Part II is all about the cake. We used the same amazing European bakery for the cake as on her first birthday.
The cakes they make taste so authentic, not overly sweet and with such a subtle soft cream.
Since we were doing everything last minute, we opted for a simple cake that we [attempted to] attached a tutu to.
It was so funny watching the girls blow out the candles.
Alexa was too timid to go anywhere near the people at first and Lexi didn’t know how to blow well yet so she was spitting all over the place (Cringe! Sorry, guys!).
Finally the candle was blown out and then Lexi asked for it again and again ( we told her we would do it at home). Everyone clapped, she looked very proud. Alexa did get a chance to blow out a candle too later when there weren’t so many people around.
Photos are taken and edited by MM Works Photography
(this photo is for giggles! This was our best family photo together during the whole party. Bwahahahaha.)
Then the girls changed into swimsuits for the pool part of the party.
first of all, i am glad you are blogging again. it had gotten to a point where nothing was keeping me from doing housework ????
as always beautiful pictures. poor alexa though, she doesn’t look too happy!!!
Bwahahahaha, too funny about housework.
And yes, Alexa was upset at times, but she is getting better with people and crowds. Much better 🙂
I know that your blog is a glimpse of your life and does in no way reflect what is going on all day every day – but I have seen so many Lexitwin posts with Alexa looking miserable… why don’t her parents back off a little and just not expose her to experiences that overwhelm her? it’s okay to be shy and not like crowds etc.
Honestly, this comment makes me both sad and mad.
One: her parents know best how to approach their daughter.
Two: they have been doing an AMAZING job with her.
Every parent has their own challenges with their kids but not many handle them as well as Alexa’s parents do. They have been absolutely perfect in dealing with her personality. Alexa is not shy. She is cautious and introverted, which means new experiences and strange people don’t sit well with her until she has had time to watch from the sidelines and get used to them. To “not expose her to experiences that overwhelm her” would mean literally not getting out of the house.
The only reason she looks sad in some of the photos you see is because most of the time I bring the camera out for new experiences, rather than mundane ones (like you mentioned as well). I photograph Lexi, who launches into newness and, with Lexi, Alexa is photographed as well. The way that SHE deals with experiences, her way. For her, that often means being cautious and watching carefully without approaching the situation. She is a perfectly happy, adorable girl in situations she has had a chance to get used to.
To say that her parents should rob her of experiences that she enjoys once she is given time is ignorant at best.
I don’t meant to offend, but it really upsets me when people suggest that there is only one way to deal with a kid and that’s their way. If anything Lexis’ friendship has taught me is how polarizingly different personalities can be and how different the parental approaches should be.
No one will ever understand anyone’s parenting and/or challenges until they have a child who is identical to the person one is judging.
Also, and this might be all it is, but she doesn’t look miserable in many of the photos I’ve posted. She just looks pensive and cautious, that’s all.
Elena,
Your reply is one of the many reasons I read your blog. Perfectly said.
Not all kids are the same, not all parental styles are the same. What works for one doesn’t work for the other. There is no “right way” to raise a kid and no “best parent” award.
Thank you, Maggie!
Beautifully put. And I agree with, to me, she looks like she’s simply observing what’s going on around her, especially Lexi and how she’s interacting with the environment. Nothing wrong with that! They both seem to be wonderful, well-adjusted kids. I’ll bet as they get older, and their personalities develop even further, they’ll come to really compliment one another.
They both are amazing and so so different, but both wicked smart. It’s going to be interesting to watch them grow together
Also, Mel, after re-reading your comment on a different day, I got an impression that you might have not meant it in a bad way like I initially took ( hard to get tone from text), in which case I would have phrased my comment slightly differently 🙂 lol If that’s true, hope no offense was taken 🙂
AWWE, look at these sweet girls. They both seem done by the end. I hope the pool party cheered them up. And Alexa looks sad to see Lexi blow out the candles without her. I hope that her turn cheered her up, she seems so sweet.
She wasn’t interested in blowing them out, so I think she was feeling much better watching. 🙂
Love the cake – I am more of a simple cake kind of person. What type of food did you serve the guests? I am trying to decide if I want to have a little party for my 3 year old, but not sure what type of stuff to serve… Lunch will take too much time, but kids and parents have to eat something… Also, did you have parents drop the kids off or stay?
By the way, I was trying to figure out the swans on top and there is your hand floating around on one of the pictures 🙂 that was funny!
We made tea sandwiches. They were such a huge hit last birthday and are so yummy and easy to make. Next time we will hire someone to make them, since food prep still takes a lot of time.
Parents def. stayed. They are all our good friends and this was also an opportunity to hang out with them.
so cute!
It was fun looking at these photos again! I love our group photo and forgot about the poking the belly button pic!
As far as our sweet Alexa, she is an amazingly happy little girl. We never put her in a situation we know will upset her. We actually always tell her where we are going, who we are going to see and what activity we are going to do. It is very rare that she doesn’t want to go somewhere or do an activity we bring her to. She was very excited about her birthday party as she is about most things being a toddler who loves to see and learn new things. She does tend to stand on the sidelines when she is unfamiliar with an activity or place. However when she sees what’s going on she will usually join in and really enjoy what she’s doing. She loved the entertainer part of her party and was dancing and singing along with mommy in tow. She of course had to blow out candles at home all week after she realized that despite them being hot, if she didn’t actually touch them, they would not hurt her. She also was in love with her balloon flower that the entertainer made for her and we couldn’t get her out of the pool to leave at the end. She actually still talks about her party to this day!
You don’t need to worry about our Alexa, she is a very happy girl that lights up our lives and makes us laugh every single day. We have thousands of pictures with her beautiful smiling face 🙂 and she amazes us with her cautious yet very intelligent ways.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a blog to share these “happy” pictures with you but feel free to join us on Instagram: ktimm7