Soooo, we’ve got a two-year-old now!!  How bizarre is that?!  I can totally relate to the saying, “The days a long and the years are short,” because that’s how the last two years have felt.  Parenthood brings you lows and the highest of highs.  It’s truly amazing how full your heart feels from raising a little one, and celebrating Gia’s birthday definitely made me feel all of the things!

Surprisingly enough, I didn’t turn into an emotional mess over Gia turning two this weekend.  The biggest thing I felt though was pride.  Pride over the little person she’s becoming, pride in myself for being the best mom I can be, and pride in my husband for showing me time and again why marrying him was the best decision ever.

This year for Gia’s birthday I knew I didn’t want a huge bash like we had for her first birthday party.  Number one, it’s just a lot of work to do.  Number two, at eight months pregnant there isn’t as much energy left to be the hostess with the mostess.  Therefore, Craig and I agreed that inviting our immediate family who lived in the area would be the best way to celebrate.  We kept it easy and very summery by having a BBQ that included Craig’s tri-tip, grilled veggies, watermelon and my potato salad.  (My potato salad is damn good and so simple, so I might have to share that with you too!)  No birthday is complete without cake, and this year that meant a homemade funfetti Elmo cake.

About a month ago I decided to recipe test before making the cake for Gia’s special day, and I’m really glad I did!  Initially I found a recipe from Food52 for funfetti that I tried out.  To my surprise, it was an overly oily cake.  I was really disappointed because I own two cookbooks by Food52 that are excellent, so I figured this recipe would work out fine.  Wrong!  I mentioned the cake mishap to my mom and she said she had a recipe from one of her cookbooks for a foolproof funfetti cake.  Of course I made her send it to me and I tried it out right away.  Let’s just say that my husband, friends and neighbors were please that I had decided to recipe test cakes.  Thank goodness all this test cake off my hands, or else I might have eaten my weight in cake leading up to Gia’s birthday.  Pregnant lady problems can be very stereotypical at times!

I was really happy with how my cake turned out and was even happier with the cute cake topper I ordered from Etsy.  For those who asked if I would share the recipe for the cake, here it is:

Like I mentioned before, this is not my own recipe and I believe it came from “Great American Cakes.”  To make the cake my own, I dyed the frosting a dusty pink and used rainbow sprinkles to cover the sides of the cake from top to bottom.  The three layers made it feel decadent and special, while still remaining light and delicious.  It was a hit with the birthday girl and my entire family.  Craig’s dad and mine even went back for a second helping!  That’s always a compliment in my book.

Overall, Gia’s second birthday party was perfect (although it wasn’t without a good two-year-old tantrum).  Like most toddlers, she’s spoiled beyond belief and loved to no end.  I’m pretty sure she felt like the rockstar that we all think she is.  As much as I don’t want the years to fly by, I can’t wait to do it again for her next year.  Making my daughter’s birthday cake is a privilege and something that I will continue to do over the years, just like my mom did for me.

I hope you all enjoy the recipe as much as we did!

xo