Nora's Birthday

Towards the end of our trip, Nora had her second birthday. We had a few little presents for her throughout the day, and she was eager to finally be on the receiving end.

When I'd ask what kind of cake she wanted, Nora kept vacillating between "Princess," "Huggo Kitty" (Hello Kitty), and "Dora." So I used my Mom's doll cake mold since I had access to it this year, and tried to recreate Belle.

 My sister Miriam and her husband Marc were kind enough to let us crash their house for the party, and set up the backyard with a fun inflatable pool. We had a nice low-key afternoon, and Nora enjoyed opening a few more presents before a delicious barbeque. One of the presents was this tutu I made with a headband and a few tulle spools.

Dancing in it was just one of its many functions. :)

 Benjamin assisted in blowing out the candles, and we all enjoyed cake and Miriam's awesome homemade strawberry ice cream.

 My Mom made this cute little princess dress for her that has already withstood some washings.

And once we got home, she got to have her big birthday present. I found this wooden Battat doll house with furniture on Craigslist for a steal, and held on to it long enough to decide it needed a little more color.

I wanted to keep some of the natural wood and the cute red roof, so I tried to find something that would complement those colors. I turned to my favorite color palette source to find a fun scheme, using the red as a guide.  I just happened to find one with that natural wood color AND pink in it!  I bought two little color samples for the teal and pink, then used some yellow paint I already had on hand. So other than it being a little more time intensive, it was a pretty cheap and easy project.

 Nora seemed pretty pleased with it, and got right to playing and rearranging furniture.

The boys were equally as excited as I was to give it to her, since they helped me keep the secret for so long. It was fun to watch them all play together, doing something she loved.

We're so glad Nora is a part of our family. She brings a special light with her that is all her own. Love you, sweet girl!