Birthday Grand Finale

While I absolutely loved everything about Eli's second birthday and all of the "partying" that we did, it is time to wrap up all things birthday in one last finale sized post! I have gotten so bogged down in making sure that I did not skip a single detail, that I am missing posting about all of the sweet things that are going on now! So, without further ado, here are all of the rest of the pictures and sweet memories of Eli's second birthday.

We love you, precious Eli. On one hand we cannot believe that you are already 2, and on the other hand it is hard to imagine what our life was even like before you were here and a part of our family. You are truly our joy and our delight and the most beautiful gift that the Father has given to us. You make us smile, you make us laugh, you make our hearts melt and feel as if they will burst with joy at the same time. We love you more than words can ever say with a love that grows deeper with each passing moment. Happy Birthday, little man, we look forward to celebrating many many more birthdays with you!

Mama, Eli, and Nana ready for the big party 

Our birthday party theme was "Wheels on the Bus," since this is something that Eli had pretty consistently loves for his whole second year.  In honor of the school bus theme, we had a "box lunch" style meal with a sandwhich bar and other shool lunch finger foods.

School bus cake and cupcakes, delish!

Party decor complete with yellow and back streamers around the house.  Eli was so excited when he woke up and found streamers everywhere, which alone made it worth the effort!

Greeting our first guests with party hats on!

Mr. Dick and Buddy from across the street wishing Eli a happy bday

The Grandpas

Presents!

Believe it or not, when my parents went with Eli to get balloons for the party, Kroger (and apparantly all of our area) was out of helium!  This was the only balloon with helium in the whole store and my parents round it up just for the special birthday boy.  It was an awesome balloon that talked to you when you hit it.  Eli enjoyed playing with this long after the party.

Eli and his friend Jovie

Outdoor fun

Neighbor Lily

The men :)

Father son game of basketball

Callie and Paula

Let me just sneak one little taste while no one is looking...

Eli making his move

Singing happy birthday and blowing out the candle!

Eli enjoying a wonderful cupcake

Kisses from Mom and Dad

Time to open presents

Eli's favorite new basketball!

Daddy hanging up the rope/extension cord for the pinata

Eli's first time hitting a pinata.  With how much this kid loves baseball and hitting things in general, he thought pinatas were awesome!

Eli's cousin Abram

Way to get after it Asher!

Emory steps up and takes this puppy out!!  Girl power! :)

While Eli loved hitting the pinata, he was not to fun of it breaking it open!  He didn't even notice all of the candy because he was too devastated by the destruction of his awesome new toy.

Emory showing some muscle

Her serious face.  Don't mess with this girl, she is tough!!

Daddy trying to show Eli the pinata was "okay"

After thinking twice about giving his son a stick and telling him to hit the object in his hand, Ethan decided it was better to just let him hit it on the ground. :)

Celebrating in Shreveport!

A few weeks after Eli's birthday, we traveled to Shreveport to celebrate 2 with Elijah's great grandparents.  We had a wonderful time!  We enjoyed a birthday lunch, yummy cake, presents, and most of all time with our beloved family.

Eli got a bowling set and a watch from the great grands!  Knowing how much this kid loves sports, he'll be proficient in no time. ;)

Gloria demonstating the proper bowling form

Nonie teaching Eli to bowl

Only 1 pin left standing, not too bad for your first shot kiddo!

Setting them back up.
Truth be told, while it looks like he took to bowling pretty well in these pictures, he kept calling the bowling balls baseball bats. :)  To a baseball obsessed little 2 year old (thanks to his daddy), a bag full of 10 little mini baseball bats was pretty much the most awesome gift imaginable.  When we tried to tell him that was not what it was, he played along for a while, and then went back to using them as baseball bats.  While the object of the game might not really be taken to heart at this point, fun is certainly being had.  Thanks for the sweet presents everyone!

Eli getting loved on by his Mamie and Pops!