birthday cake & balloons...toys & tots...one special day!

What a special day we celebrated on Sunday!!! Clay & I are still having a hard time believing that it has been two years since we were blessed with this precious little boy!

Friends came to join in the celebration with us Sunday afternoon. Thank you so much to each of you who helped to make Parker's birthday even more special!! I wish you could have seen the look on Parker's face when his friends just kept showing up at the door. Forget the presents! All his friends were there to play...who needs anything else?!
Even though he was sporting a really bad cough & developing a runny nose, he was having the time of his life that afternoon. Those kids were partying like it was 1999!! (Did I really just say that?! ...well, it's true!)

Though he didn't touch his cake & ice cream, he looked super cute posing next to the birthday treats & blowing out his candles!

Friends that came to play: Tanner, Tyler, Greta, James & Bella!

I think Parker was excited to receive his first "big boy" 4x4 tonka truck from mama & daddy!

The children had a blast playing basketball, building a fort out of the bricks, watching the movie "Cars", playing with the little animals & kicking the balloons around on the floor.

We had very simple decorations this year since there wasn't a specific theme (other than Blue!). I made Pom Pom tissue flowers to hang from our ceilings...you can get instructions on how to make these here. Clay blew up balloons & we let them rest on the floor throughout the living room (the kids had a blast with these!! ...simple & inexpensive entertainment!).
I was planning on framing his invitation & having it on the table with the gifts, but ran out of time at the last minute...so it just sat out. His cake was scrumptious & from Byerly's. It was white cake with buttercream frosting; I was more than willing to eat what Parker didn't want of his share! ;)

After arriving, the kids played for a bit & then one by one they came up to do their craft (thanks for the idea & poem, mom!!!) Each child was making 3 notecards to take home with them. The cardstock was cut & folded into cards prior to the party. Clay helped me cut circles out of sponges for the 3 parts of the snowman. The kids sponge-painted a snowman on front using the circles. After drying, either the mom or the child drew the little eyes, buttons, mouth & nose. In the inside was a little handwritten poem:

"One circle, two circle

then there were three,

This little snowman

is to you from me!"

They all turned out so cute; I was really pleased with the results. The idea was for the children to be able to use these as thank you notes or everyday cards to send to family &/or friends. I absolutely LOVE sending out handmade cards to family & friends that little Parker's hands helped to make. I think it makes it so much more special & fun for the sender as well as the recipient! (And you know I always make an extra for his scrapbook of course!)
Our best family photo of the day! The other ones all have Parker's hands in his mouth..that little stinker! :)

Giving hugs as thank you's for his gifts from friends...

Here's to another year of fun and adventures with our little toddler! :)