Andersen's Puppy Party

 With Andersen's recent obsession with puppies and his Halloween costume being a puppy as well, I figured it was a perfect theme for his 2nd birthday party. Andersen was super excited to wear his costume earlier than Halloween so it helped make for a cute party invite.

 After days of planning and preparing, October 11th was finally here! Nate, Jackson and I started the day off by singing "Happy Birthday" to Andersen accompanied by a chocolate milk in bed.

 Unfortunately we didn't do much for his birthday during the day because Jackson had preschool orientation, then nap time and before I knew it, it was time for the party. We invited family and a couple neighbors to join us for dinner and the party.

 After dinner, it was a group effort to open his presents. We have some of the best neighbors and Andersen got some fun toys.

 We started by opening gifts the neighbors brought him. He got some new cars, a frisbee, and his favorite... a soccer ball just like his buddy Parker (which I already ran over with the car, so we will be needing to get another one to replace it ASAP! That was the loudest pop I have ever heard) Then we had him open the presents from Nate and I. He wasn't too sure what to think of the presents because they weren't really toys for him to play with. A few days before his birthday I took the boys to the petstore to by some supplies and told them they were for Grandma Kay's dog, so when Andersen opened the present they both were so bummed. Jackson's first comment was "Oh, this is Grandma's stuff!"

 The disappointment only lasted temporarily until the birthday surprise arrived!! We have talked a lot lately about getting a family dog, and with not having any good ideas of what to get Andersen for his birthday, we decided to use the birthday money for a family present knowing Andersen would be so excited to finally have his own puppy. For awhile he would say "I want a puppy!" so we thought it was perfect.

 Andersen was so excited, but I think Jackson and his friends were even more excited. They chased her all around the house until she had finally had enough and we had to remove her from the kids. Andersen is kind of scared of the puppy at times because she likes to nibble on everything including little fingers and toes, but he definitely has a love for our little puppy already.

 The last week before Andersen's birthday we kept asking him what he wanted for his birthday. At first it was a puppy, but the last few days it turned into a monkey! What?? As parents we were wondering where that came from and bummed because who knew if he'd like our puppy surprise anymore, but Nate's good thinking paid off. Nate stopped on his way home from work and bought a monkey stuffed animal just in case. I think it is safe to say this Monkey definitely topped the favorite list as well. You should have seen him tackle and love it right as we gave it to him. Good work Daddy!

After presents, we did some cake for dessert. It wouldn't be a puppy party without the dog bowl cake, right?  I always love watching kids blow out their candles and Andersen did it like pro this year!

 And of course Jackson loved the cake too... Not because of how it looked (although he thought it was pretty cool) but because of the frosting. You can tell from the picture below he enjoyed his serving of cake!

I hope Andersen had a fun birthday. I know it wasn't a typical birthday gift since it was a family present, but I still think he had such a fun day all about him. I can't believe you are already 2 Andersen! Man time goes by so fast when we are having fun. You add so much to our family with your loaded personality. You always know how to make me and Daddy laugh, you are always so sweet to forgive and use your manners, and I love that you always want to "cuddy" (cuddle) with me and Daddy. 

We love you booger and happy 2nd birthday!!