Parker Turns TWO!

Our sweet and crazy little boy turned two almost 2 weeks ago and we still cannot believe it. We had a party for him the day before his real birthday and I am happy to say that everything turned out really well and we had so much fun with his little buddies.

Let me start with decorations---I decided on a "Donuts and Dump Trucks" theme because Parker LOVES trucks. And I love donuts. :) 

I reigned myself in and limited decorating to the dining table. I was very proud that I stuck with it and didn't go too overboard!

Parker's toys were obviously a big part of the decorations and I managed to make all of the labels and signs for the party. I especially loved the road signs and food labels!! Here is the menu:

Gravel Pile (dry cereal), Stop Light Bulbs (mixed fruit), Land For Sale (egg casserole), Bolder Yard (sausage balls), Wrecking Balls (donut holes), and Spare Tires (donuts).  We just invited our small group and a few of our neighbors so it was the perfect amount of food.

Donut cakes are a lot easier than real cakes :).

As I already said, the road signs were my favorites. I used Parkers age and birth date for the highway signs and fun little construction sayings to show what each set-up was for. 

You are probably sick of pictures, but I loved how the dining table turned out!

We set up a "fuel station" drink table on the buffet.  I filled the big dump truck with juice boxes and Capri Sun. We also had coffee for the grown ups--although now that I think about it, I didn't have any of it!

For the kids activity, we decided to do a digging construction zone outside. I saw the idea on Pinterest and thought it was adorable! We just filled up a kiddy pool with sand and I went crazy at Target buying toys from the dollar spot to hide in it. The kids got to dig them out and put them in paper bags to take home as favors. 

It was a little windy outside, so I set up the empty favor bags in the kitchen. They say "I dig you for coming to my party!" Another Pinterest find.

Here are some of the kids at work! Some were into more than others...including the birthday boy.

The last little decoration was on the mantel in the living room. I had some extra signs so I made a little unwrapping station set-up for gifts. 

Oh, and I wrapped the door in caution tape and stuck a "Caution Party Ahead" sign in our wreath.

One funny little quirk about Parker is that he is terrified of the Happy Birthday song. He always cries (and snuggles) when he hears it at restaurants so we were not surprised when he sobbed at his party (we even asked guests to sing quietly!) It made for a funny (and sweet) home video though...

He was actually not in the greatest mood for a lot of the party...oh, the life of a two year old!

He did better though once we got going with presents and went outside to play.

I got my FLOR rug, by the way! Hoping to most pictures soon (I always say that, I know.)

I got Parker's little shirt on Etsy from the shop Great Stitch.

Parker was of course happiest after everyone left and he had his toys and his grandparents all to himself :).

He is such a loved little boy and really enjoyed all of the decorations and the theme of his party, which made it worthwhile for me! 

A few things about Parker as he turns TWO:

-He loves to sleep. Like a lot.

-He is very noisy and silly with family but pretty shy everywhere else. 

-He knows that he is funny and will do things multiple times that he knows we will laugh at.

-He started throwing temper tantrums the week that he turned two--without any warning! So fun. :-/  I just bought a time-out mat because of this. 

-He is 37 inches tall, which is the 97th percentile. He weighs 30 pounds and has an off-the-charts head.

-His favorite foods are milk, yogurt,  cheese pizza, peanut butter, fruit and veggie pouches, grilled cheeses, french fries, and refried beans and rice. Oh, and Chick-fil-a. Sometimes bananas and grapes.

-He still loves his paci (which he calls "dobby"), although we are trying to wean him off of it.

-He hates the Happy Birthday song

-He loves his blankets (ba-bas), which are really lightweight swaddle blankets, and he will carry 6 of them around at a time when I let him.

-His favorite phrase is "No Way!" and "Whyyyyyyy", which he yells ALL the time out in public. Again, so fun. ;) Also his "Please" sounds like "Psssssssss!!!!!!!" Always so excited.

-He gives the sweetest kisses and snuggles when he is super tired.

-He is obsessed with pointing out babies everywhere we go.

-He loves cars, trucks, trains, and planes. LOVES them. He also like to ride in the car because of this. Road trips are a piece of cake! He also loves reading books and building blocks or legos. Right now he calls every book a bible. 

-His favorite movies are Cars, Frozen, Finding Nemo ("memo"), Planes, and Thomas the Train. 

-He is very, very tender-hearted and can't handle people yelling period or laughing at him. :( Breaks my heart every time!

-He loves to go on walks, ride in his wagon, and ride the escalator at the mall. 

I love him. :) 

If you got through this post, you get a gold star!!