2nd Birthday Bonanza

EH's second birthday party was SOOO much better than his first.  Besides the fact that he napped horribly on the day of his first bday party, I tried to do everything myself just to save money, which I know now is so terrifically stupid.  It is worth EVERY PENNY to spend the money to make the day less stressful and more enjoyable.  I would gladly spent a thousand dollars and relax than save a hundred and stress.  Oh how perspective changes in just a short year!

We started the day by sticking a candle in some cream cheese and trying to teach him how to blow it out.  He found this to be great fun - and he was actually successful a few times - but after he grabbed the candle and got hot wax on his hand, we decided it was enough practice. 

This year's party included many more little kids than last year, so as a party favor we gave every child who attended a twisty straw cup, like the one you see in EH's wheelbarrow below.  We also got out all of the fun outdoor toys that we owned, so that there was plenty for all of the kids to do. 

The swing set was a huge hit with everyone.  The day had started out overcast and slightly rainy and we were worried that we were going to have to shift the entire party indoors or into the garage, which is definitely NOT the ideal scenario.  Fortunately the weather cleared up, the sun was behind the trees by the time people started arriving, and the low humidity meant that everyone was comfortable and happy!

For birthday cake I ordered an almond torte and gobs for the adults, and a little personal smash cake for EH.  I added the little dino figurine from Toy Story to make it a little more personal.  This year he didn't even try to smash the cake at all! So, I was able to cut it up into 4 pieces - EH got 1 and three of his friends got the other slices. 

When it came time to actually blow out the candles, our morning practice didn't do much good.  You can't tell from this picture, but he's actually trying really hard to blow those candles out.  He just didn't open his mouth in the right way to direct the air.  So during one of his blows, DH sent a gust of wind from behind and blew them out.

As expected, he loved his birthday cake.  And the novelty of the straw cups and the fact that I only put water in them meant that EH drank more water that day that he probably had in the entire month prior.

Then it was present time. I wasn't able to get many pictures because I was busy helping EH with opening, but let's just say that he got LOTS of trucks, lots of games, and some cute clothes!  He had fun opening his gifts this year.

After that it was back outside for more fun.  EH enjoyed his new dump truck by sitting down in the middle of the corn hole game and declaring "It's my birthday and I'll do what I want!" 

We let him have his day.....


He stayed up until 9:30 p.m. - an all-time latest record since he started sleeping through the night.  He did sleep in some the next day, but not enough to make up for the late bedroom, so it took another day or so to get him back on schedule. 

But all in all, it was totally worth it.  Worth every penny spent and every minute of cranky toddler the next day (which wasn't much, honestly.)

I can only hope that his future birthday parties are just as enjoyable!

Be Good, Be Safe, Have Fun Run blog post

As some of you might know, DH's family is planning and hosting a 5K Fun Run/Walk in November in memory of his mom, Cathy Hartman.  It's called the "Be Good, Be Safe, Have Fun Run."

In an effort to raise awareness for the event and donations for their chosen charity, they've set up a blog where people post memories or stories about Cathy, and then ask readers to support them as runners. 

I've written a post, and mine will be going up in the next couple of weeks, at which time I will surely post about this event again, and even shamelessly ask you to support me in making a small donation. 

But today is DH's day, and in many ways, I think it's even more important to support him and his brothers in their fundraising efforts.  So I promise that if you decide to support DH as a runner instead of me, I won't hold it against you.  In fact, I consider any donations made to either DH or I a donation to both of us as a team.

Click here to be redirected to DH's post on the Be Good, Be Safe, Have Fun website.  Read his post, wipe away your tears, and then go back and read the ones that have already been posted.  Then, be sure to come back in a couple of weeks to read all of the news one that are up (there are only a few there right now.) 

In case you need motivation to click over to the site, here's a little snippet from his post:

What do you do when your Mom dies?


What do you do when the most relentlessly positive force – who had been there for you throughout your whole life – loses a long and draining battle to cancer at the age of 63? When she was the parent you called every single day for your entire adult life, not out of obligation or immaturity, but because she was someone worth talking to, because she had stories to share, advice to give, and oodles of support for everything you attempted?

What do you do when you hold your Mom’s hand as she dies in a hospital bed, and blink to find that it’s 10 days later, and you are holding your wife’s hand as she gives birth in a hospital bed, to a perfect first grandchild your Mom couldn’t wait to meet?

What do you do when a newborn’s tears are flowing before yours have even begun to dry?

....

Please go and read the rest, and consider making a donation if you are able.  Any amount, no matter how small, will help a charity that supports children who are mourning the loss of a parent.  It's a good cause - I promise.

He's 2!

August is a bad time to have a baby for someone who works in higher ed.  August means long nights, weekend hours, and not much time to celebrate a birthday party!  We had a wonderful party, but I've been working so much that I haven't had time to post a single picture!

He's 2.  TWO.  Can you believe it? I can't!

I have some posts started to recap his second birthday party (which went sooooo much better than his first, for a thousand reasons I'll outline in a post soon, I promise!)

Harvest!

I got my first real harvest of the summer today - one cucumber, Swiss chard and tons of green beans!

The challenge now is convincing EH to eat green veggies, something he has recently been protesting.

Cool Cat

I think he's ready to go to kindergarten.

And he would definitely be the coolest kid.

First Zoo Trip

We took EH to the zoo for the first time on July 5th.  I mention the date specifically because it was probably not the best day to take a not-quite-2-year-old to the zoo.  The day after the 4th of July... everyone on vacation... kids out of school... steamy hot July temperatures and humidity.... it was tough.

I preface with all of that because in all honesty, it was more stressful for us than we wanted it to be.  I do think that EH had a great time, and he seems to have taken in more than I thought he did, but it was so hot, and so crowded, that we had a hard time keeping him near us, and a hard time seeing many of the animals, because the crowds were so big and lines so long that we just wanted to get through.

So, if you take nothing else from this post, let it be this - go to the zoo on a random weekday.  In the fall.  Not around a holiday.

And I'm sure you'll have a fantastic time.

So you'll notice that this post is relatively short on pictures, and all of the above explains why.  All of the pictures below are from the first 15 minutes that we were there.  After that, all of the time, energy and attention of three adults were spent keeping track of a tiny toddler amidst crowds of people and wild animals.

So, here are the highlights of what we captured on (e)film!

 First up - Kangaroo enclosure!

Some of the most fun he had the entire day was riding this turtle. Fun and cute - win/win!

Plus I got this great, frameworthy picture of EH with his dada.

He also had a blast watching the sea lions swim in the tank (and loved the aquarium in general, even though we don't have any pictures from that.)

And of course, the petting zoo, where he touched both goats and sheep!

I know that the zoo is going to be a really fun and awesome place to take him in the future.  We purchased a membership, because as long as you go at least 3 times in a calendar year, you will get your money's worth, and I do want to take him more often now. 

It's just that after that last experience, I have dreams of taking him on a school day in November or December, when it's cool/cold, but not snowing, when there are no crowds and we can just explore and have a grand old time.

I'm already looking forward to it!  If you have a zoo membership too and want to go with us sometime, let me know!

EH's Summer Vacation

Last week EH spent 8 days at his Grandie's house, all of those with his daddy and some of them with me as well.  It was his summer vacation in a sense, and he had a ton of fun.

Some of the highlights include:

1. Spray Park!
 He absolutely a blast at the spray park. The first time he went with his dad on a sunny day, and it was relatively crowded.  The second time he went I was there as well.  It was overcast and raining most of the time, plus the water wasn't working for the first 40 minutes or so that we were there.  There was another family there with their 4 year old, and Evan started playing with one of his trucks, so we stayed and talked with the family, who was in town from Atlanta for a wedding.  They left shortly before the water started running again and then we had the entire spray park to ourselves!

We left when EH literally started to turn blue.  And he still threw a fit about it.


2. The Fair!
We went to the Mason Dixon Fair on Thursday night, and there were a lot of firsts for him!  He got to ride his first merry-go-round, his first train ride, first baby goat encounter, he got to sit on multiple John Deere tractors that were out on display (and was quite possibly his favorite part), ate french fries for the first time, and received his first fair stuffed animal, won by his Grandie. It was a big night!!!

This fish is now formally known as "Grandie Fish."

3. Boat Rides!
EH went on multiple boat rides during his vacation week, including two different stints at driving the boat.  He was so serious when he was at the wheel, taking his responsibility very seriously.

First it was just a boat ride....

 But then he got to drive the boat!
 

And for those of you still with me here, I'll close with a video of Evan's boat driving experience.