Pete Turns Two!

Pete's birthday (March 25) fell on a Saturday, so we invited every kid he knows in Auburn to come to our house. I had the cake and cupcakes made (I'm not a good pastry decorator!) and my mom and I made everything else (hash browns, grits casserole, egg pie, fruit salad, and cheese onion dip). It was very Southern. My mom made blueberry muffins and brought them with her. I put out bags of goldfish and gummies for the kids. We also served mimosas, which more people drank than I expected!

Mat spent hours cutting out a paper plate cow craft (he cut out the black patches, the ears, the horns, the noses). We also printed out a bunch of copies of a barn, which kids could then color. The biggest draw, though, was the petting zoo! We had a tortoise, a llama, an alpaca, a goat, two baby goats, and a donkey. Also two rabbits, but they were off to the side so didn't get as much attention.

Pete seemed stunned by all the activity. It was really fun to have all his little friends at our house, and chat with their parents. The highlight of the party (for me, at least) came when the llama escaped after all our guests had left. I caught him! A lot like catching a horse, except you grab llamas by the neck.

Happy Birthday, Pete!

The back of Mrs. Jennifer, Pete's beloved teacher. Pete is very attached to her.

To the left, next to my dad and Pete, is Ash, who came with two of her kids; to the right is Carrie, who Mat and I work with, and her daughter Nora.

The only face you can see is Avery's--she's in Pete's class and is adorable.

Pete's drumstick. He carries it EVERYWHERE.

That's Charlie, and next to him, Lily. Lily loves Pete. And Charlie lives across the street--we play with him and his brother Sam every Monday afternoon.

The alpaca. Everyone thought he looked like a kid with a funny haircut.

About a million pictures of us blowing out the candles. Actually the wind blew them out.