2 years old!

What a week! Clara Xinyi turned 2 years old on Saturday!!! But first, we have some leftover pictures from Christmas :).

Doesn't she look like she's 16 going on 17? :O

Cheese!

More cheese! She looks so grown up!

During the week, Nai Nai and Yeh Yeh came to visit!

We started getting ready for the party by putting up al Elmo and Cookie Monster growth chart! We think she likes it :).

Hi Yeh Yeh!

Little Plaid Riding Hood is modeling for me!

Oh so busy!

 On Friday night, we went to Gymboree for a free play hour! What fun she had!

Crawling through tunnels and saying cheese!

On Saturday, Xinyi's birthday, we let her run around in jammies for the morning, and then took her to McDonald's to try out the play place! We also somehow accidentally ordered all three sizes of fries.... :P. Xinyi was excited to go up the play structure and danced around and giggled for the first 5-10 steps. Then she got to the very top where the big kids were playing and got scared... After trying to coax her down for 5 seconds, she decided she was supremely unhappy and started bawling. So up I went into the play structure to rescue my crying 2 year old! What an adventure :).

Here is the birthday girl before the party! Messy hair and all!

Before the party, Grammy helped mommy finish the Elmo cupcakes that daddy baked the night before!

 We rearranged the house and put up some final decorations!

And took some selfies!

Our first guests arrived! Athena!!!

Thanks for sharing!

 Hi Great Aunt Flora!

 And Great Grampy Chuck!

And of course, Grammy!!

 Time to blow out the candle and eat some cake! She was unsure of the red stuff (frosting) and refused to try it at all. Then she tried the frosting and refused to the eat cake itself and only wanted the frosting!

 Playtime with Leo!

 And reading books with Auntie...

And Uncle Dru...

Gemmy being adorable!

And Xinyi wandering around with a cupcake wand...

Let's open some presents! Ooh paper!

And some books...

 

And a tiny Elmo! This is one of her new favs... :)

On daddy's last day of vacation, we went on an impromptu zoo trip!

We can't believe our baby is 2 years old already! It's been the most amazing, wonderful 2 years and we can't remember life without her! She lights up our lives with her smile and her laugh and challenges our patience with her tantrums too! But she is a sweet, obedient child who loves to learn! We can't wait to keep celebrating life with you!