Two. The Birthday Bonanza

Cole's 2nd birthday was on a Sunday, so naturally we started celebrating on Friday night. Heck, we'd been telling him all month it was his birthday. We actually started celebrating on May 1. Can you tell I'm a birthday freak? (I, too, have countdowns that begin on April 1).

Us: Cole, it's your birthday soon. How old are you going to be?
Cole: Two months!
Us: Two years!
Cole: Two months!

We put a lot of things on an amazon wish list, like we did for Christmas, in case family members wanted to get him a gift. (And he got a ton of awesome gifts from that wish list). Win Win for Cole!! Then, Dada and Mama had to decide what to get him. He has developed a love for spaceships over the past 6 months or so. And he loves loves loves Yo Gabba Gabba.  So, naturally, we bought him a giant cardboard space ship and some YGG accessories (see below). Wait. What was that first part? The part about the cardboard space ship? The people with the tiny house decided to put something gigantic into their already limited space? The answer to that is - if it made our kid happy, we didn't care. Until Keith put that thing together on Friday night. That's when we realized we might have a little problem. Luckily, we had the wherewithal to move it out of our living room - where it seemed to take up half the room - and into the dining room to an area of (mostly) unused space (only when we needed to open the front door - but who cares? We have another door). Then, Keith did the strangest thing on Saturday morning. He woke Cole up at 7:46 a.m. to see the rocket ship. Keith must have been dreaming about it or something, because Keith rarely wakes Cole up on a weekend. I also knew the exact time, because I had already been up for two hours blogging trying to get some work done.

We stupidly didn't think to capture the first few moments Cole walked into the dining room and found the "rocket ship," but I recorded the excitement once he got used to the idea and actually went inside. He just said over and over like he was trying to pinch himself from the sheer excitement: "I'm in a rocket ship. I'm in a rocket ship!" Then a few seconds later, "Blast off!!!"

Keith did capture his joy later that night.

"I go in my rocket ship?"

The small party we had the next day was perfect for Cole. He felt so happy to be around his family and when they sang to him, he basked in the warmth of their words and their love. He simply looked at everyone and smiled back. Then it was on to the presents. Cole is now aware and understands perfectly what a present is. I have to say that he showed amazing restraint in the face of all of these wonderful gifts he was given. He listened to me when I told him that he had to merely open, look and move on to the next. Lucky for everyone who got him a gift, he showed great excitement every time he opened a gift. There was no groaning or throwing it aside.  He wanted it NOW, but he was willing to wait with the promise of something ELSE around the corner.

He nearly had a conniption when we told him we couldn't put this gift (from Papa Joe and Gamma Fern) together right then and there.

Cole's very first lunch box.

DJ YANCE HAT! YAY!

Cole loves watermelon. So does Keith. Unfortunately, I'm allergic to it and, judging by Cole's poops the few days after eating it, it goes in the same way it comes out. WATER!! Anyway, here are some adorable pics.

Friends of Friends. Love it.

Our little artist finally has an easel thanks to Gramma.

And a birthday would not be complete without balloons - something else this kid simply adores.