My precious little girl is two years old and there's no turning back. I can't even remember what life was like before she came into this world but I'm certain that it was boring, lifeless, and a lot less messy than it is now. And I wouldn't change a thing. Every day I am more and more amazed by this beautiful little girl. From her silly smiles, to her fascination with clocks, money, and numbers, to the random kisses she gives with no provocation or reason. I love you, Celeste. May you always feel safe, always feel loved, and always know where to find happiness. May you find strength through exploration and take comfort in the familiar. May you always know that I will always love you. [caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Celeste turns 2"] [/caption]

With Celeste's birthday being the day after Christmas, we didn't really expect any one to come. We, instead, intend to throw her a party on the 1/2 birthdays. But, we wanted to do a little something. More than anything, to celebrate the fact WE made it, as parents, through an entire year and still have some hair left on our heads. So, my parents and my two nieces made it to our place.

We had a quick lunch, opened presents, and then set out the cake. We made a sugar-free apple bread cake that uses apple juice concentrate for sweetener. And then hand whipped a cream topping. It was quite good.

Unfortunately, by this time, Celeste was well overdue for a nap. So, instead of the anticipated mess making and fronting smearing, we got this:

Yes. The saddest birthday ever.

Thankfully, after her nap she was eager to try again and absolutely loved it. The proof is in the pictures.