Custom zoo-themed birthday banner
Let me begin this post by stating my birthday philosophy. I find it very strange that the majority of America (or at least the small part of it that I have experienced) puts a lot of emphasis on Christmas gifts. More emphasis, in fact, than on birthday gifts. Most of the people I know get bigger, more elaborate, and more extravagant Christmas gifts than they do birthday gifts. I personally find this very silly considering Christmas is not about celebrating us, it's about celebrating God's gift to us. Don't get me wrong; I'm not saying that we shouldn't give gifts, I'm just saying that I think the Christmas gift-giving deal has gotten a bit out of hand. I also find it odd that people tend to have higher spending limits (or no limits at all) on family and friends when purchasing Christmas gifts than they do for birthday gifts. How does that make sense when you are buying for so many people versus just one person when buying a birthday gift? That said, the Pruitt's do things a little differently. This year Lucy got 1 Christmas gift from Mommy and Daddy (we are still undecided on doing the whole Santa thing) and a gigantic 2nd birthday party.
We began the day at the zoo with Lucy's cousin, Jax, and her boyfriend, Will. (No, I'm not one of those mom's who is trying to marry off my 2 year old. Lucy and Will adore each other and care for each other so sweetly. Lucy held his drink for him while he took a sip, tied his shoes, and cuddled close while they rode in the wagon. Will, bless the sweet boy's heart, put up with everything Lucy did including playing "Ring Around the Rosie" when all he really wanted to do was look at the fish.) We feasted on Monkey Bread and Gatorade in the zoo parking lot (every great party needs a good tailgate, right?) then headed in for a fun morning with the animals.
Lucy pulling her friends into the zoo. She was a great hostess!
Next, all of our little animals headed home for much needed naps to rest up for round 2 while I continued the week-long party preparation marathon. At 5:30 the herd arrived to continue the festivities.
The "Exhibits"...
Penguins: Cream cheese stuffed olives with a White American Cheese Ball Igloo
The Petting Zoo: What's a party without Pigs in a Blanket?
Snakes: A long ham and turkey sub (with olive eyes) and all the trimmings
PB&J animal-shaped sandwiches for those who don't like ham or turkey
A wild safari with all kinds of zoo animal-shaped tortilla chips and black bean and corn dip.
Flamingos: So this is a bit of a stretch, but it's hard to think of a balanced, kid-friendly, zoo-themed meal. So pink fruit turned into "Flamingo Fruit"!
Lions, Tigers, and Bears (and Monkey's and Zebras), oh my!!!
The dessert table
The "gift shop"
"Beary" cute party favors for the kids: Chocolate and regular animal crackers in bear containers.
"Beary" sweet favors for the adults: Gummy bears
Although it was a bit cloudy in the morning and POURED just as our guest were arriving, it was a perfect day! Lucy had so much fun with her friends and surprised me with her hostess skills. As 2 new friends arrived, she made them feel welcome in her sweet, 2-year old way by putting a pig in a blanket in each of their hands. She cleaned up after her friends (even when they weren't quite done eating) and made them all some jellied crackers (even though they probably didn't want them). She was a little reluctant to share her new presents, but handled it much better than she usually does by saying "Oocy's turn" before taking the desired toy. She only had 1 major meltdown all day- she didn't want to wear her outfit. Too bad, so sad on that one! I know it's her birthday, I but I worked too hard on that outfit so she didn't get a say.
The 2's have already proved to be a challenge for Lucy's already strong-willed personality but have also gotten off to a fun start. She talks in whole sentences and is becoming more intelligible everyday. (My favorite word for her to say is "quesadilla". She says it surprisingly clear only substituting the /k/ with a /t/.) I am often amazed at the things she remembers and the connections she makes. She can count to ten and says her A-B-C's (although you can't understand all of them) and sings many, many songs and nursery rhymes. She sings herself to sleep every night and has sweet conversations with herself when no one else is around or when she thinks no one is listening. She says "thank you" out of the blue so I sometimes get a glimpse of what's going on in her head. For example, I laid her down on her changing pad the day after her party and she said, "Will and Dayson (Grayson) go here. Daydo (thank you) for my potty (party), Mommy." We haven't used the changing pad since she started potty training so Will and Grayson were the 1st to use it in a while so when I put her on it, it triggered a memory. It is so fun to experience her thought processes! I love my sweet little ball of energy so much and am so humbled everyday that God has blessed me with such a miracle. These 2 years have been even more amazing than I ever could have imagine motherhood could be and I can't wait to see what this next year holds.
