Mellifluous Mommy Musings: Can’t Leave Katie Hanging

A lot has happened over here recently, but it would be a shame to get ahead of ourselves and skip entirely over Katie’s big second birthday.

I can’t believe she’s TWO! Apparently, neither can she. Anytime someone asks how old she is, she says “four.” It scares me to think how soon she really will be four. Don’t these girls know growing up isn’t allowed???

This year, Katie’s big day happened to fall on Memorial Day. And not just any Memorial Day, but a Memorial Day when some of my very best friends from Minnesota happened to be in town for the weekend. This is the second time in roughly a year that we’ve been able to have a “Chaska East” reunion in Syracuse and it amazes me nonstop that we’ve had such good fortune. Who moves over a thousand miles away from home and then still gets to hang out with their best friends from high school?

To celebrate the unofficial start of summer and take advantage of our wonderful finger lakes, we ended up all heading out to Seneca Lake State Park—one of our favorite places for summer fun. (Things we love about Seneca Lake: there’s a great playground, the beautiful lake for a backdrop (and swimming later in the summer), plus a really fun “sprayground” for the kids to splash in.)

Going for a ride together on the playground. (Not pictured: Daddy pumping furiously with his arms to power the little tram.)


Little Amber and Big Amber hanging out. The husbands engaged in a little friendly competition pumping their wives back and forth. To make things more difficult (my friends all weigh pretty much nothing) Amber got to tag along on the rides.

Of course, in true Memorial Day fashion, we also picnicked.

My three favorite little girls.

My three favorite girls from when I was little.

We brought Pink Lemonade cupcakes to celebrate Katie's birthday with the group.

I was really excited to have an excuse to use these cupcake wrappers. I found them clearanced after Valentines Day and immediately thought of a certain little baby that we routinely called "Katie-Bug" when she was born. (We even brought her home from the hospital in a little outfit with pink lady bugs on the toes.)

My amazing, waaaaaay too generous, friends, made the occasion extra festive by bringing presents. In fact, not only did they bring gifts for Katie, they brought goodies (like fabulous Slinky-brand pinwheels!) for the big girls and a super cute outfit for baby brother. (And a package of…um… “pee-pee teepees” for baby. Nothing says friendship like that… :)

Being a spaz while we wait for the sprayground to re-open. This happened a lot. Perhaps the concept of a swim diaper is a little bit more complicated than it would seem...

Afterwards we also had a little family party for Katie at home.

Nothing says two-year-old girl like a very pink, very pastel Elmo cake. (It was hard to eat this one: it reminded me a little too much of the imaginary food on Hook.)