Amalia's 2nd Birthday: The Day Of

It's hard to believe that my little Amalia is already two!  But she is and we wanted her big day to be as special as she is.  Bryson stayed home that morning, and we got to celebrate as a family from the minute the little lady woke up.

She started off the gift-opening with a present "from" her brother.

Ever since Baylor has been going to school with a backpack, Mollie has wanted one too.  So, after much searching online, we settled on the bee one ... and Baylor was more than happy to show her all its features.

Then it was on to the big gift from Mommy and Daddy ...

... her very own dollhouse!

Unfortunately, her little house came unfurnished ... but a little time would help with that.

Once the gifts were played with for a bit and breakfast was eaten, we scooted the kids out the door so we could get to the zoo the minute it opened.  It was actually supposed to be extraordinarily hot (for March) that day, and we wanted to both beat the crowds and beat the impending heat.  We made it through the ticket booth only to be stopped at the main gate; someone had forgotten to open it and we got to enjoy a little construction action going on around us ... noisy but fascinating to children.

Finally inside, we looked at bald eagles ...

... and smiled.

Baylor's poor hat is just not working for him these days; it's a child's hat, but the bill fits too tightly to his head and hurts him if the hat is adjusted to the proper size.  So, of course, it moves around on him now that it's a little too big for his noggin.

Usually when we visit the zoo it's summer, all hot and sticky, and most of the animals end up just wanting to lay around or hide out in the little man-made caves in their "habitats".  (Who can blame them?  They're wearing full-bodied fur coats, after all.)  But that day, as early as we went, it was still cool enough that the animals were still active ... so we got to see bears taking a bath and nipping at each other.

The otters are usually playful anyway, but that morning one seemed particularly friendly.

Mollie couldn't get enough of this little gal, and we ended up watching her more than any other animal.

Baylor, of course, had to stop and read the signs wherever he could find them.

We had a fantastic time at the zoo on what will probably (hopefully) be the warmest birthday Mollie will ever have.  She was a bit afraid of quite a few of the animals (the monkeys and chimps, in particular) and did not enjoy the darkness of the nocturnal animal exhibit, but overall she did really well.  Baylor had a great time, too, and I'm so looking forward to taking them back to the zoo a lot this summer.

We made our way home for some lunch, and the birthday girl got to enjoy some fish crackers while her lunch was being prepared.

Of course, realizing there was a camera pointed at her, she hammed it up a bit.

After a good lunch and a good nap, we went out to dinner with family.  Because Bryson had class that night, we celebrated with both sets of grandparents and Aunt Christine instead.  You should always get to have your favorite meal on your birthday, so pizza was definitely in order for Mollie.  Ah, Vitale's of Ada, we love you so!

After a delicious meal and wonderful company, we headed back to Oma's house for a little gift opening.  Aunt Christine got her a cool cowgirl and horse for her dollhouse and a lift-the-flap Mickey Mouse book.

And made her an endlessly adorable hat that matched perfectly with the super cute coat my parents got for her!

After the fashion show and more gifts (dollhouse rooms and people), they had a little story time with Aunt Christine.

We ended the evening with ice cream and chips.

And then Mollie embraced her two-ness and stormed off to the living room to pout when I said we had to leave.

All in all, it was a really fantastic day, full of fun and joy.  Just what a little girl's birthday should be.

Happy birthday, sweet Amalia!