January 22, 2008
Birthday Bash
Owen celebrated his second year of life this past weekend. Fortunately it happened to fall on a Saturday, so we were able to make it an all day extravaganza.
We started our morning at the Branding Iron, a local breakfast favorite, where Owen ate an enormous, very yummy pancake. Then it was off for a few hours at Treehouse, our local kid's museum. Owen's favorite activities included the train tables, music room and coloring a picture in the art area. One of the things that really struck me as George and I watched Owen interact with other children is that he never grabs anything away from other kids. The thought doesn't even occur to him. He loves to smile at them and chatter, even though they seem to regard him as some alien species in general. And he's certainly not pleased when someone swipes something from him, but for a toddler and an only child, he's surprisingly unpossessive. 
Back at home Owen hit the hay for a late nap and I worked feverishly on cleaning up the house for our dinner party and making the birthday cake. I decided to go with a pumpkin and buttercream race track themed cake, which you see here. Our dinner guests arrived around 5:30 and we had some delicious chicken curry, green beans and homemade naan (Thank Lauren!). After stuffing ourselves full, we gathered in the living room for the unwrapping ceremonies. George and I tried to keep it small this year as Christmas was so extravagant, so we purchased a couple of books, a puzzle and a used Tonka fire truck with a rotating ladder and the most annoying theme song EVER. Owen also received a 100 car carrier for his matchbox cars (thanks, Grandpa and Grandma Jones!) and a wonderful candy apple red, metal replica of a 2006 Dodge Challenger (with a Hemi, of course! Lauren is the best!). Then it was cake time with more vehicle fun. Owen immediately snatched up the matchbox cars and clutched them in his hands while I helped him blow out the candles. He went right off to bed soon after, happy as a clam, clutching his new cars in his sleep.
The next day this MONSTER Tonka dump truck arrived (thanks, Reed!). Owen was in love and spent most of the evening wheeling it around the house. He asked to take it to bed, but I was fairly certain it would CRUSH him so we decided to stick with the matchbox cars for now. Happy Birthday, little man!