Happy Birthday, Baby Boy!

Hunter turned two June 24. Two! My busy, charming, busy, cuddly, busy, happy, busy, curious, did I mention BUSY boy certainly keeps us on our toes (read: It's too quiet. Where's Hunter? What's he into doing now?). Parenting a boy (after having a girl) certainly presents a whole new set of challenges, but life with this little man is much more enriching and entertaining.

For those who don't have the pleasure of interacting with him on a regular basis, here's a top ten of Hunter miscellany (in no particular order):

10. Ever the cuddle-bug, if he's having a bad day or a two-year-old moment of frustration, he'll come running to Mommy for a snuggle. (I know this won't last, so I let him run to me all he wants.)
9. He loves to wrestle with his daddy.
8. Thanks to big sis, he's adept at playing pretend, particularly if it involves being a cat or dog. (He'll bark or mew at my feet until I pick up the "animal" for a snuggle.)
7. He understands what a friend is and will great his with a hug. Yes, my boy is a hugger. (Are you really surprised? After all, he's a snuggle-bug.)
6. Give him a car or truck or ball and he is golden. 
5. He's verbal. Very. Guess that's what happens being home with me and Leah all day.
4. Another skill he's picked up from Leah: love of reading. Forget about the board books. This boy loves Dr. Seuss!
3. Time out is a game for him. I do not like that game. 
2. There are only four food groups: candy, chicken nuggets, hot dogs, and fruit. Of those, take a wild guess which he'd eat at every meal if he had his way?
1. He's our little Linus, but if you refer to his blanket as his special lovey, he'll tell you, "No, it's not my lovey. It's my blankey." (Don't all snuggle-bugs need something to snuggle with?)

Hunter's birthday fell on a Monday, which happened to be the first day of VBS. To celebrate, I sent Rice Krispie treats in for him to share with his class. That night after dinner (hot dogs and french fries-- his favorites!), the four of us went to Coldstone to celebrate. (His party with the grandparents wasn't until the following Saturday.) He picked out his ice cream-- chocolate with M & M's. A boy after his mom's own heart!

Playing with the sign after finishing his birthday ice cream.

The pool was Leah's gift to Hunter. When she gave it to him, he climbed in to play. He and Leah then filled the pool with some of their toys before Hunter tried filling it with water from his upturned water bottle.

Thank you Pinterest for the motorcycle image! Scott helped with the cake; there was extra gray icing, so he added the border. Couldn't let perfectly good icing go to waste!

He had no problems blowing out the candles. You'll notice there aren't any cake pictures. None.  I guess I was enjoying my cake and ice cream (and the company) too much to worry about taking a messy cake photo. What kind of mother/family historian am I?

Hunter loved all his gifts; he was equally enthused about everything. The hard part was choosing which toy to play with first.

 

This isn't the clearest photo, but it's the only one of Hunter receiving his gift from Grandpa and Nama. After opening two little gifts (dog treats and biscuits), Grandpa excused himself to get something from their truck. He returned a few minutes later with a kennel and "Deuce" the dog in tow. Both kids screamed in excitement (since they thought it was a real dog), and Hunter jumped for joy. Their reactions were priceless!

Hunter with "Deuce" or should I say, "Cupcake". Hunter named his dog before settling down for his nap. And yes, he came up with Cupcake all on his own. The dog kennel is now in Hunter's room so that he can "train" Cupcake, but he won't let her sleep in it. Instead, she snuggles in bed with him. At least he knows to feed her; just this morning he told me, "Cupcake wants to eat some food," so we set her up with a toy bowl and food for her breakfast.

Well, at least someone's getting some use out of the kennel!

Finally enjoying Hunter's gift.

The kids with their grandmas: Grandma Teddy, Grandma Mel, and Nama.

And one with all the grandparents: Grandma Mel, Grandma Teddy, Papa, Grandpa, and Nama. Hunter thoroughly enjoyed all the love and attention from the grandparents.