Over the weekend we celebrated our girl's second birthday. And I just can't stop asking myself: but really, where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday we were assembling layers of her smash cake, wondering how our newborn babe had grown up so fast. And it just doesn't slow down.

Lucky for us, it was a beautiful day for a birthday brunch- filled with happy kiddos, tasty donuts, bubbles and chalk art and lots of shiny balloons. My vision was to create a toddler picnic- if only for a few pre-party pics before the minis arrived- so I laid out a comfy beach blanket flanked with colorful balloons, and decorated with party plates and mason jars with colorful straws for the littles. And while it didn't take long for wind and tiny hands to take over, the kids seemed to enjoy bites of donuts together in between activities.

Candy Shop Lilies and Lambs Joonie and Joe Party Shop

While I'm typically the photographer at events like these, this year I wanted to be sure to have time to celebrate with MM and mingle with friends and family, rather than having to constantly whip out the camera. So in order to be sure to capture memories from the day, I turned to my friends at Candy Shop Photography. Our photographer, Margaret, was super sweet, and was able to snap some fantastic moments from the day- including Madeline's dismay at turning a year older {below}- allowing this mama to relax and enjoy a mimosa or two in celebration of our girl. Here are a few of my favorites from Madeline's birthday brunch- tears and all: