Two at the Zoo!

The Zoo Cake made by Confectioneiress Bakery

Photo credit: Confectioneiress instagram

My sweet boy is TWO! I am so proud of him for all he is becoming and all that he is. He has been such a trooper with his little sister and all the transition that comes along with his new title of Big Brother. So there was no doubt in my mind that I wanted to celebrate him in a way that he would love and appreciate. I wanted the day to be all about the people and the things he loved. So this is what we came up with: 

If I had to sum up what Briggs talks about most right now it would be Jesus (=happy tears from this mama), Mickey, choo choos, animals and of course his family. When researching a bit, we decided that it would be fun for him to have a zoo party so he could share all his favorite animals with his friends. 

For the "Two at the Zoo" party, our guest list included mostly little kids ages 5 and under. So we catered the food and activities around them.

Food: 

• Frog fruit salad
• Vulture Veggies
• Moose Mac & Cheese
• Salamander Sandwiches
• Walrus Wraps
• Meerkat Meatballs
• Monkey Munch (dry banana chips)
• Crocodile Crack Dip (Chip dip)
• Chimp Chips

Do you see a theme we are going with here?

Desserts:

• Kangaroo Krunch (an amazing popcorn and chocolate concoction)
• Flamingo Fudge
• Sea Lion S'mores on a stick
• Zebra bites (chocolate cupcakes)
• Birthday Cake from the very talented Confectioneiress Bakery (their vanilla malted carmel cake is probably the best cake I've ever had)

Drinks or the "Watering Hole": 

• Panda Punch
• Sodas
• Water

Decorations: 

As far as decorations, I wanted to spend a minimal amount of money. After shopping around online, I found a lot of things I liked- but didn't like the price tags along with them. So I designed all of the banners, cup labels, water bottle labels, food labels and thank you tags from an editing program I have. It was nice because I was able to get exactly what I was visualizing without any cost.

The balloons and poof balls were bought at Hobby Lobby during their 40% off days throughout the last few months. (Proactive planning and keeping an eye out for sales is key)

When Briggs came downstairs the Sunday morning of his party, he was on Cloud NINE! He could not stop talking and running through all the balloons. He was frolicking around telling us all the animals he saw. He could not stop pointing out his "Big Two" balloon and then telling everyone that he was the Big Two. He was in his happy place.

Mission accomplished.

Briggy Two-Year-Old Updates:

At two years old, our boy has a heart of gold. He shares with others, he blows kisses at his sister every chance he gets. He loves giving big squeezy hugs to his mommy. He and his daddy are constantly working on their "Slamma Jamma" dunks on his mini basketball goal in the basement- and he always comes back upstairs sweaty and happy. 

He of course has his fussy moments, but then we tell him, "Whiney Boy No No No" and he repeats after us- this usually does the trick in snapping him out of his fussiness. We have also really started implementing Time Out. He at first didn't care- but now he's understanding that it's not a fun place. The usual cause of his time out moments? Sharing his food with his dog, Lola. How do you teach a toddler it's ok to share sometimes and sometimes its not okay? It breaks my heart to see those big brown eyes in the corner- but I know its for the best. 

His vocabulary has really started to pick up. He has full on conversations with us. Sometimes I think I'm talking to a 10 year old. He easily knows and understands over 500+ words. His verbal abilities have always been very easy for him to pick up on. However, the motor skills-we are getting there. He was such a late walker at almost 17 months and has been playing catch up ever since. He has the cutest little walk and when he runs, it looks so unsteady. I'm sure with his constant laps he runs around our house, he will be caught up to the other kids by spring.

At two years old, he is a creature of habit. He thrives when he is in a routine. For example, before nap and bed, we brush our teeth, read three books, say our prayers then sing "Jesus loves me". Then he's off to dreamland without a peep. I think that's why I am so apprehensive for him to go to a sitter on a regular basis for the first time ever. He will have to adapt. It will be good for him (and me). The good thing is, if we do have to adjust his schedule, he is usually still a pretty pleasant dude. As long as I don't make a big deal out of it, then he doesn't either.

Briggs's Two-Year Measurements

• Height: 35.5 inches (80th percentile)
• Weight: 29.14 lbs (70th percentile)

Thank you to all our friends and family who came to celebrate our "BIG TWO" boy. Thank you to my mom and sister especially, for helping with food, cleaning and decorations. My sister Kara, even took majority of the pictures so I could be in the moment with Briggs all day. You two are amazing!

As for my birthday boy, you are the sunshine of my life. I am so proud of you. It is bittersweet to see that you are no longer my little baby but so rewarding to know that you are growing up to be a sweet, kind-hearted, crazy, Christ-loving boy. You bring so much happiness and joy to our family. I thank God every day that he chose me to be your mommy. You're my mini me and my best friend. Thank you for being you, Big Two.