Happy Birthday, Rya!

  Rya turned two today! My sweet little baby girl is growing so fast. I know I say that a lot but it is hard for me to fathom the growth and changes in her in the short two years she has been around (see for yourself below). She brings me joy beyond explanation, she awes me with her ability and potential, and she challenges me daily to be a better mother and person.  

(Rya at 1 day old)

(Rya in her second year)

Happy Birthday, Sweetheart--  I love you!!

 

Party

    Rya is really into princesses lately- so we gave her a birthday party fit for one. We had a small intimate party with close family friends where the adults doted on her and showered her with gifts. The “banquet” in her honor consisted of food fit for a young princess: Mac ’n’ cheese, fish sticks, nuggets, PB &J sandwiches, Jello Jigglers…the works. As for the adults, it will be a while before we work off all the carbs from that meal, but it was fun reverting back to eating like I did at two years old. And, yes, for her birthday we even went as far as to make her a princess birthday cake—she was delicious (probably more fattening than you would expect from Barbie). Rya loved her “Princess cupcake” as she referred to it. It was a night full of fun and frivolity fit for a princess.

  

Tulsa Zoo

We visited the zoo a week ago. I had an appointment in Tulsa and we thought we would make a day out of it and spend the afternoon at the zoo. I had looked forward to it the entire week before because I knew Rya would love to see all the animals. But, by the time we got there, I think the temperature was near the hundreds combined with an unbelievable humidity level. I don’t know who I felt worse for, the animals stuck in cages or us walking around in the heat. We did enjoy seeing the animas, and for the most part they were in doors so we were able to get small stints in the cool air between exhibits. The really cool part was that it was a smaller zoo, and there were not tons of people there, so we got pretty close to some of the animals. But, rather than carry on, let’s get to the good part—the pictures.

How CUTE are the monkeys at this zoo! Am I right?! And this last picture (right) was taken approximately 2 minutes after leaving the park…the sign of a good trip (or a long day in the hot sun without a nap—but I prefer to think it was the former).