Happy 2nd Birthday, Anna Louisa!

It's official, Anna is 2! Yesterday she started singing "Happy Birthday"...we didn't even know she knew the song. She just knew her birthday was coming, I suppose!


Anna had a good day. She played all morning, had a nice lunch, took a LONG nap, then woke up to a Spiderman cake in her honor. Yes, she loves Spiderman. You can almost always find her with at least one Spiderman band-aid on an arm or a leg. And, yes I love how her cake came out! Cakes scare me, they're hard...so I was RELIEVED more than anything with how this one came out. Anna really liked it, which is all that matters in the end.


We had only two friends come over to party with us...Jackson and Thomas. They both love Anna (and she loves them)...but Jackson really loves Anna. When they were leaving he just couldn't resist giving her multiple birthday hugs. It was really sweet.


Cate did a good job helping Anna celebrate. In fact, the first thing Cate said this morning when she woke up was, "It's Anna's birthday!" She went to bed tonight very excited about the fact that "on the next daytime" she will be 5. I think Anna's birthday being the day before really helps get Cate revved up for her own birthday.


That shiny pink nightgown that Anna is wearing in all the pictures was her favorite birthday gift. It's a "Mormon Handicraft Classic" that comes complete with a sheer robe. Pretty funny...I had these nightgowns when I was a kid and LOVED them, so my Grandma Blomquist got one each for my girls. Anna opened the gift and immediately started to put it on. She left it on all night and went to bed with it over her pajamas. What can I say, she's a woman of diverse tastes...Spiderman, frilly satin sleepwear...it's all good.

My favorite part of today was when Anna woke up from her nap. All she wanted to do was cuddle. I picked her up and sat in the armchair with her for a little while. It was quiet, the Christmas tree was on and I could hear Cate chattering in the other room. I started to sing Silent Night to Anna and, of course, got choked up. Having our babies at Christmastime has always been really meaningful to me. It's such a crazy time of year I don't get many moments to appreciate it. I'm really glad Anna is such a big cuddler so that I could have one of those moments today. Holding her in my arms this evening I felt an overwhelming feeling of peace and gratitude. Anna, I'm so happy you are part of our family. We love you!