to. too. two. tu. 2.

I had originally planned on blogging Mar's 2nd birthday on September 18- the day after the party- but that would mean that I would have achieved everything on my to-do list that weekend, so obviously something had to give. Only one month late (to the day!), that's not too bad, right? I know, it's bad.

It was fun, fun day. We always say, (always= all of Marlowe's two birthdays), that we will have a small, low-key, family get together with MAYBE a friend or two. This never happens. This is not even possible. Family alone takes the party size from an intimate gathering to a furniture-rearranging, paper plate-buying ordeal, so adding friends to the guest list always encourages us to take the festivities to the next level-and I love it, though admittedly, I should probably tone it down a little sometimes.

Things started getting out of control in a good way when I asked my Dad's 60s surf rock band to play. This established our theme: '60's retro beach party'- which everyone ignored, save for a few friends who came in straw hats and flower leis/dresses. We had about 40 people total- including kids- and I'm pretty sure, though I'll never truly know, that everyone had a great time...

Last year we bought everything we needed for a taco bar from a local taqueria...this year we cooked everything ourselves. Thank goodness for Grandma Leslie who flew in from Seattle, we needed all the help we could get in the kitchen the night before!

Aunt Molly came over too and helped us bake one million cookies.

Marlowe wasn't a fan of her cupcake last year, so we did a few varieties of cookies (oatmeal-raisin-chocolate chip) for the birthday dessert.

I also assembled the 'goody buckets' the night before...but then at the actual party I realized that I forgot to put them out when half of the kids had already left. Bummer.

We even found a jumper to go with our theme. This thing literally paid for itself the way it babysat every kid at the party.

The first guests, and can you believe that weather? It was a glorious day to turn 2!

I learned that 21st century jumpers have attached slides; where were these in the late 80s/early 90s when I was a child partygoer?

Sadly, this is the only picture of the amazing spread and set-up. I didn't have time to take all the photos before: a big lesson for our next party.

For the record, the menu included: kebabs of all varieties, rice, pasta and green salads, rolls, and corndogs for the kiddos-though they were a bigger hit with the adults.

To drink we served: lime+mint water, sun tea, STRONG mai tais (with umbrellas+pineapple), and a keg of Pacifico.

A tender moment with Uncle Kent in the jumper.

The second the little kids cleared out to eat, the big kids took over.

El's parents surprised us with professional photos of Mar that they had taken in secret.

'Superwave' plays the Happy Birthday Song to little M.

The cookies were a hit and a {possible} new birthday tradition.

Mingling.

Marlowe's cool Aunt and Uncles.

Chatting up her guests like any good hostess should.

We went green by using our arsenal of mason jars for the keg instead of red cups-which I wouldn't have felt right about having at my daughter's 2nd birthday party anyway; UCSB has scarred me.

If this is what 2 is like then she can stop growing now.

Like I already mentioned, my only regret is not getting enough photos of our guests-I will try to track them down from another camera, because it was our friends and family who really made the day so special for Mar {and us!}. We are so appreciative of the love and support that surrounds us, and the 'village' that has rallied together to be a part of our little baby's life.

Here's to year 3! I don't know how it can possibly get better, but Marlowe has a way of surprising us every day.