In August, we spent a few hours at the State Fair where we made time for the important things - fresh cinnamon donuts and fresh chocolate ice cream.
We also made our way over to the barns to find the largest steer at the Fair and did the obligatory walk by the Butter Cow.
As we were making our way to the car, Charlie heard the sounds of the midway in the distance and was very intrigued. We quickly told him that we thought that you had to be 5 to ride any rides, which Charlie didn't question. Yummy treats and successful avoidance of the Midway - a huge success! On a random note, Lucy is wearing her beloved outfit in the photos above (and in about half of the photos that I took this summer). The return on investment for the "Daddy's Little Sunshine" shirt and the yellow biker shorts from Carter's was out of the roof. She would look for the outfit every day when it came time to get dressed and, if she found it, good luck trying to convince her to wear anything else. It's now tucked away in her keepsake box, much stained and much loved.
Then, this happened.
Lucy turned two and we celebrated with our entire family with a You Are My Sunshine-themed party. It was a great day and we were so thankful that everyone made the trek to West Des Moines.
Charlie assisted in opening the presents, usually garnering more excitement than Lucy, who was ready for a nap.
I was a little excited to open pink glitter boots from Nana and Papa...
and we tried them on right away.
Lucy received many other thoughtful gifts, including a little doll that is the perfect size for her to carry and sleep with,
a pizza set to add to serve to her guests,
some great dress up clothes, a cute fall outfit and an awesome bookshelf that Grandpa Bill made and Grandma Kathy painted. (I'll have to upload a photo soon as it is the perfect finishing touch to the toy room).
Big girl blowing out her birthday candle.
A scene from Lucy's seat - what a lucky girls to have such a loving family. Pay no attention to the fact that I am holding the knife in a threatening manner. It was a happy day, trust me.
A photo with the family and all of the cousins that came to help us celebrate.
Enjoying her cake with some help from daddy.
Trying to get a decent family photo with a silly older brother...
Trying again...
Grandma Kathy, Grandpa Bill and the birthday girl.
Nana, Papa and the birthday girl.
I'm kicking myself that I didn't get a photo of Lucy with her godparents - I'll have to remember that for next time.
A week after Lucy's birthday, she had her two-year check-up and her petite status continues. She weighed 22 lbs, which is 5% and supposedly measured 33 inches tall, but we question that measurement because she seems substantially shorter.
Lucy is generally a very happy little girl, but she definitely found her voice in the last couple of months and uses it frequently and loudly. She seems to repeat everything that she hears and is not afraid to boss Charlie around. Most of the time she and Charlie are still best friends, but they do fight over toys or who gets to sit closer to me or other important matters like who has more Cheerios in their bowl.
While I can't wait to see what the future holds, I while continue to search for a pause button to keep Charlie and Lucy these ages for a little while longer.
