It's taken me all week to recover from the Big Birthday Weekend ... both physically and emotionally. I'm seriously a basket case when it comes to milestones for my babes! I remember feeling so sad when JP turned one ... and it happened again this year. I was actually fine all day, but after all of the party guests left and the kids were in bed I cried and cried. My sweet boy turned 2 and I had so many emotions. I was filled with such gratitude for my healthy son. I was anxious and excited for the years to come. I was sad that the last two years have gone too fast. I tried to imagine myself 70 years old and wanting to relive these busy days over again ... poor A! At one point, after listening to me rattle on and on, he asked me to talk to my friends to see if my feelings were "normal!" Thankfully, my informal poll of friends and coworkers has confirmed that I'm a
normal* mom. (*Okay, well that could be debated!)
JP had a great weekend. We'd been talking about this big day for weeks on end. It was fun to pull him out of his crib and show him the streamers and balloons in place for his "Happy" day! He started the day with a birthday doughnut ... he had to practice blowing out a candle!
We played all morning ... he went down for a nap and awoke to a house full of guests and presents! Barely awake, he ran to the gifts and started unwrapping.
I'm not sure who had the most fun with his new toys!
It was JP's special day ... I was proud of myself for just standing back and letting him feast on colored frosting!
Little AA kept the party going too ...
Unfortunately, it rained and rained all afternoon ... but JP didn't seem to notice. As soon as the rain lifted we all headed outside to try out some new gifts.
I'm certain that JP will remember this birthday for awhile ... this past week he's told EVERYONE that he had a "Happy" and a "Choo-Choo cake"!
And the "swimmin' pool" was a hit! I can't wait to tell A about our fun purchase when he gets home tonight!
When I picked AA up from Miss Emmy's on Tuesday this week, AA's right eye was quite frightening (I should have taken a picture that night - this is her 24 hours later). Her eye was all red and puffy ... actually, her eyelid and skin around her eye were all red and puffy. Miss Emmy told me it happened throughout the day but it didn't seem to bother her. She didn't have a fever and was eating and playing just normal. I assumed it was pink eye and decided to take her in to the doctor for the official diagnosis. Much to my surprise, she was diagnosed with periorbital cellulitis. The doctor told us to start a 10 day course of antibiotics immediately and to follow up with another appointment in the morning. Thankfully A was able to get the day off and stayed home with her. I was completely fine with the situation ... until I went to work and started reading about this diagnosis. Bad idea, of course ... my stomach churned as I read about most kids needing to be hospitalized; complications including surgery and loss of vision ... yikes! 
We played all morning ... he went down for a nap and awoke to a house full of guests and presents! Barely awake, he ran to the gifts and started unwrapping.
I'm not sure who had the most fun with his new toys!
It was JP's special day ... I was proud of myself for just standing back and letting him feast on colored frosting!
Little AA kept the party going too ...
Unfortunately, it rained and rained all afternoon ... but JP didn't seem to notice. As soon as the rain lifted we all headed outside to try out some new gifts.
JP insisted I use "gel" in his hair ... he then proceeded to stare at himself in the mirror for a minute or so before agreeing to take a picture with his smiling sister.
He's such a heart throb!
And she is too!
Capturing a good picture of the four of us is not so easy!
Since the wedding started at 6:00, we tried our best to arrive with the kids well rested with the plans to last as long as possible ...
AA did okay as long as her mommy and daddy were close by ... she's not quite the social butterfly like her big brother.
While AA rested in her stroller, JP took the dance floor. He flirted with his aunts to be
assuring them that he'll the best little ring bearer in their weddings!
Although this white boy can't exactly jump,
he can sure dance!
We left around 10:00 (!) and the kids were asleep before we even left the parking ramp. JP slept in until 8:00 am the next day ... by far the longest ever! Although A and I didn't get to show the crowd our very own dance moves, we had a great time as a family! 
