Kendall's 2nd Birthday - Party, Party, Party!

On October 10, 2011, Kendall turned 2! What a wild ride the last couple of years have been, but to see how much our little girl has grown is an absolute joy. From a bouncing baby girl to a big girl who loves to run and climb and sing. She is full of energy.

To celebrate, we actually had 2 parties. Grandma and Grandpa Gorman were out of town for Kendall's  birthday party (and her birthday fell on a Monday), so we celebrated a little early with a dinner, cake, and of course, presents on Sunday.

Kendall's actual birthday fell on Columbus Day, so Nate and I took the day off work, and Kendall got her big present, a new bike! She was in love, but couldn't quite figure out how to peddle.

We even got a video of her first attempt riding that shiny new bike outside. A little long, but enjoy!

To really celebrate the big day, the 3 of us hit Lincoln Park Zoo. There is no better way to celebrate your 2nd birthday than to check out the Lions, Rrwarrr!

To round out the birthday celebration, we had a Very Greaney birthday party for Kendall the next weekend. Kendall's Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, and cousins were all in attendance to help us celebrate.

Overall it was a grand birthday! We'll have to see if we can keep up this party pace next year!

September 2011

In September we took a trip to the Sister Lakes in Michigan and met up with Grandma & Grandpa Greaney, Aunt Nell & Mike, Uncle Andrew, Aunt Michelle, Autumn, & Dean. It was a nice relacing weekend on a quiet lake.

Spent a little time fishing off the pier.

And some time fishing on the boat. Even picked up Kendall's very first fishing rod. She ended up catching several fish, both real live fish as well as plastic. Really, the fish were facinating - she didn't mind reaching out and touching them (more than I can say for myself - I made Nate get the fish off the hooks, yuck). Kendall would wake up in the morning and ask to go outside and go fishing, and since we got back has asked numerous times to go fishing with Grandpa. I think she has found a new favorite pasttime.

We also spent some quality time crusing around on the pontoon boat in the lake. Kendall loved the wind in her hair and checking out the other boats. She even got a chance to "drive" the boat, with a little help, of course. All those boat days at swim class paid off and she didn't even complain about the life jacket.

There was even a chance to go into South Haven and see the beach. Kendall did not really dig the beach, apparently sand is not one of her favorite things. But it was a beautiful day and we got to see both Lake Michigan and a very cool local farmers market in town.

It was a nice relaxing weekend away, and those sunsets in Michigan really do look like the comericals.

August 2011

Back in August, Kendall figured out to sucessfully clmb out of her crib. And she escaped a lot. Instead of letting her continue her escape adventures, we moved to the toddler bed. I was worried she would not adjust to the bed well, maybe miss her crib. I was wrong - she loved the new bed, and she took to it immediately.

Kendall also learned flower arranging - turns out she is pretty good at it. And about 5 min later my table got washed very well.