Princess Isabelle

My baby is 2! We had a fiesta for Izzy when she turned 1, so I wasn't planning on having another party this year. It only took a little convincing to get me on board for another celebration though. Let's be honest, I wanted to host at our new house. Don't worry, elaborate birthday parties won't be an annual thing.  I'm glad we ran with the party idea. It was a hit. The princess theme made the occasion feel extravagant.

Costume Contest:

Isabelle loves all things girly and my sister suggested having everyone dress-up. So many people went all out with their costumes! Some of the costume awards given were: "Royally Boring," "Royally Funny," "Royally Original," "Royally Underdressed," "Royally Elaborate," etc. All of the kids got an award and prize. Grandma Langlois won the "Royally Elaborate" award. She had a light up eye mask, brought a pumpkin like Cinderella, had glass slippers, etc. I was shocked to see that my dad even dressed up for the occasion. I pulled out an old dress I had worn to a school dance. I considered wearing my wedding dress and went as far as trying it on. Hosting in that sucker sounded daunting.

Food:

Costco pizza, fruit, salad, soda, cookies, and doughnuts.

Games:

Kiss the Frog! Hence, the lipstick. I was impressed that the kids were able to kiss so accurately and close to the frog's lips, even blindfolded. We also played "find the missing glass slipper." Each child got a chance to hide a princess slipper and someone else found it. We helped the kids find the slipper by singing princess songs softly/loudly as they got closer to the slipper. (I learned in this process that finding a princess song that everyone knows is challenging.) Simon started an impromptu reenactment of Cinderella and Grandma proudly played the roll of "Fairy Godmother."

Party Favors:

I may have gone a little overboard with the prizes and goodie bags, but what can I say? Having a princess theme made things easy. There are princess goldfish, fruit snacks, puzzles, coloring books, magic wands, nail polish, you name it.

Attendees:

Gigi and Go-Daddy (Grandma and Grandpa Denning), Grandma Langlois, Jill (aka Princess Leia) and Daisy, Nana and Papa, Jeff, Lindsey, Simon, and Esther, as well as Jake and Hailey. Jess has had a bad cold, so we missed her and Chris. Joel and Alexa and Alex and Alexa weren't able to make it.

So glad Daisy is still here and could come!

Presents:

Man, Izzy was spoiled rotten. We didn't have dress-ups before, but now we have a humongous bin full of all the princess dresses a girl could ever want. Don't forget about accessories. She got her fair share of those too from clip-on earrings to crowns and magic wands, this girl has everything she could ever want. The game Pretty Pretty Princess was made for Izzy and she is now the proud owner.

Izzy's 2 Year Old Check-Up Stats:

Weight: 27 pounds 8 ounces (66 percentile)

Height: 34.25 inches (60 percentile)

Head: 19 inches (76 percentile)

Isabelle:

*Loves: dresses, jewelry, having her nails painted, high heels, etc. She comments on my outfits regularly and changes her outfit multiple times a day. She is in charge of picking out her outfit, so don't try.

*Loves: to be out and about. if we're out running errands, she'll frequently say, "But I don't want to go home" and gets quite sad at the thought.

*Is pretty fearless. At the pool, she wants nothing to do with me and gets mad if I help her. With her floaties on, she feels capable of doing anything. She didn't bat an eye when she recently started nursery at church and was left in a room full of strangers.

*Wants to be a big girl and do things herself. Lately, she's been asking to sit on the potty and rips her diaper off. (We'll be potty training soon.) She also doesn't want to be carried in the hiking backpack and prefers to walk, no matter how steep the hike is.

*Knows what she wants and makes it known. Her tantrums are not for the faint of heart. We're just glad she no longer gets so upset that she turns blue and passes out.

*Is not a fan of quiet time or bed time for that matter. 

*Has never liked her carseat. We changed her carseat from rear-facing to forward facing the instant we could. (Now that she's 2.) It has helped, but hasn't completely solved the problem.

*Is the best talker! Seriously! She speaks in long sentences. People can't believe she's just barely 2.

*Is absolutely beautiful! Random strangers comment on her hair and eyes frequently. Our first Sunday in our new ward, young women were offering left and right to babysit her. We had family pictures taken last night and the photographer couldn't get over Izzy. I'm dying to get the photos back. Based on the few I saw, Isabelle looks like the prettiest princess in all the land. Happy, happy birthday!