Ringing in the New Year and Mary Laine's Second Birthday

We had a great start to 2011! After our Christmas beach trip, we went to Atlanta to ring in the new year with our dear friends, the Galbreaths. We had a great time hanging out and catching up as usual (with that one exception from our visit this time last year). We spent time playing games, eating a ton of really yummy food, and just hanging out. Mary Laine LOVES Carter and Kelsey and kept asking for them after we left to come home. Here are a few pictures from our visit.

The BOAT!! All four of our kids now have spent countless hours here.

Hey sis - this is my toy. Hands off!

Sweet Kelsey reading to Langdon

Carter took Mary Laine for a spin in his shiny new truck

Gary and I decided that we would save Mary Laine's birthday parties and presents for her half-birthday every year since her birthday is so close to Christmas. That is still the plan, but we decided to mark the day with hats, cake, and a trip to Chuck E Cheese's. I know, sounds like a party, but we're still planning on celebrating with her Greenwood friends this summer. Mary Laine is not a big fan of hats (or anything that goes on her head), so in the few brief minutes that she tolerated this birthday hat, I had the camera out shooting away.

Before lunch, we had to go by Babies 'R Us, so we told Mary Laine that she could pick out a birthday toy. We were very proud that she picked a Grover stuffed animal that is completely silent - ahhhh!

She is very into Sesame Street these days, so she loved her Sesame Street cake.

We tried out several rides, but this is the one that she asked to ride over and over and over again. I'm not a huge Barney fan, but when he puts a smile like that on my kid's face, I could grow to love him. I think that we spent 90% of her tokens here.

And this was Langdon's response to all of the excitement

Not quite sure what Gary and Carter are doing here,

but this pic was too precious not to share.

Pigtail twins

We ended the night by going out to eat with the Galbreaths and then on to watch a Kennesaw State basketball game. The kids and I only made it through half-time, but we'd like to think that we helped to cheer them onto victory! :-)