Birthday Play-By-Play

We celebrated birthday number 2 for Reid on Sunday. Actually, the party started Saturday night when we took the crazies to Rain Forest Cafe. For my AZ and So. Cal friends, that may not seem like a big deal, but they don't have them in Ohio. So for all my Ohio friends, I included a couple of pictures. This restaurant is decked out! It is seriously like you're in the midst of a rain forest. There are waterfalls, giant fish tanks, trees, jungle foliage EVERYWHERE, life-like elephants, gorillas, birds, snakes, leopards....the works. After eating there, I remember why I swore I'd never go back...the food is overpriced and under flavored. It wasn't very good, but way worth it to watch the crazies enjoying themselves. I think they thought the animals were real. And every few minutes you hear a "rainstorm" or trumpeting elephants or some kind of rain forest sound. Parker asked if the Gorilla sitting nearby was going to steal his dinner.

Rain Forest Cafe is at a 'Mills' mall. Once again, Ohioans probably don't know what I'm referring to, but it's just like any other Mills mall I've ever been to. The reason we went there was actually for the train store. Following a long tradition of two-year old boys everywhere, Reid loves trains and was having a "choo-choo" birthday party. There is a great train store there with toy train tables set up all over for kids to play with and a train the kids can actually ride on that goes around the store. The boys enjoyed that as well as a free Merry-Go-Round ride for the birthday boy.

Parker is crazy about birthdays and could hardly sleep that night...he was out of control excited for Reid's birthday. He woke up at least four times during the night. And by 4:30am we couldn't get him to go back to bed. Reid finally woke up at 5:30...thanks to his persistent brother...and he opened presents then since Park couldn't wait another minute.

We had a delicious, but poorly decorated train cake. Spencer bakes, I decorate. I always have grand ideas for cakes, but not the skills necessary to carry them out. Please don't look Betheny. (Betheny makes incredible cakes.)

We finished off the night with what we refer to as a 'pajama party.' It includes pajamas (of course), snacks, and a family movie...this time a Thomas the Tank Engine movie (starring Alec Baldwin) to fit the theme.

Most parents talk about how fast time flies. It seemed to be the opposite for me this time. I can't believe only one year has gone by since his last birthday. Reid's life has changed dramatically in the past year. Beside the normal changes a toddler goes through, he had his foot amputated, has received 2 prosthetic legs, learned to walk 3 times (once before amputation, once with a prosthetic, and once on one foot and one stump). He started nursery. He had to start sharing a room with Parker (this may sound like an everyday occurrence, but was TRAUMATIC for my children...we spent almost three months of sleepless nights and days without naps trying to make this work). Reid went from being the youngest child to the middle child and took upon him middle child personality traits almost immediately after Grayden entered our home. And most recently, he moved from Ohio to Texas. What a year, huh? It's been a life altering year for all of us, but especially for Reid. I was glad to be celebrating birthday number two. This upcoming year can't possible be as dramatic as the last.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY REID!

***If you roll your mouse over the pictures there's captions...just in case you have questions about any of the pictures...namely the one of Spencer's bum.***