Ava Turns Two

Instead of giving a birthday party, I decided that we would just spend a lovely day together with Ava, doing things that I thought she would enjoy.

The day of her birthday was a beautiful, gorgeous, sunny spring day. Nonna and Pop came down and we all went to the Life and Science Museum in a nearby city where we saw.....

Butterflies! We went to the butterfly house on the museum campus. It was like stepping into a rain forest with its humidity and sunshine streaming through the glass. There were birds like the one above scurrying across the brick pathways, avoiding the humans. I don't know what that bird is but it didn't fly. There were gorgeous exotic plants and flowers. Hundreds of butterflies fluttering around, alighting on green fronds, eating sweet fruit, drinking the nectar of flowers.

Then we saw...

and sheep, ducks, goats, and an owl. Then we played in a giant sandbox:

There were other great activities, playground, and things to learn like banging on different materials to find out how they sound, etc. It's a great educational place.

After a quick nap in the car on the way back, we stopped to eat at Chick Fila for a late lunch and celebrated with cupcakes and candle. Skipped having a party but couldn't skip having Ava blow out a candle!

And then, we went to a park, played some more, and enjoyed more of the beautiful day.

I have to say that not having a party for Ava was one of the best decisions I ever made. We all especially enjoyed ourselves for it. No party planning, last minute preparations, chaos during the party, no presents, and party cleanup. We didn't need the stress and pressure of a party during this hectic transition time that we're going through currently. Ava would never remember it anyway.

Our baby girl is two!