world's best at bringing hands down THE BIGGEST smiles to both of them, whether it's "high-five... low five... too slow" for Addie or talking in a super funny way with Carter, he has such a gift. And Aunt Hey Hey, the world's most patient, calm and amazing mom and aunt. She always puts the kids first and they see how much she loves them.

Any opportunity these two had to be together last week, they were! Talk about "2 Peas in a Pod..."

Addie & Her Real "Baby" - Cousin Cali

Addie couldn't have asked for anything better during her birthday week but her infant baby cousin Cali in town from Dallas.  Addie couldn't get enough of her and looking at these pictures makes me think a baby, my baby, is now holding a baby.

She just wanted to care for her, rock her, cover her with a blanket, pat her and just watch her.  Addie, someday, you are going to make a wonderful mommy sweet girl.

Then and Now

Beach - A Year Ago and Now
I love reflecting how how much my babies change in just a year's time. It is simply amazing yet bittersweet. Being back at the same place allows me to compare and it makes it quite fun. Here are a few of my favorites...

The main reason this trip was so incredible was it was just so laid back and easy... simple and fun... 2 things I want to get back to more with my family.

Tons of good ol' sand castle building.

We would even do "dinner time" snacks on the beach just to be able... 

...to have later dinners in the front yard...  

As Type A and planned as I am in 80 percent of my life, these are the laid back and impromptu coastal weekend memories I had growing up and I want to make sure that I am giving them to Carter and Addie. 

 

We will be back soon. :)