Sesame Place.for Evie's 2nd Birthday

 

We did Sesame place..again..as a gift to Evie for her Second birthday (really from her dad to himself). We have been there in the past, about2 years ago soon after she was born we took Arielle during her “Abby Cadaby” phase and I was a bit overwhelmed that time but this time it was actually quite fun. The weather was perfect, we rented two cabanas (we had invited some friends and family to join us) and we chose to go on a Friday instead of Saturday this time. What a difference! Although the park was still pretty full of patrons, it was not overflowing and it was a different kind of crowd on Friday. Let’s just say Saturday was bit less PG than Friday. Anyway, when we got in we immediately spotted Zoe, and at that moment I knew if Evie was going to be receptive to these characters or not..this time she was cautious. She stopped and looked at her quizzically but did not want to get close at all!  Not a problem I figured when she got a bit more comfortable with the surroundings she would open up..which she did to “the count” of all characters. On our way to the cabana though we ran into others, Ernie and Bert, Big bird being rushed over to some other activity. We checked in, go our water shoes and changed…Can I just digress for a minute..water shoes are the most unflattering thing ever, they don’t look good on me, they don’t even look good on cute little girls..and they are horrendous on grown men! I amy hate them just as much as I detest crocs! But I admit, after paying twenty five dollars for them, I remember thinking how worth it they were every step of the way! There's something to be said about being in water and mingling with hundreds of other peoples feet..I don’t maybe its me..but I was quite happy having a barrier from in my hot pink water shoes!

Okay. We started out by a jumping into the pool at the counts castle which you can see from my last trip to SP. And since last time I had a little baby, I barely went into the water so this time, I jumped right in and stood square under the bucket for a good lashing..there was no going back after that, once you’re soaked, the water fun just becomes second nature.

Evie is a little fish, she loves the water and if you’ve been to Sesame Place before, you know the water is extremely crisp, freezing, but she wouldn’t get out even while she was shivering. She was running up and down the stairs at the counts castle water slides and even went down a windy slide several times..she wasn’t nervous at all. This particular pool, has slides and was filled with kids and adults, has water falling from every location and every few minutes has a huge bucket of water dumped on the swimmers! My baby Arie (almost 6 years old) was terrified and cried because of the loud thunderous sound it makes before the deluge but Evalie wanted to stand under the deluge! They are so different. It was a bit hard to negotiate because we were first so if Arielle wanted to go somewhere else, we would have to separate.

We were also looking out for my sisters and their kids so we didn’t want to go too far until they got there. What I realized that day though was that SP is a pretty compact park, it seemed much larger the first time.

When the others arrived, we ordered lunch and jumped back in the pool, hit up a few slides and then rushed back for our personal visit with the count..at non other than the “Counts cabanas”! Last time we were amateurs so we missed all the perks of the cabanas but this time we knew, we could get food delivered, we got one on one visits from the count and we got to bypass the lines on the rambling river!

While we ate lunch and relaxed for a moment, the count came in. We took a bunch a funny pictures with him, he laid out for a bit on a chaise and Evie even with him. He was the all out best most friendly character there. Kudos count!

We had been advised by an insider when we arrived that morning that around 2pm people would start leaving their towels down on the sidewalk to save the prime locations for the parade so thought we’d do the same because last time that was something I missed, I was too far back with my stroller and Austin just threw Arie on his shoulders so she could see. This time, we did as the Romans did but we were a bit late, by about 2:30 all the spot were taken so we were at the end of the line. The parade kicked off at 3pm and it was a blast. Evie wouldn’t get off Sesame Street, she wanted to run and down with them but the guards are very strict about keeping the kids on the curb because of the moving floats. Anyway, the 30-40 minute parade was lots of fun. The kids were screaming out and waving as all their favorite characters rode by on floats and came into the street to dance. It’s quite lively and very colorful.

The rest of the time was a race to get on as many rides and slides as possible but still make it to the hotel in time to wash up for dinner. We took the little ones to the wave pool (it was filled with little babies and the water was quite a bit warmer than the other pools! yuck.) Arie and Evie made friends, and really had a good time there, in that regard, they are both quite similar, they like to have one friend and they are happy to stay.  

I knew that if we waited too long Evie would melt and although we left the park at 6:30ish, and she slept for about an hour, she woke up very cranky and hard to deal with which is what I was afraid of. She eventually snapped out of it, when we go to the restaurant around 8pm. We had the usual Teppanyaki table hijinks which my kids like and the food was quite nice. They brought her out a cake and sang and then gave her a porcelain cat cup (a bit bizarre but its the thought that counts!).

Day 2 a SP was a bit more low key, I was grumpy to start but eventually lightened up. We split up in three groups for most of the day! My sister parked herself on a chaise lounge under an umbrella with a good book and her visor, the guys and older girls went off to ride the more daring rides and my other sister and I along with the two year olds did ice cream, got caricatures, met Elmo and Super Grove, rode a slow Elmo ride..etc. We even got to see a part of the parade again. We spent some time at the kiddie area but unfortunately the wave pool had just been evacuated..word on the street.. the Sesame street..was that one of those babies pooped!..ewww. We left he park around 7 and drove home, kids in PJ’s and fed ( NJ turnpike food..) but at least it was food!

Two Years Old

My dear Evalie,

Happy 2^nd Birthday my love. As I even begin to write this I am tearing up with an intensity of love I never imagined I could feel for another person. I have had the great pleasure of watching you and your personality develop unfettered over the last year(since your first birthday). It has been quite an adventure, as opposed to the first year year where you physically transformed from a squirmy newborn to a more stable walker by One, the last year has been a whirlwind of so many milestones and you have not only achieved them but you have surpassed all of them and done it with such humor! 

You have become an even brighter light in our lives than you had been last year. You are funny and honest, sharp and thoughtful, you love and play with all your heart, you are sweet as they come and have yet to encounter any hurdles you won’t dare to traverse. You love to sing and you often do, everything from nursery rhymes to tunes you hear on the radio and somehow are able to retain the words or some version of them. You are bursting with enthusiasm for life and have had no problems learning the lessons you need in your second year of life, the alphabet, counting to 20, primary colors and good manners. You often respond to my requests with a snarky “of course” and are always able to get a laugh out of us when you pretend to answer the phone in your funny accent “halllow?”  

I never tire of hearing your high pitched little voice asking me all sorts of questions with such cadence, one can’t help but smile. You are truly unique, I regularly ask myself why I was so nervous to have another baby girl. On the contrary, you make me wish to have another one just like you but I know it’s not possible because you are like no other and that is what I am most proud of, you will always be something special to me and, I am confident you will to the world in the future.

From the moment I met you at 3:49 am on July 11^th 2012, I knew I could not imagine my life without you but now 2 years later, you have compounded those feelings in my heart. You are such a lovely and funny little girl, you leave me wondering everyday where this comes from. Your ability to love and take care of your sister and daddy is also so uncanny for a person your size and age. Over the last year, you have marveled everyone you meet with your outgoing, witty boisterous personality, I’m regularly asked how old you are because of your vocabulary, your ability to process concepts and your profound ability to express yourself. Some of the funniest moments remain in my mind but some we have caught on video and shared with many others who also take part in the pleasure of watching you grow. You are still walking on your tippy toes at all times (even on the balance beam during your gymnastics class!) You love to play outside and are very daring and brave, conquering the highest windy slides and running up and down as fast as you can. I love your sweet smile and how squinty your eyes become, I love how you make yourself laugh, I love your chubby little feet, I love your spunky nature, I love the little dance you do (when you bend over, pull your elbows into your belly and wiggle), I love how friendly your are, I love your big belly, I love that you still need to cuddle up to me at night to fall asleep. I love you little girl. Happy Birthday.
Love mum.

So I knew Evie’s birthday was on a Friday and she had been talking about it for days already so I felt bad that I wouldn’t be there with her like I was last year. But I decided that if we could at least come home from work a bit early and have her two favorite people (her cousins) come over and have a little cake then she’d at least feel like we did something. We had all planned to go to Sesame place for her birthday the following week but I still wanted to do something without doing a big party and getting completely frustrated like last year. So I planned to get pizza, make the cake myself and have a fun evening. I then decided to ask my sister and my nephew if they could come over even though it was kind of late on a Sunday and she accepted, I then felt bad because my uncle and his kids were visiting and I had to invite them as well. This little get together turned into a party of sorts.

From the moment I got home from work, she was wearing the felt crown I made her and saying “happy birthday mommy”, “happy birthday to my little daddy”..it was so funny! I could tell she had a good day, her nanny had taken them to the park and they had time to play in the sandbox as well.

I ordered some finger food for dinner and I made chocolate devils and a three tier birthday cake (which tasted better than it looked). I served cookies, donuts and watermelon slices. I made little favors of shortbread..because Evie loves shortbread cookies and that was it. I did get her the giant balloon I got last year because she had so much fun with it last time.  

The party turned out much better than I expected, we even opened quite a few gifts and you got to blow out your two candle twice (because your sister and cousin blew them out the first time), by the end of the evening, you were exhausted and went to sleep even before everyone had gone home. 

I am still reeling from Friday, I can't beleive my baby girl tuned two years old! Its amazing how fast year two has gone.

Evie's first day at the beach

The fourth of July this year fell on a Thursday, luckily we took the next day off, turning it into a four day weekend for us but since we don't have a tradition per say, we are usually just floating around. This year was no different, we had no plans and decided to just call it a staycation. It turned out to be quite fun for us all. On Thursday we cleaned up at home then headed out to get some food for a BBQ and packed a picnic to camp out and watch fireworks. The kids really enjoyed them even though it was quite late when it finally began. 

The next day, we hung out at home and pulled out the pools for the kids to play around in. Then on Saturday, we decided to get up early and go to Greenwood lake. After living here for almost eight years ( unbelievable..) I was surprised we hadn't been here more often. We camped out around 11:00 and stayed until 6:00pm. We had snacks, toys, music and drinks and after staying all day, I still had to drag them home. They were in and out of the water, my husband even got some fishing in. 

Arie doing her best baywatch run..

 Even I went into the lake and I must say it wasn't as bad as I had expected..

Evalie's 1st Birthday Party

I love planning parties and I hate planning parties for the same primary reason..I get so invested in the details and work to make sure everyone has a great time that it becomes a chore until the actual party comes together..and this time was no different. It was my second daughters first birthday on Thursday and the party was on Saturday and after all my worrying..it turned out really great..and I even had some fun as well. We had just the right number of guests and the right ones too, she was surrounded by those who care so much for her and wanted to celebrate such a memorable occasion with her. Everyone got on well, laughed, ate drank and celebrated my little Evie. She had great time as well, even tried it at the pinata and had her own little cake for the first time.

The morning started out pretty mellow, I had been pretty well prepared and left on al few things to do in the morning. The party was at 1:00pm and located about 30 minutes away from our home so I started somewhat early in the morning, making the cupcakes. I made two kinds using this recipe I found from a blog earlier that week. The cakes came out pretty good. I also used the frosting from the same place but decided to do the chocolate cupcakes with a hazelnut frosting which I found here. That frosting was divine..in my opinion but I digress.. I had put the favors together a few days before and had spray painted her name out of cardboard letters and glittered a pennant banner onto them for the table decor. I also make a tassel garland and a bunch of the flowers tags for the toppers and favor bags earlier.

While the cupcakes were cooling I made two batches of chocolate walnut brownies and made the vanilla frosting.  My husband packed up all the stuff in my car and then scooted out to get the cakes from our favorite bakery (one large one for everyone, a little one for Evalie and one for her grandpa who shares her birthday!) 

Once the cupcakes cooled I frosted them, packed them up and got myself and the kids dresseed.We got there with 25 mins to set up, my mom was already there with a wardrobe change fro the little one and to help set up. So Arielle, myself and Grandma put together the sweets table quickly and changed Evie into the dress grandma brought. The table didn't really consist of too much because I wasn't sure how much space I would have ( I had a lot) and did not feel like having to pack two kids and lots of the stuff in my car that mornong. In hindsight, I wouldn't have been so bad. Anyway, here are some the things that were on the table. The favor bags, had bunch of little novelty toys from the party store, a flower pencil, notepad and bubbles, then I sealed them off with some gold glitter tape and placed the personalized flower on one side and a flower with a single candle (stickers from Michael's)  on the other side. The cupcakes toppers were made the same way using card stock in three shades of of the pink with white centers each saying either "Evalie 1", "E" or "Happy first birthday". I also made some that said "thank you" for the candy filled milk jugs and hung those on with bakers twine.

I also put out brownies with cute little flags toppers on them, some paper suitcases and the birthday cake. The cupcake boxes were actually pretty nice as well for people to take home. 

Soon, people started to arrive and the party started out wonderfully. I must say, the waiters were really stellar and kept everyone happy..especially me!.I had sent the owner of the restaurant the recipe for a punch to serve the guest (really for myself..lol) and they really did a nice job, the only problem was it was so good that it was finished by the middle of the party. Luckily they quickly whipped up something else. 

We did play a few games which everyone was really into both kids and grown ups! We gave out gifts ( wine..which we probably should have thought a bit harder about since both winners were underage!) The food was excellent, we gathered round and sang happy birthday to my little Evie. She seemed so confused but eventually reached out and tried to grab the candle. It was all really sweet and I was very pleased with everything.