Amelia Turns 2!

As June 5, 2016 neared, I went back on my assertion that we weren’t going to throw a second birthday party for Amelia.  I did my best to go for a more simplistic party, but it did end up being bigger than I anticipated.

This year, Amelia’s birthday was on a Sunday, so the celebration began before her actual birthday.  We had time with each set of grandparents and a mini-celebration at her daycare.   The joys of being an only child and the only grandchild on both sides continue. 

On the day before her birthday, we did have a party for her.  We celebrated at the church again, this time on the playground and we invited more friends this time around.  Amelia and her friends played on the playground and as two year olds seem to do, they alternated between hugging each other and screaming at one another.  The ups and downs of toddlerhood seem more intense than those of teenager-hood.  We ate purple, green and blue cupcakes, opened presents, sang happy birthday, tossed beach balls and saw family and friends who are so important to Amelia and to us. 

While it sounds like a typical birthday party, to me it was epic.  My Amelia is two years old.  We are so grateful to have been able to celebrate her in this way.  We are so grateful to all of our friends and to Amelia’s friends who chose to spend their time celebrating with us.  We’re also grateful that they ate cupcakes.  We’re grateful to our families who came to celebrate and to those who weren’t able to make it.  We are grateful for your support, your patience, your laughter and most of all, for your love for our little girl. 

Right now, I won’t even pretend to say that we won’t celebrate somehow next year.  A month after her party, all of the worries about it have disappeared and been fully replaced with the memories of her smiles, her “thank you”s, her play, and her joyfulness.  That’s more than enough. 

It’s been over a month since her birthday and we still include, at Amelia’s insistence, her “birthday last week” in nightly prayers.  More than anything else I’ve said, I’m grateful for my Amelia.  She has become a precocious, loving, friendly, talkative, curious, and amazing toddler.  I am so grateful to have been able to celebrate her and I’m counting the days until our next celebration-worthy milestone, whatever that turns out to be.