I am not ignoring you....

It's been nagging on my mind for a while now that the blog needs a good update. It's not that I don't know it, or even that I haven't sat down several times to do it... it's just that there really hasn't been a ton to say, and well... life has been busy.

Daddy is working a particularly hard rotation right now that means 5am alarms and hugs to sleeping children when he comes home around 8pm. Weeks of not seeing Daddy on a regular basis is starting to take it's toll on the kids, and on mommy too! The end is in sight though, rotations change Feb. 2nd!

The girls started back to gynmastics last week. Yes, I realized that I used the plural form of the word girl. The instructors are letting Clara go ahead and jump into the class since her birthday was so close when the new semester started. They are both so funny! They love their leotards and their fun time on the bar and balance beam. Lily is really getting good, and Clara just loves that she gets to be a big kid like her sister.

And then there has been this other pressing activity that Mommy has been busy with...

Someone in our house turned 2 today!! And we've been crazy busy getting ready for the big celebration... It went something like this:

The party theme was polka dots and the letter "C". So much fun, especially since Clara is obsessed with circles and those little fuzzy pom pom balls... she had a field day playing with all of the decorations. Check out the favors... in those little polka dot vase things... cookie lollipops...version 3 (seriously... harder to get the m&m's on and looking pretty than you would think...or at least if cookie decorating isn't your "thing" it is)

The food table before the food was out (obviously) and as I'm sorting pictures I realize that I never snapped a photo of the food table with food on it... oh well. We had tea biscuit sandwiches, pasta salad and fruit salad. All circles/rounds to go with our theme ;).

Friends came over to play... the boys were even OK with all the pink they had to play with.

We cooked and laughed and talked and ate..

and played baby dolls... It was 2 year old heaven!

Finally it was cupcake time! Clara had been having a fit to eat the orange icing all morning long!

After a hearty rendition of Happy Birthday by the mamas... two year old don't sing very loud, did you know that? :)

And me getting all shy from the attention and refusing to blow out candles.... it was time to dig in!

Cupcakes have got to be the center of some of the greatest childhood memories of all time....

After we picked brother up from school this afternoon we headed over to the park to enjoy the nice weather... Clara fell asleep on the way there and refused to wake up (I'm sensing a 2 year old theme of refusal coming on here). She spent about half our playground time peacefully sleeping on the park bench next to me...

Felix and Lily had fun running and playing and climbing and sliding...

And eventually Clara woke up and joined the fun...

Daddy came home a little early tonight and we were able to open some presents from friends and family...

And eat a few more cupcakes, just for good measure... only this time she sang along to herself... and blowing out the candles was fun!

Happy birthday my sweet baby... I mean, my sweet big kid! You are loved more than you know!