Where in the World is Carmen San Diego?

DUHHHHHH, in San Diego! Well, I don't know about Carmen, but I'm in San Diego. Huh? - you say. Well, my sister Lisa, who's normally in Ohio, is down here for a conference. I was talking to hubby over lunch on Thursday about how she was going to be in San Diego and how nice it would be that she would be able to go to Joli's second birthday party and hubby said "So why aren't YOU going to be there?" Uhm, good question. I didn't even think about how I'd been wanting to see my sister for almost three years now and how much easier it would be to visit her in San Diego than to fly all the way to Ohio and.... well, the next day, still unsure about whether I should go I finally just decided "Aw, what the heck" - packed, and was on the road midday. I arrived twelve hours later, at 2 am, to find Lisa and her friend Jessica still frosting cupcakes for the next day's party.


The party was a lot of fun - a faery party. Joli's favorite part was making wings. I think she made three pair. My sister Lisa (in the white tee) is helping her.

Here is one of her many lovely creations.

Here (the small ones below) are the pair I made. Not my original design but I had a bit of help from the birthday girl.


Joli and I used some of the foam stickers from the wing making to give ourselves bindis. Hmmm, mine doesn't show up as well as hers does.


Oh wait. I spoke too soon. Wingmaking was Joli's second favorite activity. Eating these faery toadstools was definitely number one!


To mangle one of Joli's favorite songs - "I kissed a toadstool and I liked the taste of it's cherry frosting!"

Apparently eating cupcakes for breakfast is THE most hysterical thing to do EVER!

Opening presents was a lot of fun too. One of her favorite gifts was this strawberry flavored chapstick. She has a thing for chapstick although what a surprise, huh. I think every little girl loves the stuff. She shared it with all of us. Here she's helping Aunt Lisa apply it.


She got lots of fun dress up stuff. Some of it she's a bit young for as she's just now entering the dress up/make believe stage but that means she'll enjoy it all for a long time to come.


Aunt Lisa tried on some of the new girlie stuff as well. She wasn't too keen on having her photo taken. I hope she still loves me after I post her here. I know she's a grown up but she's still "my little sister" to me.


After the gifts were all unwrapped, exhausted one and all, we went out for a nice dinner at a favorite restaurant in Olde Town San Diego. Here's Joli at the restaurant wearing some of her favorite bits and pieces - a new faery skirt and pink fur topped snow boots. Some girls just have natural style, y'know.

It's been hard to find time to post, trying to squeeze in as much time together as possible while I'm here. And in case you're fresh out of two year olds at the moment and have forgotten, they are adorable but exhausting creatures! Hopefully I'll find time to share some more photos tomorrow. And now, speaking of exhaustion - time for bed. Or rather, for couch. (it's a comfy couch)