The festivities began when Gommy and Papa arrived on Wednesday evening. Sam was permitted to stay up late for their arrival and rode with me to the airport. He sat still and silent in the back seat while the bags were loaded so that he could yell surprise when they got into the car. No small feat for my boy, and it was cute to watch him work so hard at his surprise.
It is important to note that Annabelle mastered the ability to pronounce Papa's name over Thanksgiving. She recognized his voice in the recorded storybook and named him in pictures - specifically. She had no word for Gommy. So she and I started practicing about a week before their arrival and she'd gotten as far as "Gom-ky." By Thursday at lunch, it was clearly and loudly "Gommy" and she has been asking for her (well both of them) by name ever since. What a relief for Gommy!
After a play day on Thursday, we were ready for an awesome 2-day birthday celebration. Friday morning started early with a donut breakfast. My kids have a particular love for those things, and they usually eat the frosting off the top first. I can't blame them.
We all loaded up for a trip to the Children's Museum, a favorite outing for both kiddos. I'm glad I had extra adults with me because I have rarely seen the museum that crowded. Holy field trips. We made the most of what we could and headed home for naps.
After naps we met up with Daddy for dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse - the kids loved it over the summer, the food and the entertainment. Unfortunately, this time the fire terrified my daughter and she spent most of the meal in someone's lap. The "Special Birthday Treat" was also a bit ho-hum and the ice cream went un-touched. Oh well.
Back home for presents, and there was no disappointing here. This year's present opening extravaganza (which admittedly extended beyond one night - too many presents or not enough attention span?) proved that my girl is no longer a baby. No only did she officially grasp the concept of a present, that they are fun to open and generally contain someone she wants, she was truly interested and wanted to play with each item she opened. And they weren't baby gifts. My favorite moment has to be when she was wearing her new espadrille sandals (still one size too big), her princess cape and scootering down our front hallway.
It is so much fun to watch someone truly enjoy their new gifts. New shoes, outside toys that will allow her to keep up with Sam, a new fish. Annabelle is now officially, suddenly interested in "Pwim-pwences" (read: Princesses), so those gifts were more of a hit than I anticipated as well.
Saturday morning, after an 8:30am soccer game - yikes!, was the big Paw-ty. My animal-loving daughter scored herself a Puppy Party. We ended up with a great group of 2-year-olds, their older siblings and their chauffeurs - er, parents. Everyone seemed to actually enjoy the activities I planned, and some of the food was even eaten. I always have too much party food!
So, what makes a 2-year-old's party a Puppy Party? Well naturally there was a Puppy Cake created by yours truly. I think it turned out pretty great, perhaps my best "shaped" cake yet. Unfortunately, after the fire scare the night before at dinner, Annabelle was a bit afraid to blow out her candles. We had even practiced blowing out candles! I decided not to force the issue at a party and let the always-eager-to-steal-the-spotlight older brother do the job for her.
There were other puppy-themed snacks as well. Candied dog bones (store-bought Scooby Snacks I dipped in candy coating and sprinkles), Pink Puppy Chow and Bread Stick Dog Bones. Yes, some of the snacks were served in dog bowls, which Sam and Annabelle have since adopted as cereal bowls.
What would a Puppy Party be without a puppy of your own? I say no party at all! So each party guest adopted their own puppy and decorated them to make them truly their own. It was a solid call on my part to forgo the fabric markers in favor of washables - they are two, after all, and at least one mom went home with marker on her white pants.
Next up was the opportunity to make your own puppy ears! A simple craft geared towards the 2's, coloring and stickers onto paper-shaped ears that the parents helped them staple to a headband. I think the kiddos looked pretty cute, even if they did only wear them for a short bit!
Outside was the puppy obstacle course, with last-minute adaptations to happen on the driveway instead of the muddy backyard. Each kiddo got a puppy sticker for finishing the course. Some had the extra obstacle of crawling around Leo, who was using the last tunnel as a deer blind for target practice with the Nerf guns that the big kids had pulled out of Sam's room. Ha! They even managed to take turns on the slide...mostly.
Finally was "Digging for Dog Bones" and it was a HUGE hit. Turns out all those preschool teachers out there really know what they're doing with those "sensory tables." I filled our water table with rice and buried some dog bones marked with different colored shapes. Find a matching shape and earn a stamp! With Papa in charge on the stamp, though, I'm not sure how many had to find a match to get that stamp. Those two-year-olds had a blast pouring and scooping and working their hands through that rice! Score for the party-planner!
And then it was time for everyone to go home. I am very pleased with how it all went off. I am very pleased with the fact that the Birthday Girl really enjoyed herself and everything I planned for her. I am thankful for friends and family who joined us to celebrate our Baby Girl - because it turns out, I really love celebrating her!
Happy Birthday, Baby Girl, I love you!
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