Next Up: The 1st and 3rd Birthdays Post

If I thought last December was chaotic with Caleb's 2nd birthday, Harper Grace's arrival, then Christmas, I didn't know how good I had it (because at least there was an excuse to be a slacker!). Despite all sorts of preplanning, I was still scurrying around to get the last minute details taken care of.

Because Caleb's birthday was on a Thursday, we celebrated in class on Wednesday. We gave a book about drums to the Deer class and brought a cookie cake to share with his friends.

On his birthday morning, we woke Caleb up and had him follow footprints (green ones, of course!) through the house and to the garage to find his present. He was pretty excited!

This was our first year for a friend party. Though several girls were invited, it ended up being an all-boys affair at Pump It Up, a local bounce house. Here are the fellas watching the safety video.


Caleb going down the big slide. It's hard to see but he has an expression of 1/2 terror, 1/2 joy - priceless!

Posing in front of his Rocket birthday cake (as in Rocket from Little Einsteins, in case you are familiar with pre-school TV shows these days). Thanks to our friend Lauren for a great cake. Her mom is a great cook/caterer. The apple didn't fall far from the tree, eh?


Struggling to find a balance between actually looking in the direction of the camera and doing this over-cheesy smile. Let me know if you have a suggestion.


We didn't open presents at the party but the boys all enjoyed a turn in the Birthday King inflatable throne.

The following Sunday was a "dog party" for Harper and Caleb for family and our family friends. I found this cute dress at Kohl's for super cheap. Have a 1 year old that wears 18 month clothes that might want to borrow it? I'll be glad to lend it. Drool stains have been removed :) You can't see them very clearly in this photo, but Harper debuted her pigtails at the party. Her hair is getting much longer in the back; I don't want to cut it but am trying to avoid the "mullet" so pigtails it is.

Caleb lovin' on his god-sister Ellison.

The joint party cakes were done by Icing on the Top here in Tulsa. I'd seen some great work by them including my sister's wedding cake. It was not easy to come up with a theme that was both girl and boy, not too young for a 3 year old but not too old for a 1 year old. So, dogs it was!

Caleb wasn't sure about Harper getting her own cake when he had to share the big one with everyone else. Notice his offer to "help" - ha!

On Harper's actual birthday, the three of us went in and sang Happy Birthday to her to wake her up. Girlfriend is definitely not a morning person!

Harper received lots of great toys and presents from our family and friends, and especially with Christmas right around the corner, I figure she wouldn't feel shorted (at least this year) if we gave her something practical for her birthday. So, Sit and Stand stroller it was. Before Harper was born, I researched like crazy (hard to believe, I know) and found a side by side stroller that I really liked. We used it a few times and it is great for the zoo or on a walk but not so much for the mall or somewhere like that. It fits through doors but not around clothes racks, etc. Especially now that Caleb is older, I think this Sit and Stand will be great. If you know of someone looking for a double stroller, we'd be happy to sell the side by side to them. It would be especially great for someone with twins, where both kiddos need to be in seats.


Similar to her brother, Harper's second go-round with a birthday cake was a lot more animated...and messy. Here she is going after it.

Close to the end of the cake destroying mission. Right after I snapped this pic, she actually put her toes in her mouth to suck the icing off them. That's how you know it's been a great birthday.

A few other random things:

Harper began really using a push cart to get herself around. We had it out a lot earlier with Caleb. Poor second born in a new house, we left it upstairs for a long time because we didn't want it to scratch up the wood floors and be noisy. The sacrifices we make as parents to allow our children to walk!!

As part of the preparation for the dog-themed party, I went on a hunt for a dog bone cookie cutter. I COULD NOT find one by itself so I invested $10 in a bucket of 100 various shapes, letters, and holiday cookie cutters. Both kids thought they were toys and made quick work of laying them out all over the floor. And you better believe I counted as we cleaned up to make sure all 100 ended up back in the bucket.

Caleb has never minded getting his haircut but has always felt more comfortable (read: doesn't throw a fit unless he's) sitting in my lap. Last time we got a cut, I mentioned that once he's three, he would be sitting in Miss Tara's chair all by himself. Well, the day came to get a haircut and he did wonderfully. In fact, he's the one that reminded me that he was going to sit like a big boy.

I am sure I've mentioned before that I like to help at Riverfield's Friday Nights Out or Sleepovers, especially if I get to hang out with my buddy. However, Caleb's never stayed overnight so I've only signed up to work until 11pm. In early December I took the plunge and we stayed the night. Yes, I did invest in an air mattress. I was definitely re-thinking my decision when Caleb and his friends started this up about 5 minutes into the evening!!

Things actually went very smoothly after that, though I will say it will be awhile before I agree to stay overnight with a room full of 2 and 3 year olds.

OK, birthday posts taken care of. Maybe I'll tackle Christmas ones tomorrow! Yeah for updates. Feel free to show some love via the comment section!