Brin turns TWO!

Cookie Monster cupcakes decorated by Daddy.

Mommy, Brin, and Daddy at Brin's 2nd birthday party.

The infamous Elmo pinata!

Brin enjoying her Elmo cupcake, at sunset.

That's right, we officially have a two year old on our hands. She is quite the handful, always full of energy. This year on her birthday we had an Elmo/Sesame Street themed party and invited a bunch of friends. All in all, everyone had a great time. I think Brin's favorite part was stuffing the Elmo pinata with candy the night before. She just kept saying, "Elmo, candy?" Brin's daddy was the decorator of the adorable Cookie Monster and Elmo cupcakes. He also did a fantastic job maning the grill. This past weekend we had a small family birthday party in UT for Brin. Thanks everyone for making Brinlie's birthday extra special!

Dessert BEFORE dinner!

Girls enjoying their pie and ice cream!

Kate with her tongue out! Too Cute!

Not to be outdone, Brin sticks her tongue out!

Last night we joined our friends, the McCallisters for some dessert BEFORE dinner at the annual Manitou Springs Pie contest and ice cream. Both Brin and Kate loved the pie and ice cream (as well as the mommies and daddies!) The playground was packed with big kids, but that didn't stop Brinlie from pushing her way through to go down the slide and play on a grasshopper! It was a great night with good food and company--we can't wait to go again next year!

Playdate with Kate

Brin and Kate dancing on the stage

Brin and Kate in a boat

Sticking their heads out

With all of the rainy weather this summer, we decided to take the girls out for a playdate. A local group (not going to mention the name of the place, you take a guess) has a GREAT play area for all ages. We took the girls over there to burn off some energy from being cooped up inside for several days because of the rain. Mommy McC and I decided to dress Brin and Kate in their matching shirts. Aren't they adorable?!

My little "flower girl"

Everyone, including the dogs, had to get in on the flower planting.

Brin "helping" her daddy with the back planter.

Smelling the flowers before they are planted.

No, no, no, Brin has not been asked to be in a wedding, she just simply adores all flowers! Every flower we see, no matter where we are, Brinlie insists on smelling it. While most of the time it's adorable, sometimes I just need to run through the grocery store! What's a busy mom to do? Allow her to smell all of the flowers, of course! Maybe in the future she can pursuade/guilt her daddy into buying her mommy flowers more often. Until then, I'll just settle for the yearly planting of my flower pots and area in the backyard.

One bruise after another...

Grumpy after this mornings' fall.

"See my bruises?! I'm a rough and tumble type of girl!"

Lately it seems as if Brinlie's head is glutton for punishment. Last week she hit her head twice on two different decks. Then just this morning, she fell while walking down the street (with her hands in her pockets, ugh!) and hit her head on the sidewalk. I feel so bad for her! The top picture is from this morning's incident and the bottom one is from last week. I just hope she doesn't have any bruises when I want to have pictures done. Maybe I'll just have to wrap her up in bubble wrap that week!!!

Building Vocabulary!

Over the past couple of weeks, we've really seen a "language explosion" with Brinlie! I went from worrying that she wasn't saying enough words to, "did you just say what I think you said?" Here's a list of what Brin can now say (although some not as clearly as others)

Hi/Bye-bye
Dog
Please/"thank you"
Outside
Up /Down
Mom/momma/mommy
Dad/dada/daddy
Dax/Daxie/Roo-roo
Mo (for Mocha)
Baby
Socks
Neigh (for horse)
ice cream
banana
blueberries
cheese
disgusting
gross
pretty
purple/blue/yellow/green/brown/black
happy
tree
chair
"Come on"
"Up here"
Pig
Pen/paper
purse
moo (for cow)
Meow (for cat)
Duck
book
no/"yeah"
nose/eye/ear/hair/head/chin/cheek/knee/elbow/toes/foot/teeth
fishes
more/all done
Nini (for Nicky--her babysitter)
Cole & Rae (children of babysitter Nicky)
Baba (for Grandpa)
Ni-night
one/two/three
uh-oh
peepee/poopoo
on/off
apple
bird
shoes (this girl LOVES shoes!!!!)
"shhhh"
bus
go
nice
sorry
panties/diaper
"wash" for washing her hands



That's about all that I've got right now. I know there's more that I just haven't written down. I can't believe my baby is no longer a baby, but growing into a little girl. :)

Bath Time

Brin climbing her Daddy after her bath.

She really does like getting water poured over her!

Brin absolutely LOVES bathtime. Every night she will ask for a bubble bath before bedtime. It's so cute the way she just says bubbles, bubbles, bubbles over and over as she runs upstairs. She will even get into the dresser and grab her pajamas. I'm so glad that she loves bathtime and water. It makes for a much easier bedtime routine! And this summer should be lots of fun with all of the water activities! Only one more week of work for Mommy and then she and Brin will be traveling fools. (OK, maybe not that much because I'm determined to get her potty trained before I return back to work in August!)