Kate's "Ninnie Nouse" Birthday Party

 Tonight we celebrated our littlest turning TWO! I can't believe it!

Since she doesn't have true "friends" yet, we just had our family over for a backyard swimming party, and my sweet friend, Brandi, passed on to us her daughter's Minnie Mouse 2nd birthday party decorations which were perfect. Kate has been talking about her "Ninnie Nouse" birthday party for WEEKS! :)

 Pre-party photo op. Pardon the little lady's scowl...she was not so pleased to be woken up from her nap early. ;)

I love to decorate the mantle with my kids' baby pictures on their birthdays. It's our own little walk down memory lane.

Another birthday tradition we have around here is the annual chalkboard. I like to write up the child's stats, milestones, favorites, and I always ask the child what he or she wants to be as a grown-up. All I could get out of  Kate was that she'd be a mommy when she was a grown-up. :) Sounds about right!

 We set up the slide to go into the kiddie pool out back. So easy, and the kids were thrilled. :)

 Love these two girls.

 She's not enjoying herself at all.

 Carter, Kensi, and Grant

 Dinner time!

 It's my party, and I'll drink juice with no pants if I want to.

 Liam!

 Sweet brothers.

 Cupcake time!

 Not bad for Duncan Hines. ;)

 The best we could get of all 5 cousins.

We love this girl!

More pool fun after the cake!

We unleashed the beast for the last hour. Poor girl wanted in on the fun!

And she FINALLY showed interest in the ears when the party was over. OF. COURSE. (Insert frustrated emoji.) 

We had so much fun with our super simple party. It was zero stress, super inexpensive, 0% Pinterest, and the kids had an absolute blast. It was exactly what we needed, and such a good reminder that kids don't always need us to make things "magical" and over the top for them. The magic is in being a CHILD, and tonight was such a good reminder for me of that. 

Happy happy birthday (tomorrow) to our big girl! We love you, Kate!