Family Traditions #24: Eden's 2nd Birthday

"Family traditions give identity and belonging to each member." - James Dobson

Everyone around here has been really sick except for Silas. We have had all kinds of stuff… messy stuff! It just keeps coming. Poor Eden was sick the entire week of her birthday. She couldn't keep anything down for days. We were really worried about her. Here she is right before she got sick: 

We had already been talking about her birthday, trying to get her excited. She had told me that she wanted a "baby cake". The girl is never without an opinion. I love that about her! We were going to have a big "baby doll" themed party, but she wasn't really up to it. She hadn't had any energy. So we decided to have something a little smaller and postpone it for a couple days. 

The actual day of her birthday she was still pretty sick, but Jimmy really wanter her day to be special. Jimmy and the boys get their haircut at a new little salon in Santa Elena. Eden happened to go one time and the ladies there fussed and fussed over her. 

They braided her hair and she loved it! (She hardly ever sits still for her mommy to do her hair, but I guess that's usually the way it is.) So that is what they did, the boys went for haircuts and Eden to get her hair done! 

 Happy little E telling me about her hairdo:

 Even after postponing her party, the day before she still didn't have an appetite… until she saw pink cookie dough batter!

Probably not the best thing to throw into an empty stomach, but IT'S HER BIRTHDAY!

The morning of her party, on her own, she asked for pancakes. That's a good sign! Since she is 2, this is the closest thing we could get to a birthday video interview.

I had found her birthday present a couple months before in a paca (thrift store stuff from the States). It was $7 and it looked just like mine when I was little that a friend of my parents had made for me (minus the bears). 

 Jimmy spent a lot of time refinishing the wood and I made her a mattress and bedding. 

I also made her a blanket to match her baby doll's. It's silk jersey and that super soft lamb-like fabric, so she loves snuggling with it. 

I found all kinds of bright florals in that silk jersey in a fabric store in Guate. Her room when we finally finish that part of our house, it is going to be bright! 

Here is what happened to that pink cookie dough:

I had made pacifier cookies and left them on the counter overnight for the royal icing to dry. Well… I didn't realize it, but evidently we have a mouse hiding out somewhere in our house. (Better than the usual rat, but still annoying.) I woke up and found all of them nibbled on and trampled. Eden saw them on the counter that morning and asked me for one. She did NOT understand when I said no since she knew I had made them for her and she cried and cried. All of those went into the garbage. 

Here's Eden's baby cake:

They don't sell Rice Krispies here, so I used Cheerios. And it turns out my kids really like Cherrio/Marshmallow treats. We are going to have to make more!

I ran out of patience icing to coat the cheerios to make them extra smooth before I wrapped them in fondant, but it was almost midnight by that point. Anyway this "baby cake" served it's purpose. Eden was very happy. Of course Eden asked to eat the bow… and the boys, the eyeballs! 

I love this picture, because you see happy E the afternoon of her party and then her daddy in the kitchen helping me. He always is right there with me, doing whatever crazy thing I ask him to on birthdays. I love him! 

And this was my favorite thing, possibly Eden's too:

Jonah and Silas kept giggling, "There's a baby in that watermelon!" 

 I showed Jimmy a picture and he carved it up for us. (He hates Pinterest, haha!)

Here's the rest:

{Diaper party mix and the plan B last minute pacifier cookies}

{baby doll size pizzas}

{Marshmallow rattles, Eden loved these too!}

The lilies in our yard flowered on Eden's birthday!

{Grapefruit punch}

The dolls on the counter were the

party favors for the girls that came. Pattern found here.

We invited a family from our church that have 2 little girls that have been over at our house before and I knew Eden really enjoys them. The mom made Eden that adorable basket that she has in her hand! Little girls love little things to put all of their treasures in. I thought it was so sweet!

Eden loved her baby doll bed. It took her all of 2 minutes for her to decided to get in it herself! 

I think she had a good time at her party!

I'm really thankful for the sweet family that shared that time with us. 

Later we skyped with the grandparents while Eden opened up her presents from them.

We are so thankful for this little girl! Whenever I think about her I praise God for giving us such a wonderful gift. We love having her in our family. She is a complete delight! She is sweet and loving with just the right amount of spunk! She is super girly and still loves wrestling with her brothers. She holds her own too. She loves it when we paint our toenails together and she always wants to sit on the  counter and help me make supper. I enjoy all of the moments we share together. I have no idea why God chose to bless our family with her, but I am extremely grateful!