Ha Ba Da OOO

That's "Happy Birthday to You" in two year speak. It took me seven years and four kids to really realize that as special as birthdays are, parties can be a lot of work and overwhelming to little ones. So we kept things simple this year. A small get together with family and minimal presents. And while the babies (okay, toddlers) still didn't quite "get it", they understood enough to know that this was a cause for celebration that required hats, ice cream and cake, and a song. They still didn't get that it was for them, as Ella wished everyone else a Ha Ba Da and even placed her birthday hat on her milk cup and sang it Ha Ba Da OOOO a day later.

A soccer ball was the perfect gift from her big brother since Ella was already decked out in his shin guards and cleats. How did she know?

Give him a good book (especially with dinosaurs) and he's a happy camper.

One of the big hits was their new picnic bench for their play area. Perfect for eating cake and ice cream.

Here's Chase's reaction to realizing he had eaten all his dessert. What can I say, he's two and he LOVES dessert.

My little food bandit takes his first opportunity to steal his sister's bowl...and eats it ALL!

Then she realizes what he did. Of course she was quickly given a fresh bowl all her own to eat...

and Chase becomes the ice cream police to make sure she finishes every last bite of it.

Having twins can be hilariously entertaining at times. But having TWO YEAR OLD twins is priceless.