Fairy dust and (sort of) fast cars

It's been a looong time since I attended a two-year-old's birthday party.

So I'd sort of forgotten how, because EVERYTHING is a toy to them, the whole "ooh, LOTS of shiny!" aspect of present-getting hasn't quite sunk in yet.

This weekend was my niece's birthday party. First thing you need to know: Girlfriend is ALL about the Tinker Bell. According to her mother, she watches a Tinker Bell DVD approximately 47 times a day.

By chance, she happened to open our gift first. A gift that included a Tinker Bell doll.

I call this picture "OMGz Tinker Bell droooooool...."


She stayed like that in the middle of the room for five minutes and REFUSED to open any of her other presents. I felt sort of bad (but also secretly kind of giddy that I'd hit the two-year-old jackpot).

Thankfully, my brother (who has somehow made the transition from a reckless 20-something to father of one with a wife, a house and three dogs) coaxed her back to the pile of waiting gifts.

And a good thing, too, because otherwise she would've missed out on this:



Her very own car! Complete with Flintstones motor (aka: her feet) and pimped out with a door that opens, a gas tank flap and a shelf in the back.

The girl was excited.

My other little gift, I'm happy to say, was also a hit. And it cost less than $3. (Again: LOVE buying for a two-year-old!) Fresh from the Wal-Mart checkout line: A plastic pink "camera," covered with decals of Disney princesses, that says things like "You're pretty!" and "Say 'Princess'!" when you click the shutter button.

We "took pictures" of each other for about half an hour after the party was over:

Bonus: After we returned to my parents' house, she and I spent another 30 minutes throwing an old-school Koosh ball back and forth. For some reason, it was HYSTERICALLY funny to yell "Kooooooooooooosh BALL!" as we threw it. And by that I mean we both laughed hysterically EVERY time we did it.

Mid-"Koosh" declaration:

Being an aunt is totally the coolest.