Happy birthday party to me!

Okay, I'm done teasing you with little morsels about my big 2nd birthday party last weekend. It's time for all the pictures and videos! First off, the party had a Mexican theme, or more accurately, it had a Tinga theme, since it was catered by my favorite restaurant. Bring on the chips, guacamole, rice and beans!


Mmmmmmm! By the end of the party, I think I turned everyone into a Tinga fan. They all raved about how good the food was. I told you so!

But the Mexican theme didn't stop there. There were also maracas for all the kids to color. I had fun coloring two or three (or ten) of them.


One recurring theme of the day for me was seeing how many of my friends I could get to push me on my little play swing. I got Audrey...


..and Isabella...


...and a couple more as well (you'll have to check out the video to see who else). Thanks guys!

In addition to the delicious food from Tinga, I also had not one but two yummy birthday cakes:


A big thank you to the cake provider, Alec and Isabella's mom Vera, who owns a pair of Häagen-Dazs ice cream shops in the city (so if you're ever on 114th and Broadway, or 64th and 1st, be sure to give her some business!).

And before the party ended, Mom and Dad brought out a Sesame Street pinata so everyone could try and get the treats out of it.


I got a little weepy when I saw all the candy spill out, because I thought something had gone wrong, but I liked playing with some of the prizes once I got my hands on them!

So that was my party. If you liked the pictures, you'll really enjoy the video:



Wasn't that fun! Thanks to everyone who came and made the party so terrific, and I can't wait for the next one!

A little Bounce in my step

Mom and Dad got me the best birthday gift: a Jump 'n Slide Bouncer (technically, a Jump 'n Double Slide Bouncer)! They brought it out for my birthday party, and I (along with everyone else) had a blast on it. I tested it out in the morning before everyone else got there. My cousins Abby and Sophia came in early from Connecticut and the three of us had a great time on it together. (Dad put down some tarps because we have to take our shoes off to go on it, but the grass was still wet from the rainy weather the day before. So this way our socks didn't get wet as we ran back and forth on it.)


It took me a few times before I got the hang of it, but after that I couldn't get enough!


Here's a look at my inaugural voyage on it (again, before the party started):



Most of the other kids loved it too, but that footage is for tomorrow's big birthday party video!

Birthday balloons!

I know you guys are getting anxious for photos and videos from my birthday party, and while Dad is still busy combing through the video footage, I wanted to give you a little morsel for now. I got a kick out of all the balloons at my party this year (like the ones I'm holding here from Aunt Jess's boyfriend Pete), so here's a look at what happened when I got back from the Little Gym on Saturday morning and saw all the balloons that Mom and Dad got for my party.



And by the way, as you see in the above photo, unlike last year's birthday party, I actually posed for a photo with Mom and Dad this time!

Paying my respects

I had a terrific birthday party Saturday, and I'll tell you all about it later in the week, but first I want to talk about my trip to Ohio for Uncle John's funeral.

I got to see Aunt Paula, Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Jess, Uncle Ryan and lots of other people. Everyone seemed downcast, so I did my best to put a smile on their faces by being my usual adorable self. During the viewing, I kept running to all the flowers, smelling them and counting the bows. At one point I pointed out to Dad that I saw a "man sleeping," but otherwise I entertained myself, sometimes by just running in a circle and singing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm."

Aunt Paula was very sad but she was thrilled to see me, so I'm happy that I helped cheer her up a bit. I also met my Uncle Dan, who is married to frequent Ask Julia contributor Aunt Rebecca, along with their daughter Diana. Plus I got to spend time with Aunt Paula's dog Gracie. Aunt Paula gave me some of bread to feed her, and I'm still talking about how much fun that was! And I also finally got to meet my Great-Grandma, which was a nice treat. Grandpa took some pictures of the two of us, which I'll post next week after we get a copy of them.

Getting there and back was quite a feat, involving planes, trains and automobiles traveling through four states (from NJ to an airport in NY to an airport in PA to our final destination in OH). I loved watching the planes take off from the gate, and when I got on the plane I told Dad it looked a little like the inside of a choo-choo. Aunt Jess flew with us, so she helped take care of me too.

I was on my best behavior the whole time (I did get a little cranky during the two-hour flight delay on our way home, but you would too!), and everyone talked about how sweet and well-behaved I was. You're welcome, Dad!

California girl

Last week Bobbi and Dido drove me up to Connecticut for the day, so I could spend some time with my cousin Ava, who lives in California now but came back East for a visit. My cousin Sophia was there too, so it was nice to catch up with everyone.


We've all gotten a lot bigger since the last time I saw Ava, which was last summer at Sesame Place. It was an eventful visit to say the least - a few tears were shed by more than one of us - but Sophia set a good example and always made sure to smile!


That's Ava's mom Arita with us. It was nice to see her too.

I'm traveling again right now, for a much sadder reason. Dad and I flew out to Ohio for something called a funeral for Uncle John, my Aunt Paula's husband, who passed away suddenly earlier this week. Everyone is very sad so I hope that my being there will help cheer my Aunt Paula up at least a little bit, because you can't keep yourself from smiling when I'm around!

We're getting back tonight, just in time for another huge event: my second birthday party! I'll tell you all about it next week.

"Hot Dog" special

I mentioned recently that I've been watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse a lot. My favorite thing on it, besides Clarabelle Cow that is, is watching everyone do the "Hot Dog" dance at the end of every episode. I enjoy it so much that Dad found me the music for "Hot Dog" (by a group called They Might Be Giants), so now I can listen to "Hot Dog" whenever I want.


And when I hear it, I always want to dance along, and get my Mickey Mouse Clubhouse pals to join in the fun. Take a look:

More from Mother's Day

I mentioned yesterday that I spent much of Mother's Day afternoon outside. After so much rainy weather, it was so nice to be able to run around in the backyard. I went on the slide, chatted with my imaginary friend Norman and used my sidewalk chalk. Then, I liked the necklace I got Bobbi for Mother's Day so much that I decided to wear it myself!


And of course there's video too. Take a look: