Par tay

Lila's 2nd birthday party was a little over a week ago. We decided to throw conventional party planning out the window and wait to have her party over a month after her actual birthday. Between my cinco de Mayo baby and my kid destined to a life of birthday pool parties I would say it will all even out somehow...someday.

Lila has what some may call an obsession with Elmo. She loves Sesame Street, but she LOVES Elmo. So really the only planning that went into this party was the cake. And i didn't even do that. I didn't decorate. I barely got food in time. I invited the whole world and then got all stressed out about it because that's what I do. So I knew something had to be a sure thing. And boy was it ever.

Seth's aunt Janis did us the gigantic favor of making this masterpiece. I asked her to make an Elmo cake. What I got was the best kid's birthday cake ever.

To top that off, Lila's most priceless moment of the entire party may have been more overwhelming for me than it was for her. When things like this happen I feel like my legs get knocked out from under me and I can't catch my breath. There's a moment where everything stops and all I see is this perfect creation that Seth and I made. I want to run up and somehow convey to her that she is the best thing that ever happened to me. I want my crazy and intense staring to signal to her that turning two and having 40 people singing happy birthday to you while you stand next to the best Elmo cake ever is in fact as glorious as it feels...

...thank God we were able to capture this moment. Seriously, what am I going to do when she graduates or gets married? 

We have the best friends and family. The gobs of people that love this little girl need to know that we love you for loving her as much as you do. 

Here are a few more of my favorite pictures from the big day. 

And lastly, this is what we are referring to as her "paparazzi moment".