Aubrey Turns Two!

Though she has been acting like a bona fide two-year-old for awhile now, Aubrey only officially turned two last week.

*Insert all of the she's-growing-up-too-fast cliches here.*

On her actual birthday, we had a mommy/daughter date at the local zoo. Unfortunately, it had snowed the day before, so it was a little chilly. I tried to dress her in some warm pants and a sweater, but she pointed at her closet and said, "Minnie Mouse dress!" And who was I to argue on her birthday?

When we got to the zoo, we bundled the birthday girl up with a blanket and set off. On the plus side, the lackluster weather meant that there were absolutely no crowds. It was me, Aubrey, and one other mommy/daughter duo that day. It was nice to have the place to ourselves! But the poor girl kept asking me for a picnic, which I had to deny her due to all of the benches being covered in snow. *Sigh*

Anyway, we started off the day with goats, and Aubrey was unimpressed.

The lions compelled her to get out of the stroller, however. And man, they were ready for their closeup! But Aubrey wasn't; she freaked out when I tried to take her picture with them...

... and when I tried to take her picture with me.

I did finally get one okay shot, but that was all she'd give me.

Her favorite animals were the lions, the sloth bear, the meerkats, and--of all things--the water monitor (basically a huge, creepy lizard). She kept telling the lazy guy, "Swim, froggy!" He ignored her.

But mostly, Aubrey was content to carry around a stick and glance at animals on her way past.

After we'd seen all of the animals--some more than once--we headed to a local ice cream place, where we split a chocolate shake (and I ate a whole huge plate of nachos by myself... but that's not really the point).

Aubrey was thrilled that I let her sit in the booth like a big girl. She hates those highchairs! It was a chore keeping her in the bench, but hey, birthday. See how happy she was?

Thankfully, all the people in the adjoining booths were very friendly and didn't get annoyed when Aubrey popped her head over the top of the booth and said things like, "They're all done!" and "He's eating rice!" She was feeling particularly friendly that day.

When we arrived home, Aubrey was ecstatic to have mail and insisted on opening everything right away.

She loved her school bus card from Nana and Papa, which inspired her to sing a familiar song. So glad I had my camera ready!

There was also a package from Aunt Karen and cousin Emma. In it were all of Aubrey's favorite things!

She immediately put on the stickers...

... and tried to blow up the balloons...

... and asked for M&Ms.

Amazingly, considering all of the inducements to stay awake, Aubrey took a decent nap and allowed me to get her presents wrapped and ready for when Daddy got home. And as soon as he did, she came down and dug in.

Well, kind of... it turns out she is a very slow unwrapper.

We got her sidewalk chalk and her own little rocking chair.

Nana and Papa got her a cute little table with a chair and stool, which she loves to use with her toy kitchen.

Grandma and Grandpa got her a bike that triples as an indoor rocker, outdoor push toy, and tricycle. She's only used it indoors as a rocker, but she thinks she's riding a bike and loves it!

In short, she was in present heaven and has been enjoying everything so much.

After opening the presents, we forced her to take a break to eat dinner (which led to tears... oh well). Cake was saved for her birthday party, which I shall write about in my next post. But hey, she had ice cream and M&Ms, right?

So all in all, it was a good day. Hooray for Aubrey, my favorite little person in the whole world!