Happy Birthday Rose!

This is an extra special day.  Not only is it Mother's Day (a well-deserved shout out to all of the busy, patient, loving, caring, lovely mom's out there!) but it's my mom's birthday AND Hadley's 2nd birthday.  For the last few weeks we've excitedly been discussing this day.  Hads would proclaim daily "Happy Burpday!, burpday candles!, burpday cake!"  She also proudly displays two little fingers if you ask her how old she is and emphatically insisted on an Elmo-themed party (ok, for a few days she wanted a Cubby birthday party - Cubby is a fat, little boy on the Jake and the Neverland Pirates show on Disney).  There was a lot of anticipation for the big day.  We celebrated with a wild party on Saturday.  Highlights include:

• a lovingly decorated carrot with cream cheese frosting Elmo cake (it only took Mike 3 hours to do this - that time doesn't include baking the cake and the base layer of frosting)
• The Hokey-Pokey, Chicken Dance and Gummi Bears Song dance party
• Gifts including a: Bilibo, fishing pole, Twilight Turtle, and trampoline - all were hits
• spaghetti dinner

Sweet Hads had a good day but has a hit of a stomach bug so was a little less exuberant then usual.  

I wrote a little toast to my beautiful daughter...

Hadley when you were born two years ago the song lyrics "how wonderful life is while you're in the world" by Elton John kept running through my head.  Just by being your own sweet, funny, sunny self - you brighten up the world and leave a trail of happiness everywhere you go.  How wonderful life is now that you're in my world.  We're so lucky to have a daughter like you.  Happy birthday Hadley Rose!

As I mentioned, this weekend we did a lot of celebrating.  Today we went to church and brunch and celebrated everything again.  I received the loveliest homemade gifts from the kids - a painted apron, a sign made of footprints and lots of little hand-print cards that I'll be hanging in my office tomorrow.  I'm one lucky mama. 

An Elmo fruit platter - definitely Pintrest-worthy

The artist at work

The creation

Surveying the decorations before everyone arrives

Testing out the party hats and being goofy

Daddy and two-year old daughter

Just hanging out... ready for the party to start...

Excited!  Miles told me "Mom, all of my friends are coming over for the party.  I mean my cousins."

Party girl

Grandpa and Hadley

Grandma and Grandpa Nickolay

Uncle Matt, Auntie Jan and Bradyn

Uncle Graham, Auntie Rachel, CoCo and Kenny

Us!

We always try to get a cousin picture - because they change so quickly and we'll soon be adding a 6th!

Grandpa performed a puppet show to make all of the kiddies giggle.

Two girls

A little break in the action

The whole party crew

As soon as the cake was set in front of her, mid song, she blew the candles out like a pro - she'd been practicing.

My Mother's Day photo (this was probably take 10 of 25)

The two birthday girls - Happy birthday AND Mother's Day mom!

In the midst of all of the celebrating this is what Hads really wanted to do

The big kids

All of this partying exhausted us.  We put Miles on a break for hitting Mike and when it seemed really quiet for an extended period of time this is what I found - he was totally out.

My two joys!