Elayne is Two!!

I can’t believe my little baby is already an energetic toddler! She is the happiest and smartest little girl.

It’s amazing to think back and realize how much she has grown up in the past year! By this time last year, Elayne wasn’t walking yet. And now she runs everywhere! She has also grown into a good little helper. She likes to help me load and unload the dishwasher, run the washing machine, unpack the groceries, and pick out my clothes. And of course, she loves to help me bake!

She isn’t talking much yet, but she understands everything we say to her. She is very smart - future Georgia Tech girl maybe? I can hope at least 😊 She’s going to outsmart me and Tommy before we know it. She figures out games and puzzles quickly, and she has figured out how to get into my phone and use the massage function on our theater seats in the basement. Too smart already! And she is the best little reader. We read books all the time!!! We have books piled all over our house. But we always allow more books because reading is good 😄

We had Elayne’s birthday party yesterday. She had a lot of fun having her friends over and getting all the attention. Plus all the toys! So many new toys to figure out and carry all over the house! 😂

The party was a lot of fun, but it was a ton of work. Luckily, I had Tommy, my mom, my mother-in-law, and my best friend there to help! We did all the cooking, decorating, and cleaning. And of course, I had to bake and decorate Elayne's cake! She wanted a Cocomelon themed party. So I made Cocomelon cake!

I definitely stressed over the cake! I was so worried that it wouldn’t turn out well. I’m a good baker, but I’m still working on my decorating skills. I can typically make something look nice, but trying to do a specific decoration or pattern doesn’t always turn out how I want it to. My plan had been to get the cake completely decorated and finished the night before the party. That way, I could take my time with it and I wouldn’t have to stres as much the morning of the party. Well, that plan didn’t work out 🤣 As I was frosting the cake, it started to split!!! So I quickly got it all coated with frosting and filled the split with frosting. Then I had to let it sit in the fridge overnight to allow the frosting to harden and hold the cake together. Then I was up at 6am to finish the decorating before I had to prepare for the rest of the party. So stressful, haha! But it did turn out very well. I was very pleased with it!

In addition to the cake, I also made brunch food for Elayne’s party. This included french toast casserole, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, cheese grits, chia seed pudding, a cheese board, chicken nuggets (Elayne’s favorite), and mac & cheese cups.

And, of course, you have to have some cookies to snack on too, right?! So I made these Banana Split Cookies and Fluffernutter Cookies.

All in all, Elayne had a very fun day, playing on her new playground, hitting balloons, and watching all the other kids around her.