Looking Back: March: Callum's 2nd Birthday!

When I say looking back I mean it.  We are looking WAAAAY back right now!  I am going to continue with the current postings but scatter them in with the "Looking Back" posts.  It will be highly confusing when I'm compiling the blog book, but so be it.  This is the only way I can make this manageable.  I keep notes scribbled down of things I want to write about and funny things Cal says and does, and tonight I went through the 8 scrappy pages of them and compiled them into a neat, organized list, so since I don't have to stress about jewelry right now I am hoping that I can use my list to really catch up some in the next little while.  Here goes nothing . . .

Callum turned two!  We celebrated with multiple parties.  The first was a big party at the park for all of the little kiddos.  It was a "triplet" party celebrating the birth of Callum and two of his best little buddies (children of two of my very best St. Louis girlfriends), Alexis Cox and Owen.  (They were all born within the same week.)  We did one last year as well.  Look how they have changed!!!!!

Then:

Now:

Wow.  Time flies when you are having fun!  We decided to go low-key with cupcakes at a park so there would be no decorating or cleaning of houses involved, and it was delightful.  I was quite lazy about the whole thing and wouldn't have even bothered, but Ann and Tori stepped up and took the reigns, for which I am very grateful.  Both Callum and I had a wonderful day!  I think it is so funny how different kids are, as illustrated by the way they eat their cupcakes.  Owen carefully licking off just the frosting, Alexis eyeing it and considering how to get the least dirty, and Callum shoving it into his mouth until it is so full that it is bulging.  Oscar Haslam, my girl Jessica's son, was not pleased about the party hats, but I think no kid looks cuter screaming in a picture than Oscar.  That kid cracks me up!  And isn't my baby boy just the cutest thing you have ever seen?!?!

We also did a little celebration opening gifts over Skype with the McKenna grandparents and Aunt Taren.  This seemed particularly appropriate since Callum has gotten so used to being spoiled by them that a couple of weeks before his birthday when he saw his Grandpa Reed on Skype he said, "You give-a-me present???"  How embarrassing.  And hilarious.  His favorite gift from them was the Sir Topham Hat jack-in-the-box.  (He is a Thomas the Train character.)  Callum is endlessly amused by how "terrified" Creamy the Llama is of that dastardly Sir Topham Hat.

Our last little celebration was having the Browns over for Callum's favorite dinner on his actual birthday: pancakes.  The Browns are pancake connoisseurs, so we thought that they were an appropriate choice.  I made Callum the cutest little apron and chefs hat, which I will highlight in my next post, but he wouldn't touch it.  At least Owen found it amusing!

I love my boy!  I can't believe he is growing up so quickly!  I must say, he has not been a "terrible" two at all.  He is opinionated and strong willed, but he is mostly just hilarious, clever, and irresistibly cute.  We have plenty of long, frustrating days, but I think his "terrible" stage came at about 18 months because that is when he was learning to really communicate.  He is an excellent communicator now, which I think helps he feel heard enough not to kick and scream too often.  I love this funny stage of life, and I will be sad to see it go.