Somehow, my tiny little baby is now two years old! Brynnley Alyse celebrated her second birthday on Friday, February 23rd and we had such a fun family day.

This little girl is one Chatty Cathy. She always impresses me with her vocabulary and memory! She has been able to spell her eight-letter name and recite the alphabet (plus or minus a few letters haha) since she was 18-months old.

For the past couple of months, she’s been narrating our day. “Mommy make coffee,” “Brynnley read a book,” “Puppy so cute.” She’s recently starting asking “What’s that?” and “Whatcha doin’, Mommy?” She loves to talk and talk, and becomes a little performer when she’s in the bathtub, making up her own songs and melodies. She keeps me entertained constantly!

Brynnley has also grown quite a collection of stuffed animals that she’s attached to. We can usually persuade her to leave most of them at home, but she can take a quick inventory and spot a missing turtle or bunny within seconds of being in her crib. It’s like Brynnley’s bedtime roll call, making sure all her furry friends are accounted for before hitting the pillow!

Earlier in the month, we went on a family vacation to San Diego (which will be recapped in my next blog post!) and had a very toddler-friendly and Brynnley-focused itinerary. She got to explore Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, the beach, Birch Aquarium, and some parks. After all of that excitement, we decided to skip a big birthday party and just have a family day celebrating together on her actual birthday.

My parents always had the house decorated for all of our birthdays, and I want to do the same for my kids. After she went to sleep last Thursday night, Zeb and I stayed up to hang balloons and decorate our dining room with some “party animals.” I found adorable miniature party hats with adjustable straps on Amazon, perfect for all of her stuffed animals. I also made Brynnley a pink strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting and used a “2” cookie cutter as a stencil to pour sprinkles into. It was simple but Brynnley loved it! Well, mostly the sprinkles. I think I could have skipped the cake entirely and just gave her a bowl of sprinkles.

On her birthday morning, Zeb and I took Brynnley to the Children’s Museum in Meridian, Idaho for the first time. I think it is PERFECT for her age. I would say 2-4 years old would be about the sweet spot for this interactive play place. It has a variety of rooms, themed with different occupations and lots of hands-on props for the kids to play with. There’s a farm, where they can fish with a magnetic pole. They can even milk the large cow.

Another section had a doctor’s office with an X-Ray machine and a life-size game of operation, complete with scrubs for the little kids to wear. There was an airplane with a cockpit full of buttons, a pizzeria, and even a Trader Joe’s full shopping experience. They could be a customer or a cashier, which of course included a Hawaiian shirt.

There was even some outdoor exhibits, like a car mechanic garage and a garden. Brynnley had a blast and it was a great concept for little ones with big imaginations! We came home to have our usual smoothie lunch and get in Brynnley’s regular 1-3pm nap.

Brynnley Girl is still a ball of infectious joy and energy! She’s got “happy feet” that she can’t control when she’s excited, like a dog wagging their tail. She’s obsessed with most forms of potatoes, puzzles, and her current favorite show Not Quite Narwhal. She also loves getting to spend time with her Gigi & Pop Pop who she has wrapped around her finger.

The last two years with Brynnley have shown me how quickly her little mind grows and changes, and how much she’s absorbing all the time!

Happy Birthday, baby girl!