chugga chugga two two

Lucas had a train themed 2nd birthday party this weekend.  It was a weekend filled with so many sweet people and beautiful weather.  It was the most perfect day and I know that I will always remember how full my heart felt this day.  Here is a sneak peek of the food for the party:

Brandon made the food train out of pallet wood.  We did hamburgers and hot dogs: hamburgers were in the coal car, hot dogs in the logger car. Then we had veggies in the produce car, and fruit in the hopper car.

Cupcakes had toppers that were trains and 2's.  

You can't see the sign very well, but this was our "fueling station" with tea and water.

I made favor bags with bandanas, red rock candy, and a train whistle for the little ones that came to the party!

We were so thankful for the beautiful blue skies today that allowed everyone to hang out in the back yard.  A couple in our small group graciously loaned us their bounce house for the party, so the kids loved playing on there.

Oh, you see that thing in the background behind the bounce house?  The giant tree house in the making?  That is Lucas's birthday present from the grandparents.  Poppy wanted to build Lucas a tree house, so he and Brandon started on it a few days before the party.  MiMi and PaPa bought the slide to go with it.  They got enough of it done for the kids to safely slide, but it's still a work in progress.  It's going to be amazing, deserving a post to itself.  So be on the lookout!

I was blown away at the people who came to the party.  Besides Nana, Poppy, MiMi, and PaPa, we had so many other guests who traveled from way far away to be with our little guy on his birthday.  I am kicking myself for not getting pictures of him with everyone.  Forgive me :)  Both my grandparents and Brandon's grandparents came from Louisiana and Florida for the party.  It is such a blessing for Lucas to have 2 sets of great-grandparents, all of whom are healthy and active to drive all of that way for us!  We are so so thankful.  

Also, Brandon's younger sister, Stephanie, came from Florida for the party.  It was so fun to see her cute little pregnant belly!  Lucas can't wait to meet his baby cousin this summer!  Also on the guest list were Farrin and Hershey, Jon and Kelsey, neighbors, friends from work, and friends from church.  I'm telling y'all, my heart was full. 

Lucas was so good during the party, even though we pushed his naptime waaaaay back.

 

 

A fun time was had by all!  Thank you everyone for coming and for loving our boy so well.  We love you!

two!

Lucas,

We did it!  We made it to 2!  I feel as though you have been acting 2 for a while now...so maybe it's a good thing you actually have the age now to justify your two-ness.  You are wide open all the time.  You never walk, you run.  Everyone that meets you absolutely falls in love with you, can you blame them?  You're awfully handsome and quite the charmer. 

You are athletic for sure, running everywhere and climbing everything, but thankfully rarely falling.  When you do fall down, you rarely cry...and a kiss from mommy usually heals it right up.  That makes me happy little guy, you are a beautiful mix of tough and sensitive.  Stay that way, okay?  You're still big, weighing in at 29 pounds and 34.5 inches long.  You are smart, knowing the difference between all different kinds of work equipment (back hoes, front end loaders, skid steers, bull dozers, etc.) which I think is so funny.  You love trains and trucks and anything with big wheels.  You have learned your colors in the last few days.  You do something new every single day and it's so fun to watch.

If you could be outside all day every day, you would.  You love playing in the dirt and finding bugs.  We have the funniest conversations outside.  You excitedly say, "It's a bug!" and "play with lawnmower" and "play with tractor" often.  Your vocabulary has exploded in the last month.  It's so fun to talk to you.  I can ask you questions and you answer them in an understandable way now.  You also ask me questions and genuinely want to know the answers. When you ask a question, the little inflection you put in your voice is so sweet.  Keep learning, keep asking, and I promise to keep answering as best as I can.  

 

You love playing with your friends, going to church, and being around family.  You love to dance and have recently started singing, which is quite possibly the funniest thing I have ever seen.  Your favorite song to sing right now is "Hey Brother" by Avicii.  The song says "heeeeeeey brother" and you sing it like "heeeeeeeey da brudda!" with all of your might.  We have videos, don't worry.  They will be shown in your high school years.  

Our snuggle time still is pretty limited since you're always on the go, but I treasure those quiet nights when you request multiple books before bedtime.  The picture below was taken on the night before your 2nd birthday, our last moments with you as a 1 year old.  I was blown away at how big you've gotten all of a sudden, your legs almost hanging over the side of the chair and your knowledge of the books that we were reading.

On your actual birthday, we had a special day with just me, you, and Daddy.  We went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch, your fave.  We pulled up into the parking lot and you started chanting "chicky-aye!"  You're a smart one, I tell you.  After naptime, we took you to Monkey Joe's.  You had a ball, running around and jumping on all of the inflatables.  And your daddy, bless his heart.  He was right in there with you.  You weren't quite tall enough to make it up the ladders of the big bounce houses, but you didn't want that to stop you.  So your daddy climbed up there with you every time, carrying you up the ladder and following you down the slides.  You both were red faced and sweaty when it was time to leave.  We couldn't really get any pictures of you since you were a giant blur of motion the whole time.  That's how you are always, little boy.  A blur of motion!

So now you're 2.  So big!  We love you Lucas and pray for you every night.  We pray for wisdom and discernment as we raise you, we pray for your health and your growth, and most of all we pray that you will grow up to love Jesus.  

happy happy birthday!