Abby turned 2 years old on July 7th, but we celebrated her birthday with family, friends, and a large bouncer this past Sunday, July 12th.

Abby had a couple of her best pals from school over at the party. 4 little kids in total and they had a blast with the Sports Bouncer we had purchased. Originally, we had intended to rent a Jumping Castle for Abby - after all, she'd been asking for one for months - but we were lucky to find a Step2 bouncer for about $10 more than a 6 hour rental. Figuring that our little jumping bean would love to have this available for future jumping needs, it was more cost effective. Also, the rental would have meant an outdoor set-up and since it rained during the entire party, we really made the right choice when deciding to buy the Sports Bouncer, which fits nicely in our living room.

We got her a ladybug cake, which she thought looked like a butterfly.

Birthday #2 was drastically different from Birthday #1. She understood the purpose of the party and her excitement was contagious. She patiently waited for us to sing her Happy Birthday before blowing out the candle and she was thrilled opening birthday presents.

Abigail had a blast and completely wore herself out.

I was disappointed that I didn't realize my camera was in a Manual mode for most of the party - it was so frustrating watching every shot turn out too dark or blurry. Regardless, we got enough photos to capture the essence of the party.

Below, you'll find a slideshow of photos from the birthday party as well as a video of the cake and candle blowing portion.

Cake and Candles from Cecilia Newell on Vimeo.