Michael's Birthday

(I know I'm months behind... but I think I'm okay (kinda) with that - get ready for some Christmas posts later this week! Haha!)

Michael's Birthday finally arrived! Little did he know when he woke up what the day was going to hold for him. :) We had a normal breakfast - Michael eats better when there is a routine and his food is predictable - and the the birthday boy got to open a few gifts. 

I love the "I just woke up" eyes in this picture! :) 

Laura, showing off a picture she drew for Michael. 

Lucy was excited for Michael to open the gift that was from her - a Melissa and Doug Sorting Cube. "Can I play with the Sorting Cube with you Michael?" We had had many conversations about Michael eventually sharing his toys but giving him space to look at them by himself when they are brand new. A difficult concept for a little girl - but she did well. :) 

Opening the gift from Grammy and Papa

A nice plaid shirt and jeans! 

Our morning was uneventful but fun, we played together and relaxed - we were resting up for the open house we had planned for that afternoon. :) I had scheduled the party during Michael's "Awake time" in the afternoon so he would, hopefully, be cheerful. Brad made the invitations for me - didn't they turn out well? He has some mad skills. 

I think the mustache is pretty awesome - they are all the rage right now and someday when Michael asks us why we were so silly, we'll reply "They were cool back then and they'll be cool again." haha

I took the opportunity to decorate a bit during nap time and was really happy with the results. :) Christmas got put away for a little bit because it was time to celebrate our BOY!

The Buffet

Michael hasn't yet shown interest in one toy/play thing over another - so I "shopped" my house for things that he liked playing with that fit in with the colors and party vibe. 

Just like at Lucy's 1st Birthday Party - Michael's quilt was the "runner" for the table. 

We served fresh, soft pretzels, regular pretzels, cheese dip, veggies, chex mix and sugar cookies. :)

I take back my earlier comment about Michael not having an affinity for one toy/play thing - he LOVES balls. I was able to go through our ball bucket and find enough color-coordinated balls to fill my "centerpiece." Isn't it masculine? :) Haha

Sugar Cookies! I'd very much like to be better at frosting them, so I'll keep practicing. 

And because no party is complete with out a banner at Sarah's house - Brad says I have a banner obsession, and he may have a point - I made Michael a birthday banner. I'm thrilled with how it turned out - I used fabric scraps from his quilt and bought a few extra fabric fat-quarters to use in the same color scheme. Then, to keep it simple, I simply sewed the flags into 3 yds of store-bought binding. (I've since made two other banners using store-bought binding and I'm a huge fan!)

For a side by side comparison, I put out Lucy and Michael's framed monthly pictures - it was fun to ooh and ahh over how cute they were/are. :)

The side of the fridge held larger images of Michael's monthly pictures - it was a great conversation piece at the party. It was so fun to examine when Michael got hair, choose our favorite pictures and talk about how much changes in a year. 

Here's Lucy waiting for friends to arrive. :) 

The birthday boy - enjoying his cookie. 

He's so fun. 

It was a success - Michael loved the cookies and the party was so fun. :) 

During Michael's second nap of the day - I made him a cake. :) I had seen a Moose cake on Pinterest (where else?) and wanted to try it. With the exception of his "antlers" (I ran out of powdered sugar to thicken the frosting) Michael's moose cake was cute and full of character! :) 

While Mr. Moose hung out in the cold garage we had a yummy dinner of Chicago-Style Pizza (have I told you Brad has p.e.r.f.e.c.t.e.d. the recipe - tastes just like Giordano's. YUMMO!) Skyped with Grandma and Grandpa in Michigan while opening a few gifts from them and then got to eat some cake!

He was pretty enthralled with the candle - he may just be a pyro like his daddy. 

He has the sweetest profile.

He loved having the attention of everyone at the whole table! 

And eventually he dove in and realized that there was chocolate cake under all that frosting. :) 

He liked it - in case you can't tell :) 

We ended the day with a nice bath - the best way to get rid of chocolate frosting!

All in all - it was a great day. It was wonderful to celebrate with family, both near (my mom and sisters) and far (via Skype), and dear friends.

Happy Birthday Michael Bradley. We are SO thankful for you. LOVE YOU SWEET BOY!