She is so much fun right now and often on the weekends when Jon and I run separate errands we "fight" over who gets to take Tay. Her heart is so sweet and she loves taking care of her brother, younger cousins, younger friends, and thankfully still baby dolls.
She is so smart and cracks us up pretty much daily. She really is a daddy's girl which I LOVE beyond measure. She often goes through the day pointing out things Daddy would like or appreciate and anytime she hears the beep of the door goes running full speed to greet him with wide open arms. I tell her almost daily the only boys she can love for a very long time are Daddy and brother.
She pretty much just loves life!
We decided when our kids were born 14 months apart that we would alternate years they get to have a birthday party. So on odd years 1,3, 5... They get a party with friends and family. On even years we have family dinner and they get to spend the day alone with Jon and I doing whatever they would like. It has worked out great so far.
This year Taylor decided she wanted her family dinner to be yellow. I don't think she really understands themes yet. So I went full force looking for yellow and pink party/dinner ideas.
I think we did pretty good!
She was over the moon and was so sweet to thank us all day for each detail of her dinner. It really made all the work so WORTH it. She was precious as we were setting up and buying things. She really did love it all and exuberantly expressed it.
I found a lemonade cake on Pinterest. It is up on my recipe board and it is delicious if you wanna try it!
Jon was skeptical about me making the cake because I am not the best baker. I actually don't even have a mixer. I had to borrow one from my sister in law. Thankfully she lives super close!!
For Taylor's 2nd birthday I tried to make a monkey shaped cake. I was up till 4am. I had to trash two cakes because the kept collapsing and I spent way too much money failing. I ended up going to Publix the next morning as soon as they opened. They made me a perfect monkey in 30 minutes for $20 bucks. So that day I vowed I would cook and keep the baking to the professionals...until this year!
I really wanted her cake to be homemade. It ended up turning out great and I was so proud of it. When Tay woke up from her nap I opened up the fridge to present her cake and she was ecstatic. Her face and excitement was too cute.
When the family arrived Tay had a lemonade stand set up to greet them and give them a drink of lemonade with raspberry ice cubes. She has been asking to have a lemonade stand for awhile and I didn't really want her passing out lemonade to strangers so this seemed like the next best option. She took her job very seriously.
We all hung in the back yard. Jon grilled. We ate, talked, laughed. Well, the family did! Jon and I always feel like we end up barely talking to anyone because we are running around keeping things moving. We are a good team that way though!
Tay got so many fun presents! Our family was overly generous.
Jon and I were super excited to get her a big girl bike. She was so excited to get it!!
Of course Jon couldn't have her cruising the neighborhood on any old bike. She got a custom paint job and he had her name pinstriped on it!
The next day JD stayed with Nana and PawPop while Tay, Jon, and I headed to the beach with her new Paddleboard my parents got for her. My dad actually hand carved her a paddle just her size!
We ate lunch at a marina and just enjoyed one on one time with our very big girl! It is amazing how different our kids are when they are on their own. It is a nice change of pace sometimes.
All in all I think birthday number 4 was a big success! Caron, Jon's mom, said she had never seen any one enjoy their own party as much as Tay did. That made us feel really great.
Lots of Birthday Love!
