Goblins

Er, I mean, cousins....

Saturday

A Thoughtful Birthday Post

Derek once laughed at me a little due to the amount of work I was putting into planning a birthday party for a toddler that would never remember any of it, and especially not the special little details. I puffed up at him and said without even thinking about what I was saying, "Well, then maybe this is for me!" "I am a stay at home mom and I like to plan parties and have something to look forward to and feel good about!" Huff. And, maybe I mean that. Of course, I mean that. It is these little things. They are what make up the big things, right? Like, those little milestones that make up the first year -a first smile, a first wave, tooth, laugh, bite of food, sip of water and then the first year is over....And then the second one, just as fast. And a simple birthday party to celebrate a big person. I think it is important and grand. One thing I get out of it is a great time to reflect on the past year and everything I learned about the children.

I think back to holding Jack in the hospital and even asking him out loud, "Who are you, little man?" He changed so much and so fast. I remember each time I made him laugh or smile or each time I showed him something new like the swing at the park or the fall leaves, the snow, a marshmallow.... Now that his second birthday has past, there has been a role reversal and he is the one making me smile, laugh and see new things going on around me.

He picked out his party theme. After weeks of "ELMO" he changed his mind and wanted a "ooo, ooo, ahh, ahh party" .... A Paul Frank party. And, so we threw it in the biggest Julius the Monkey fashion we could imagine. We had fun cupcakes with buttercream icing and sprinkles, ice cream scooped high, banana punch, Chick-fil-a mini chicken sandwiches and chicken nuggets, homemade potato salad and macaroni and cheese. We all wore different hats and, for fun, mustaches, like all of the different Julius shirts you see. We only had 2 friends come by, but that is what Jack likes best - not a big crowd, but a perfect audience to get laughing.

He liked the party - I could tell. He beamed when we sang to him. He opened his gifts with glee (He kind of surprised us with his mad skills here - every piece of paper was torn off and put in a pile to be thrown away by Jack himself.) And, he made fluffy cupcakes with the guests, too...With more than one cherry or so.

At the end of the party Jack himself handed out Julius goodie bags filled with his favorite - M & M's, Paul Frank lip smackers and Julius and friends memory game cards. His gifts were so fabulous - Thomas the Train sets, and Toy Story characters. He is now known as the boy who sleeps with the train.

Right around this special birthday he also started saying something that blows me over every time. I say, "I love you" and he says, "I You, Too."

And, that is worth throwing a birthday bash over! Happy Birthday Jack! (And happy Big Sister Day to Greta - more on that in post to follow!)

happy birthday

happy birthday, originally uploaded by DerekandRebecca.

He is 2! His heart is huge. We love him.