Emma's 2nd Birthday

Emma's 2nd birthday was on October 2nd. She had a very special day planned for her. Since it was on Sunday we also did some stuff on Saturday for her. We took her out to the mall for a birthday shopping trip and let her pick out a few books at Barnes and Noble. She got a Disney princess book that she just adores and carries everywhere with her now. She loves to lay in bed or on the couch and "read" so her being able to pick out some books was the highlight of her Saturday. We took her to eat at Arby's for lunch. It has become her favorite restaurant lately. Then we came home and piled on the couch and watched her favorite movie,Madagascar 2.
On her actual birthday I woke her up with a breakfast of orange flavored pancakes and cheesy scrambled eggs. She was so happy and ate and ate until I thought her little tummy was going to burst. We were going to take her to the park to play that afternoon but it was much to wet and rainy. So we stayed indoors and enjoyed playing games and watching movies. We even made some popcorn. :)
For her birthday dinner I made her favorite spaghetti and garlic bread. I made her chocolate chip cupcakes with fudge frosting. Food network's cupcake wars is really starting to rub off on me and I really enjoyed making these. Especially the frosting. It was the best chocolate frosting I have ever taste. I think Emma felt the same way.
We had her open all her presents after dinner. Matthew and I got her 7 little outfits, coloring books, colored pencils and some interactive toys. Emma loves coloring and was so excited to see that there was a Mickey Mouse coloring book and a princess one. She had to hold each outfit up to her and say "oh beau" which is her way of saying "How beautiful!". We also got her a Cinderella costume to play dress up in. From my parents she got some baby Mozart DVDs and the coolest dog flashlight that barks when you cut it on. Emma adores dogs and cracked up every time the dog would bark. She carries it around on a daily basis now along with the two baby dolls Matthew's parents sent her. I believe she thinks they are her children. Emma cuddles them, tucks them in, asks if they are alright and refuses to leave them behind. They now accompany us to the grocery store, the mall, park, and even went trick-or-treating with us.
When it was time for cupcakes I called my parents and we skyped with them so they could see her and sing Happy birthday to her too. Emma loved all the attention and being able to talk to them. She carried on quite the conversation and loved showing off all of her presents.
By the end of the day both Emma, Mommy and Daddy were all very tired. She got a nice bath and then she helped find new places for all of her presents. The puppy flashlight and the baby dolls of course were snuggled in bed right next to her.
As she gets older I am more and more amazed at how fast she is growing and learning. I love being able to have actual conversations with her and hear her sweet little voice everyday talk to me about whatever is on her mind, even if I don't understand all of it. I am so thankful I have this beautiful little girl in my life.