Elsie's 2nd Birthday

2 years old :)

For Elsie's actual birthday we were at home for some cupcakes, mac n cheese (her favorite) and she helped me fill out her birthday questionnaire. And I got some cute 24 month old pictures in her chair. I guess she is now a "2 year old" until she's 3! So crazy!! <3 p="">

At the doc for our 2 year check up she was 25lb 8 oz, 35 inches, so she'll be taller than me! Also got a shot which she took like a champ and the doctor found NO potatoes in her ears.

She is growing into such a loving, funny, smart and (usually) happy little girl. She can string sentences together, sings songs (wheels on the bus and twinkle twinkle and lots of others), she loves to run around naked and roll on her mat, she loves running around outside barefoot and meeting all the neighbors. It's just been such an amazing 2 years and I'm so lucky to have her in my life!

Playing with her new baby and doctor set.

Elsie's Taco Twosday

I can't believe my funny, clever, kind, and creative little girl is already 2! To celebrate we had a bunch of family Aug. 24-25 up at Cabin Wyandock in Minoqua, WI, followed by a small family birthday celebration on the day-of. We were so grateful that so many people made the long trip to be with us, thanks to everyone!

Memories worth noting:

• Weather was great, a bit chilly at night (in the 40s) considering it's still August....
• Got there Friday night, no traffic whatsoever, I'm guessing most people were waiting for Labor Day the following weekend. :)
• Great news from Mary and Sam, little Heiken on the way :) Yay!!!! Congrats!
• Elsie had a fantastic time with everyone, loves her grandma's the best, possibly followed by mom, then Lena, then Laura/Mary is a tie, with Spencer somewhat after that :\ She loves to run around the cabin and outside (no shoes), play with the little people, swing on the swing, play in the sand, look at the lake/water and she even went in (it was coooold). Lena is a bit too young to know how Elsie is trying to play with her, but I think they'll be real buddies in a year or so.
• Lots of singing and chit chat, lots of people asking her how old she is and her saying "two" and showing 2 fingers.
• Taco TWOsday theme, with all the taco fixings, chips, salsa, guacamole, and I made some tamales by hand. Turned out pretty damn good, must try again now that I have a handle on them. 
• Watching Elsie figure out what to do with the pinata was priceless. So cute, she started off giving it a gentle wack but obviously needed much more oomph to get anything interesting to happen. She got in a good swinging rhythm but eventually got a bit tired, so Mark and I finished off both pinatas.
• Having Elsie run around the cabin area is MUCH less stressful than last year, when she was running before she was walking. She is more clever now and able to get into way more nooks and crannies, and cupboards and figure out how to get to places we wouldn't even think of but she also has better survival instincts. She loves to walk around the bench part of the dining room table and it is super stressful watching her navigate the pillows skewed about, and other humans sitting there. She likes to pick people to have follow her to do things and most people are happy to hang out for at least a couple minutes, but it gets a little stressful on me and Spencer when said person gets distracted by another human or a dog and stops watching her. Then next thing you know she has run to the front of the cabin to the sand area, or is swinging by herself. For my own sanity I just decided to watch her the whole time.
• Paddleboat ride with Elsie Rose was LOTS of fun, though she forgot her water bottle and the whole time she kept looking back at the dock and saying water bottle, ha. 
• Played some "Where's Hitler" a version of the Resistance cooperative game, but not sure my family likes those kinds of games? Maybe stick to Code Names, or Game of Things next time to skip the grumbling and under the breath comments. Or no games at all, most people seemed to want to sit and chat, which is what happened the next night.
• I'm sure I forgot something but here's some pictures:

Daniel Tiger Tiger

I'm so behind on posts but needed to write this down before I forgot. Grandma and Grandpa Elsie and Ron visited for labor day and we went to the Madison zoo. They ended up buying little Elsie a stuffed tiger because that was one of the favorite animals at the zoo and she kept saying Daniel tiger.

We got it out today and we're playing with it and I asked her what it's name was?

She points to it, "a tiger"

Me: "Yes, it's a tiger"

Her: "Daniel Tiger Tiger"

Me: "That's a great name!"

Birthday posts imminent!