Commence the Terrible Twos

ARE YOU READY TO PARTY?!?!?!?!?

 In mid-December we celebrated the 2nd birthday of our little man.  It's amazing what a difference a year makes.

We decided to keep things low-key this year and have a small party at the house with friends and family.  Our neighbors lent us a bounce house, so we were able to keep everyone entertained outside for most of the afternoon and avoid the inevitable claustrophobia of a bunch of kids stuck in a house.

Checking out "his" new bounce house.  It was difficult trying to explain we were only borrowing it.

Family play time prior to the party

LC wasn't so interested in the actual birthday party, but she loved the bounce house

Given the rapid onset and intense obsession with it, the theme of this year's party was Paw Patrol, with a healthy dose of construction equipment.  We caught a few minutes of Paw Patrol one day and both kids were instantly hooked.  At the time of his birthday, LT's favorite character was Rubble, a bulldog who rides around in a convertible bulldozer...you can see the appeal to a two year old.  Since his birthday, his pup allegiance has changed a few times, but Rubble still holds a special place in his heart.

Spending a little alone time between jumps with his new toy Rubble

Getting a few uninterrupted minutes on the bike while LC was distracted

Being a year older and having gone to a few birthday parties in the interim, LT did much better at being the center of attention when it came to cake time.  The cake was relatively simple with a few dog paw prints and bones, but LT loved the Paw Patrol toys we stuck on as decorations.  After clearing the icing with his tongue (and a thorough cleaning by Mom), he couldn't wait to get down and play with them.

Looks like someone else is ready for cake as well...

Not nearly as much of a mess as expected

After some more playing, it was time to open gifts.  I don't think he quite understood why he was getting presents, but he loved the idea of opening one after another.  LC was a good big sister and did a great job "helping" her brother open his gifts.

While all of the gifts were a huge hit, the hands-down winner of best present went to the toy drill from Grandma and Grandpa.  LT has been really getting into building and construction related toys, so he was thrilled when he got a drill that actually worked.

It's hard to believe our "baby boy" turned two.  He's grown so much in the past year, and continues to amaze us every day.  He's a full-on little person with his own agenda and his own way of letting the world know about it.  He had a wonderful time at his party, and it was so great to spend a beautiful afternoon celebrating with friends and family.