Amelia is TWO!

It has just been a nonstop birthday party around here recently!  After Derek celebrated his birthday on Monday, Amelia turned two on Saturday! 

Could there be a cuter two year old?  I don’t think so.

Her birthday seemed to come up awfully fast after Derek’s so I was a bit unprepared.  On Friday night I decided she would need a birthday present, so I made some bracelets with beads and stretch cording that I just happened to have on hand.  Saturday morning I decided on a cake and worked on it through the day.  It turned out that I didn’t have the right decorating tip for the look I was going for, so I improvised.  What was supposed to be a cake with flowers on top turned out looking more like a cake with rag mops on top, but Amelia was thrilled and didn’t seem to notice the difference.

She was so excited that she volunteered to take a picture with the cake.  It doesn’t take much to please this little two year old!

It also doesn’t take much to cause a total swing the other direction in her emotions.  Glenn came out and told her not to touch the cake yet in a very cheerful and kind voice.  It apparently wasn’t honey coated quite enough…

Last year when it came time to blow out the candle on her cake, we had a slight mishap where Amelia tried to touch the flame.  It ended in tears on her part and terrified older brothers.  The memory must have scarred them more than I thought.  Early in the day on Saturday I heard Evan explaining to Amelia about the importance of not touching the candles on her cake, and when the big moment finally arrived, there were plenty of helpers standing by to make sure nothing went wrong!

It was just fine!  No close calls this year!

The boys decided to make her a cake of their own with the leftover cake and frosting I had in the kitchen.  She opted to eat their masterpiece over the rag mop cake, so we had to give her another shot at blowing out the candle!  Notice the big “A” on the top of the cake.  The boys were thrilled that she loved their creation!

The boys were also unusually attentive during present opening time.  Grandma and Grandpa Ludwig had come for the celebration, and their presents were much more exciting than ours.  All four kids pitched in to unwrap them!

And, at the end of a wonderful birthday, Amelia just had to spend a quick minute in the spot where she came into the world two years ago- the upstairs bathtub!

The whole family agrees that Amelia is absolutely adorable (even if a little demanding) right now.  She loves to talk and be part of anything going on in our family.  One of my favorite things she says is when I am giving her a choice between two options.  I’ll say, “Do you want you blankets on or off?”  Her response always includes the “or” in it.  She’ll say, “Or on.  Actually, or off.”  I’ll say, “Do you want to play with your doll?”  She responds with, “No.  Or cars.”  You get the idea.  It is very adorable.

Speaking of dolls, she has several that she sleeps with every night.  Bedelia was her first doll, and for a long time that was the only doll she had any interest in.  Recently she has expanded her group to include two others.  One she named Baby.  The other one I asked Amelia what she wanted to name it and started giving suggestions.  “Sparkles?”  “Rainbow?”  “Violet?”  This went on for awhile until she finally made up her mind.  She was having a hard time getting the word out.   “Rain….. Rain….Rain………….. Rainstorm!”  So, Bedelia, Baby, and Rainstorm it is!

She is definitely Daddy’s girl.  Early on Saturday morning the boys came marching into our bedroom carrying the birthday girl.  They handed her to me in bed, and she immediately crawled right over me to snuggle up with Glenn.  We laughed and the whole family climbed on the bed to enjoy some morning family time.  After a minute I put my head over on Glenn’s chest.  Amelia looked at me and forcefully said, “No!  Move!”  Normally I wouldn’t stand for such displacement, but it was her birthday after all.  So, I scooted over and she happily laid her head on Glenn’s chest and refused to give up her position despite the boys trying to lure her away.  She loves her dad!

Amelia is pretty popular around here!  I do my best not to spoil her, but it is a hard task when she is so cute and sought-after in our family!  We have loved (almost) every minute of our two years with Amelia!  Happy Birthday!