Claire is 2!

I feel like I have been saying Claire is "almost 2" for ages now. Most non-parents or strangers don't want to hear "she's 22 months," even though I still keep track of it that way. Claire's spoken and acted like a 2-year old, to me, for quite some time. So, in my head, that is what she has been. But now it's official. My baby girl is 2. And she can even tell you herself. My how time flies.

We had family over to celebrate on Saturday with a late afternoon meal and birthday cake of course. It was so fun this year to watch Claire understand some of the things that go along with birthdays. She was very excited to have everyone sing to her and blow out her candles. And since she is a lover of desserts, especially chocolate, the cake was a very big deal as well.

She got a few samples ahead of time

The weather could not have been better. The kids played outside and we all hung out on the deck.

Claire did well opening gifts. She was very happy about some Elmo pajamas, her very favorite character at the moment.

She also received an American Girl doll that was a big hit.