A Bunny Birthday

Today J turned 2. She is officially past the baby stage, and I am full of mixed emotions.
It has been fun to watch her grow and learn new things, to speak and interact more with the world around her. She loves to jump, dance, listen to music, read picture books, and look at photographs of herself and her siblings. She also loves bunnies.

Since her birthday falls close to Easter (she missed Easter by three days when she was born), I thought it would be the perfect idea to have a bunny-themed birthday for her. The stores have plenty of bunny decor in the Easter section, and I had some Beatrix Potter cupcake liners and picks left from last year when I couldn't  make up my mind what kind of party I wanted to throw for her.

So at the beginning of the COVID-19 craziness, I headed out to get groceries and party supplies for her birthday. Annie's has a whole line of bunny-themed products, so I stocked up to be prepared, even though her birthday was a few weeks away at the time. 

The day was a full one. I arose early to wrap the presents, since I had somehow put it off until the Very Last Minute. By the time I was done, a couple of kids were up and ready for breakfast. J soon followed. Cocoa Bunnies cereal was the star of the morning for the kids, although I think J spilled more of hers on the floor than she actually ate. I was trying to clean up some of the kitchen when she found her presents, brought one to the table, and started to try to open it. It was then that we decided that opening presents would need to happen promptly if we were to witness the process as a family.

Still in our jammies, we gathered together to watch J open her gifts, filming the opening of those from family who could not join us because of social distancing. She quickly got the hang of it, and became quite efficient in tearing into her new toys, books, and other gifts. When it was all over, we moved to clean up the mess while she and the other kids tried out the new playthings.

Most of the day was average, but she did refuse to take a nap. All. Day. Long. I thought for sure she would crash at dinner, but, like the Energizer bunny, she kept going and going. I am sure it was my fault for choosing a bunny theme.

We ended our day with bunny-shaped mac and cheese (one of her favorite foods) with ham and vegetables for dinner. This was followed, of course, by bunny-themed desserts. I debated making a carrot cake, but she wanted chocolate. I used the cupcake liners I had, and I used some of the cake to mold a small bunny just for J. As if that were not enough, I had purchased some Lindt chocolate bunnies for the kids to enjoy as well.

Unfortunately, J did not like having us sing "Happy Birthday" to her. She started crying and protesting, "No... No!" After K helped her blow out the candles, she willingly tasted the bunny cake, especially enjoying picking the eyeballs off with her fork and eating them. She thought it was funny.

The evening was spent outside, running off the sugar energy. J and I went for a walk around the neighborhood, looking for wild bunnies (we didn't see any), followed by a bath and bedtime. She truly is a joy to have in our family, and I am blessed to have watched her grow the past two years.