Happy birthday, Macy!

Our little Macy Sue is two today! I took her to the doctor's yesterday and being in the hospital was such a sweet reminder of the day she was born - I'm still in awe of just how amazing the experience was, but seriously, how could two years have gone by already?

Kennedy's been working with Macy on how old she'll be turning on her birthday. First it was, "Macy, how old will you be? T-O!" We helped her understand it's actually T-W-O. But, when you ask Macy how old she'll be, her answer is, "Ice Cream!" That's also the answer to, "Macy, what do you want for your birthday?"

Macy brings such joy to our lives. She's a little rascal sometimes but usually she's a delight to be around. I love her round little cheeks and how her blue eyes twinkle when she smiles. I love listening to her sing and watching her dance. I even love her continued devotion to all things princess. At two-years-old she's curious, precocious, smart, funny, observant and affectionate.

Kennedy clearly loves being her big sister and is always trying to include Macy in things and help her out (although occasionally it's more bossing her around). Just in the last few weeks, Macy has figured out how to say "Tenn-da-dee" instead of "Tenny" which makes her sister so proud. I'm hoping Tenny still sticks as a nickname.

I had a great idea for a special present Kennedy could give to Macy. Kennedy and I went to the party store on Friday night to get...Disney Princess Balloons! Kennedy picked out three huge balloons that we were barely able to fit in the car: a castle with all the princesses, Sleeping Beauty, and Tiana from Princess and the Frog. (I had a brief flashback to high school when Jake gave me a giant balloon bouquet for my 18th birthday and I got in my first car crash backing out of the parking space...this time, however, we got home safely.) Macy was so excited by the balloons (and so was Kennedy)! I don't think either girl has ever seen anything like them before.

To celebrate the big day we went over to my parents' house for brunch. Andrew was in town for the weekend and we spent the whole day hanging out, baking birthday cupcakes and...

making noodle nests

dying Easter eggs

playing Plants vs. Zombies on grammie's iPad and Andy's iPhone - perhaps it's a bit strange to hear two young children chanting "Get those zombies! Get those zombies!"? Or "som-ies" as Macy calls them.

The April birthday boy and girl opening presents at Grandpa Ray's

Then for dinner we all went out to Bonsai, a Japanese restaurant where they cook right on your table. Kennedy was very nervous when the grill was lit and spent part of the meal hiding from the fire. Macy loved it all, especially the ice cream at the end of the meal!

Easter was also part of the birthday celebration weekend. We had Grammie, Pamp, and Uncle Andy over for brunch. We played some games and showed off our vegetable garden. Later in the day, we went to Grandma Sue's for dinner and an egg hunt. The kids had fun searching for eggs in the yard!

Happy Birthday, Macy Girl. We love you very much!