The Eanes Family: Happy 2nd Birthday Mia!

After much back and forth discussion concerning Mia's birthday...

Should we have a party? Do you think people are partied out? Do we really want to set a precedent of having a party every year at this early age of life? Well, if we have a party it should be low key. Do you understand the definition of low key? (directed at no one in particular I am sure) Well maybe a morning party would be casual... what do people eat in the morning? No, party favors are not considered low key. (again directed towards no one special)

We decided to keep it simple and celebrate the grandeur of the two year-old milestone amongst ourselves and our family. Which, of course prompted more discussion...

Should we go to the zoo? Will the zoo be too hot? How do you nap at the zoo? Would we eat zoo food or pack a lunch? Maybe Great Wolf Lodge would be better. She does love water. How will we all sleep in one room? I hear kids under 3 eat free, that's a great perk.

And so on and so forth.

Oh, the turmoil of the 2nd birthday. Luckily, for those of us that are indecisive in the family the decision was basically made for us when Mr. Eanes showed up one night after basketball with a broken ankle. If you missed out on that fun, you can read about it here.

A family birthday, consisting of a non-walking but animal theme could only mean one thing... Lazy 5 Ranch. A three mile wagon ride complete with the chance to feed all sorts of crazy looking animals out of your hand... sheer entertainment. I mean honestly, who wouldn't want to spend their birthday with this guy?


For some reason Mia felt uncertain about this guy when he approached the wagon.

All-in-all I would say it was a great day and as every mother before me has already said, sometimes I just don't know where the time has gone. When the days feel long I try to remember; the weeks go by so quickly, the months seem to fade, and the years pass in a blink of an eye. It is our privilege to raise you Mia Kate, we thank God for entrusting us with you!

My first order of 2 year old business was to turn facing forward in my car seat and enjoy a splendid birthday breakfast of biscuits and milk on the way to Lazy 5 Ranch. I love facing forward. The whole time we drove I kept pointing out the other "beep-beeps" and saying "Mia fast".

I'll have to admit once we got to the ranch and I saw some of the animals we would be feeding I got a little nervous. Clearly Papa Jim was feeling the same way.

Papa Jim's liveliness picked up when our first visitor arrived once we were on the wagon. These guys were really hungry.

I wasn't really into the ostriches, but I thought the white goats looked kinda cute.

Hey Mr. Goat. I'm Mia, today I am 2.

I know, being 2 makes me a really big deal, but don't be scared. I'm nice.

There you go, have some food.

Did you see that Nannie K? That goat ate right out of my hand!

The goats were fun to feed but some of the other animals were a little scary. So, I held on tight to my bucket and then distributed food to the others who wanted to feed the animals.

Some food for you...

And some for you Papa Jim, because there is no way I am sticking my hand in his mouth...

He looks crazy! I'm pretty sure he is past due on a dental visit too.

This guy didn't seem much saner...

The giraffes were nice.

Their necks are so long.

When the wagon ride was over we had some feed left, so we went to the petting zoo area for more distributing.

Patience, patience everyone will get a chance...

Everyone remain calm as the feeding process begins.

There you go, good little goat. Wait your turn now.

Good job everyone... you're doing great.

After a sufficient amount of strange animals licked my hands we headed to the picnic tables for a birthday lunch. Don't worry, Nannie K and Jill scrubbed my hands before I decided to suck on them in this pic.

We drove back home for naps and when I woke up the house was transformed into birthday central... well at least the dining room was.

Yay for being 2!

Mommy thought I might be sad not to have any friends over, but boy was she wrong. I spent the afternoon playing with all my water toys while all of my NC family gave me constant attention.

Hey everybody! Look at me!

I played in my pool and with my water ball and then all of the sudden something wonderful appeared...

My very own bike! I love birthdays!

After the outdoor fun was over, we opened presents! There were so many we had to take a break and eat dinner. I couldn't concentrate on all the fun new toys. Hey, nobody told the birthday girl to wear navy blue!?!?!