Whitney's PARTY DAY!!!

Can yall believe it was less than a year ago that we posed for this:

????

And today, we were blessed to have a ton of awesome family and friends join us to celebrate Whitney's 2nd birthday!

The day is a bit of a blur, but I think my favorite Whitney quote from the day is:

"Mommy! Daddy! I SOO 'cited!!"

She kept saying "It's my party day!", and while I am not sure she really "gets it", it sure is FUN to see her get SOOO excited!

We were blessed with AMAAAZING weather again this year! 80 degrees with a brreeze?? I'd order this weather everyday if we could!  We went to Sams to pick up the cupcakes and ice and last minute items, and Whitney (and I) were a HIT throughout the store! "Aunt Summy's" friend, Anna, bought Whitney these awesome ears as a "thank you" gift, and they couldnt have been more perfect!!

(Besides...since Whitney had new, BETTER ears, that meant that *I* got to wear her "old" ears!!)

People in Sams thought we were a mix of "adorable", "sooooo cute", "hilarious", and (im certain, though no one was brave enough to say it:) crazy.

Reason # 3487 Eric is an awesome hubby and daddy: cell phone pictures on-demand....even when we look ridonckulous.

I looooved our family pic from last year's birthday party, and really wanted to take pics in the same spot before guests arrived.  Thanks to Aunt Crystal, Mom, and Auntie Kirsten (and, of course, DEAN, the entertainment!), we were able to make that wish come true :)

THANKS, Auntie Kirsten!! Love you more than I could ever tell you :)

Seriously? How cute is Whitney's outfit?!??!

I forgot to take pics of the party room before the guests arrived, but thankfully, Eric stepped up and snapped a few shots for those guests who couldnt make it this weekend. (Reason #33489 he gets the Best Hubs Award)

I wish I could share the video my dad made, but I cant find a hosting site willing to deal with 1.6GB. :( Im working on it....

Whitney definitely showed more of her "terrible two" side than I would have liked, but she was A)napless and B) ridiculously excited to see all of her favorite folks in the same room.  Excuses? Perhaps.  Especially that napless part. Phew! But she powered through and ended the day on a high note :)

(Note to Self: Do NOT schedule birthday parties during nap time!! DUH!....oh, and PS...THANK your lucky stars that Whitney still naps! ...just try to plan better..)

We couldnt have had such an awesome day without our AWESOME family and friends to celebrate with us! I want to especially thank my parents (Mac and Gramps) for ALL of their help and patience planning this shindig! From set-up to break-down, they were there every second and we could not have done it without their help!

Whitney was less-than-cooperative for MOST of the picture-taking today, but we tried our best despite her best efforts to escape capture....

Whitney was thrilled to have almost ALL of her best friends in ONE place at ONE time...and all dressed to impress! Whitney started jumping up and down and yelling, "JAKE! TALIA!!" as soon as she say Jake and Natalia heading into the park :)

These two little girls are just beginning to recognize how truly blessed and happy they have made two families! God absolutely knew what He was doing when He chose parents for these two princesses :)

Whitney had asked repeatedly for "My Faif!" this week, and since her bestie, Faith, was under the weather, we werent able to get together.  But Whitney's disappointment was quickly forgotten when she saw "Aunt Dawwas" and "my FAIF!" walk in the room today!

Im not sure we could pull off a "Three-peat" and get away with having Whitney's THIRD birthday party in the same location as her first two, but this park is awesome for kids of all ages! Whitney's older cousins were able to do their own thing while the little kids were still able to hang out, all in the same 100 yard space. 

Whitney got to spend time with her favorite friends and their older siblings, who doted on her and wanted to hold her hand and play with her, too :)

Jake cracks Whitney UP! She has loved him from the minute she laid eyes on him at gym class almost a year ago, and she cant get enough :) DOnt get me wrong...she LOOVES her Connor, too...but Jake makes her laugh in a different way.  I'd hate to see this play out when they are teenagers.

Jake's mommy, Megan, is also one of my favorite mommy friends :) She was SOOOO excited to see Whitter's reaction to the fabulous Cinderella tutu-dress Jake picked out for her :)

And really? I love a mom who gets up on the top of the jungle gym to make sure the kids go down safely and dont end up pancaked at the bottom.  LOVE you, Megan!

Whitney was having SOOO much fun on the playground with all her faves!

Unquestionably, cupcake time was Whitney's very favorite part of her celebration today! She LOOOVED when all 50+ guests sang "Happy Birthday" to her, and ate. it. up. I havent seen the video yet, but I am sure it is hilarious, as she was practically jumping off the chair with excitement!

After some cupcake demolision, the 4 two-year-olds showed everyone who REALLY runs the show:

Totally plotting against us:

Love that they are all laughing and smiling :)

Even though the Birthday Girl isnt in this pic, it might be one of my top favorites from the day! Look how happy they are!!! And this was the first time Faith and Natalia had ever met! I think I see lots of playdates in the near future!!!!

Apparently their plot against us included a random breakdancing lesson (started by Whitney)....

...and an ill-fated attempt at a gymnastics show.

Once they realized neither of those plans would be tolerated, they decided to head back to the swings (surely, to plan their next attempt at overtaking the WORLD!)

So, our playroom sorta looks like a Princess threw up in it right now.  Cinderella dolls (plural!), Belle, Rapunzel (with glowing hair!?), multiple dress up ensembles WITH matching glass slippers ("GWASS SWIPPERS, MOMMY!!"), doll beds, high chairs, coloring books, games....a two year old girl's dreams come true! We cant thank our friends and family enough for knowing our little girl and knowing exactly what she would love. She is BEYOND excited, and we are truly grateful for all the awesome gifts.  We really, genuinely just wanted you all in one spot at one time......so the gifts are just a big bonus :) THANK YOU!

It may have been Whitney's party, but I was thrilled to have some of MY very favorite girlfriends in the same place at the same time, too! Whitney's "Aunt Summy" had to leave Cortland and Conrad (da boyz) at home since they were just waking from a nap, but she said she "wouldnt miss it for the world" and made an appearnace at Whitney's party :) And "Auntie Kirsten" was amongst the very first to arrive, and really truly made a huge effort to make this day special for our little family.  Whether it was singing stupid songs to get Whitney to smile, or snapping countless pics, "Auntie Kirsten" was on the spot. I cant thank either of you enough!!

And did I mention my dad is a rockstar??!  He mustve made 50 trips to and from our cars today....bringing in food/sodas/decorations/giant Minnies/etc...and then carrying out trash to the dumpsters/gifts/more gifts/even more gifts back to the parking lot.  THANK YOU, DAD!

And as we tried to put the clubhouse back to its presentable state, Whitney's "Aunt Jet" (one of my very best friends, Juliet) spent an unreasonable amount of time playing with "the Heigh Ho's" (totally different from 'high hoes' by the way, but thats what Whitney calls the 7 dwarfs) and flexing her creative, imaginative juices finding new ways to entertain a TIRED, DRAINED toddler princess.

THANK YOU, Aunt Jet!

We love you!!!

And before the day was done, Whitney insisted on running one last "victory lap" with her balloons.....in celebration of her (almost) two years on this Earth, we watched her gleefully run (like a fool) with balloons blowing beind her...........Im pretty sure that's the toddler sign for a successful party:

Again, THANK YOU to all the family and friends who took time out of this AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL Sunday to spend time with us and to celebrate Whitney's second birthday! We are sooo grateful and truly cant thank you all enough!

More pics and videos to come as they trickle in on facebook and email :)