Zoralee's 2nd birthday

We had the world's lowest key birthday (for a kid), which was just perfect for this year. Between my pregnancy fatigue and having just hosted a big Thanksgiving shindig the week before, we took this one easy. 'Twas a leisurely morning, the adults drinking coffee whilst entertaining/being entertained by Zoralee and Bennett, and Zoralee trying to finagle as many chocolate cupcakes as she could ahead of the celebration. Then, in a little window of the early afternoon, when the kids were up from their naps and Jason hadn't yet left for work, Zoralee opened her presents, and we sang happy birthday and gave her another cupcake with a "2" candle in it. And that was it!

She wanted to play with each toy and read each book rather than move along to new presents. It really felt like we were encouraging ADD by giving her gifts one after the other. Somebody suggested that for a child her age, it'd be a good idea to let her open a gift each day leading up to the birthday. 

She loved her singing card from Grandpa and Grandma as much as any present.

The next two pictures are from the morning time, before Zoralee had opened her first present of new clothes. She got those leopard pajamas for her first birthday. They are wonderful pajamas, but every once in a while, when she drops her drawers and has messy hair or a dirty face, she looks like quite the urchin child. Just after the second photo, Zoralee needed to go tinkle. She found a nice patch of grass, but not wanting to step fully onto it, she gingerly put one foot on the grass and kept the other on the sidewalk. She did her business in a beautiful squat/straddle, and then leaned onto the sidewalk foot, slowly swinging her other foot around until it too was on the sidewalk. Then she looked over at me and gave a little hick chuckle and grin - with (and I am not making this up) chocolate cupcake stuck to one of her front teeth. 

"This looks like a post-domestic disturbance still shot from COPS. All Zoralee needs is a frying pan in her hand." - Rachel