Time Flies...

In about six weeks my little Evie is going to be two and to be honest, I'm feeling a little bi-polar about the situation. I fluctuate between being super excited and super depressed about the fact that my eldest daughter is going to be celebrating her second birthday. How did she get to be two already?

It has been so exciting watching her grow and develop. I thought that after the first year, when all the BIG milestones occur, that things would sort of stabilize and calm down. But it seems like she has changed just as much during this second year as she did during the first. The changes aren't quite so dramatic, but still leaps and bounds in her cognitive and communications skills. But I remember her first birthday like it was yesterday and I look forward to celebrating her second, and many many many more to come.

Evie's first birthday was a blast. She had never really been encouraged to make a huge mess of a cake, and I don't think she really knew what to do with herself. She finally got into it and made a decent mess of herself. It was hilarious to watch. And in typical Evie fashion she had her fans riveted and cheering her on. She was so precious.

This year we are planning on doing a pool party and cook out at the house. I intended initially for it to be a smaller party, and then when I started thinking of all the people that I wanted there, especially all of Evie's little friends, it ends up being at least as many people as last year. Not that last year was a HUGE event. But it was a good sized crowd.

I'm hoping I can get some of my family to each bring a dish, cutting down on the amount of work involved a little. Of course, I need to plan out what all food I want to have. Which is a chore in and of itself. Cake is all too obvious. And I'm going to do a little smash cake for Evie again. Hot dogs for all the guests. Chili, coleslaw (something my mom needs to make, cuz she makes some KILLA coleslaw!), potato salad, chips, maybe some cheesy bean dip (something else my mom should do!), cocktail weenies (cause they're delicious and Evie loves 'em)...but hmmm, what else? Some peanut butter cookies, because I have a neat #2 cookie cutter. And little baggies of popcorn. Another food Evie loves. Do I need anything else? That seems like a pretty decent spread. So, there's our menu.

The party is going to be late morning. I hope the weather is good, otherwise, I have NO idea what to do.

So as long as it's nice we will all be outside soaking up the sun and splashing in the pool. I'm going to hopefully borrow a slip-n-slide. And we've got a little bean bag Tic-Tac-Toe game. So I think we've got plenty to do.

Now in the next month, I have to get the house and yard in ship-shape. There's painting to be done on the deck and some touch ups inside. Weeding and what-not outside. Eesh. It's tiring just to think of!

I'm thinking if I bury myself in work and gifts and party supplies it'll keep my mind off the fact that my baby is leaving the days of babyhood and moving rapidly towards the preschooler age range. I've already told friends that I'm going to bawl my eyes out at Elly's first birthday party. It seems like the beginning of the end. My last baby having her first birthday. Probably be walking and talking and have accomplished all those other "firsts" by then. Evie's second birthday is the same sort of happy-sad occasion.

Mostly it is happy. But I am sad that time just seems to go by so quickly. Everyone tells me the older they get the faster it goes. And while time is flying by I'm left praying that I have done as good as I can. That Evie knows above everything else that I love her unconditionally and irrevocably. I am so proud of her. She's a sweet and precious girl.

I can't wait to see how amazing her future years are.