Gabriel's 2nd Birthday - Construction Party

It's hard to believe Gabriel is 2 years old! We celebrated his birthday just three short weeks after Hope was born. With a newborn in the house, it seemed a good idea to keep things simple. I apologize for the lack of pictures, but I was having so much fun with the kids that I forgot to take more pictures!

We invited a few of Gabriel's friends over for a construction themed party.

It was the perfect theme, since there has been construction going on around our house. Gabriel loves to go for walks and watch the big trucks move around. He is now learning the names of all the different trucks (crane truck, excavator, dump truck...).

Each kid received a hard hat and apron with their name on it, as well as a plastic hammer. We had a couple different activities for the kids. First, we let them use their hammers to nail golf tees into floral foam. They loved this! Although they got smart and figured out it was easier to just push the tees in with their hands.

We also put out coloring pages of trucks and tools. Gabriel stayed at this station for most of the party. Hmmm, future artist maybe?

Baby Hope joined the party in between naps. She was dressed up in her classy party attire... pink camo with bows :)

 
Gabriel's cake was made to look like a construction site. Everyone loved it, and I think the kids believed me when I told them I got the rocks from outside. :) They were actually chocolate candies.

We love chocolate cake!

Our gift to Gabriel was his very own bicycle! We gave him his helmet first, and took him for a ride later, when the weather warmed up. He walked around for a few days with his helmet on.

The party was a success, and my favorite part was watching Gabriel as we sang to him and he blew out his candles. Lots of fun!



Things to note for Gabriel at 2 years old:
- 75th percentile for height and weight, and is quickly outgrowing his size 2T shirts, but the pants are still big in the waist
- Loves puzzles, letters, numbers, and coloring
- Is now learning what sound each letter makes
- Favorite veggie is peas, and gets excited to eat them. Sometimes we have to say "you can have more peas after you eat your meat"
- Doesn't know the difference between "up" and "down", so when he wants to be held, he holds his hands out and says "up, please, down, please, up, please, down, please!"
- Loves his little sister and likes to hold her and kiss her head
- When he tries to jump, he squats, then stands up quickly and throws his arms in the air. The momentum doesn't quite get his feet off the ground, but it sure is cute :)
- Likes having family dance parties. We put on his favorite music (the Raffi children's music station on Pandora) and dance all around the room.