Belle is 2 Years Old!!!

Belle's birthday festivities lasted a good two weeks this year...it all began with a birthday card from her Mima (Quinn's mom). The next few pictures are for Mima's enjoyment: Belle opening her birthday card...hilarious.

Shocked Excitement

Snuggling it

Hiding it behind her back so I won't try to read it to her

Opening it

and reading it all by herself;-)

We had a birthday dinner with Grandpa and Grandma Hout, and Uncle Nolan and Aunt Marjorie (better known as Conan and Rorjorie, to the birthday girl) on Friday night.

(Side Story: yesterday Belle told me she would see me tomorrow and that she was going to visit Conan...I wished her well;-) She opened and shut the door to the garage and then came back into the living room and exclaimed, "I home!" My how time flies.)

She approved of the frosting on her cake;-)

She really liked being sung to, and she has shared that joy with many of her baby dolls since then by singing to them her own special version of the Happy Birthday song:-)

This year's experience of cake-eating was much cleaner than last year's!

She received lots of presents...some of which are still arriving...her idea of birthdays is pretty grand...every time she finds a cool new thing in the house she asks of me, "birthday?" The answer has been yes a lot lately:-)Parker hanging out with Grandpa... sleepy little fella.

On Saturday we rented a bounce house and a cotton candy machine instead of having a party... it was less expensive, way less work, and LOTS of fun:-)We were in and out of the bounce house all day... Quinn and I may or may not have played a game of HORSE in there while our babies napped and I may or may not have won:-)
Also, I had a lot of fun with the cotton candy machine..."If you have the means, I highly recommend picking one up."

Then last week- more presents!
I convinced her to show me a car once,but then she was all business playing with her new garage from Mima... she had no time for looking at cameras;-)

We picked up Belle's final birthday present today! Thanks for the picnic table Nana and Papa!

In the picture below Belle requested lunch and then started saying a prayer to bless it without checking to see if I had complied with her request. She is giving me a look for being so irreverent by taking a picture during the prayer- oopsies!

This little lady is the light of our lives- she is quickly turning from a baby into a little girl, so I snuggle her as often as she will let me. Happy Birthday Isabelle, we love you very much:-)