Happy 2nd Birthday Jackson!

For a year now, I've been wanting to get this whole blog thing started back up.  And what better way to get back into the swing of things than to post exactly one year after my last blog post, right?  I wish I could catch all of you up on what has happened over the past year, but the odds of me actually being able to do that are slim to none and the thought of it is just a little stressful so instead of "catching up", my goal is just to "start back up".

This past weekend, we celebrated Jackson's 2nd birthday and had so much fun doing so.  If there was ever a single picture to represent Jackson as a 2-year-old and our lives these days, it is this one...in constant motion and filled with such joy.

On Saturday morning, we invited all of our family and Jackson's closest friends over for a birthday party.  58 people to be exact -- 38 adults, 20 kids, 3 babies, and a partridge in a pear tree.  With every RSVP that we received, I prayed even harder for good weather, but Ben reassured me that things would be fine -- however, he did point out the fact that Jackson has more friends at the age of 2 than he does at age 30.  What can I say...he's a popular guy.

I tried my best to keep the party low-key {aside from the guest list} and as far from Pinterest-worthy as possible {#1 because hosting really isn't a strength of mine and #2 because all of those details are what stress me out and what the guest-of-honor couldn't care less about anyway}.  After finding an invitation that I liked online, I took that "theme" and ran with it.  Red and blue polka dot plates, napkins, and balloons, and "party animal" visors for all of the kids.

We served breakfast casserole, muffins, and fruit {and goldfish and pirate's booty for the kids}, and thankfully my mom offered to make the cake and cupcakes again this year.

I had originally planned to take Jackson with me to buy all of the food and drinks, but it's a good thing that I didn't because I'm not sure where I would have put him!

Thankfully the weather was beautiful on the day of the party, and as soon as the kids saw the bounce house, they immediately made their way to the backyard...taking their parents with them.  After being cooped up in the house the past few days with the rain and the cold {and even some "snow" in some areas of Austin}, I think everyone was ready to be outside, and we even borrowed a couple of Kyle and Steve's propane heaters for the back porch just to make sure everyone was comfortable.

Jackson spent most of the party jumping in the bounce house and running around the backyard in pure excitement over the fact that there were so many people {and "kids!!!"} at his house.  I did my best to make the rounds and talk {even if for just a few minutes} with everyone and snap a few pictures...although for the most part, the adults proved to be much easier to photograph than the kids, and I didn't get even close to getting a picture of everyone.

Jackson & Charlie

Cheryl, Holly, Nelson, & Piper

Megan & Mandy

Nate & Kate

Mallory

Miles

Matt, Aunt Lisa, Catherine, Lexi, Aunt Kim, & Josh

Avery & Cheryl

Nadov, Nate, Ben, & Collin

Johnny & Andres

Opa & Uncle Pat

When it came time for cake and ice cream, I decided my best bet was to bring everything outside.  

Jackson was a little overwhelmed with all of the people looking at him and singing...

...but about halfway through the song, he stopped looking so overwhelmed and instead looked over at me and grinned like he had just realized that this party {and all of its chaos} was all for him.  It was so sweet and definitely made all of the work that went into the party worth it.

As you can see, I was just a little proud.

Just mention cake and ice cream, and all of the kids swarm!

Grandma, Opa, Patty, & Valerie

Charlie & Catherine

Rory

Piper, Justin, Graham, & Collin

As you can see, Jackson was not the least bit interested in taking a break from the party to pose for a family picture.

After cake and ice cream, the kids spent the rest of the party bouncing out all of their energy...

...until Jackson {and Catherine and Josh} was the only one left.

After a quick lunch, he was down for a record-breaking nap while we cleaned and then rested ourselves, and then when he got up, we were back outside for the bounce house and snacks.

We invited a few of the neighbors over, and Megan {one of Jackson's very favorite neighbors} came over and jumped with us until it was time for her to go home and for us to figure out what we were doing for dinner.

It had been a long but very fun day!

Sunday was Jackson's actual birthday, so we spent the day doing everything that he loves the most.  We decided to skip church since it's not his favorite {yet} and instead stopped to pick up donuts {the holes are his favorite!} for breakfast and then headed to Zilker Park.

I'm pretty sure Zilker Park is one of Jackson's very favorite places.  With so much room to run and so much to do, it's one of my favorite places to take him, too.

Our first stop was down to Barton Creek to see the water and the canoes {a.k.a. "boats"}...

...and then we headed over to the playground and took the firetruck for a spin.

Riding the train is his absolute favorite though.

This guy and his guitar/harmonica are often on the trail, and seeing him always reminds me of one of the very first runs I did after Jackson was born whe he stopped playing and hollered "way to go, momma!" as a I ran by with my stroller.

Snacking on the duck food.

On our way to feed the ducks and running full steam ahead!

Throwing bread {and chips} to the ducks...

...and hand-feeding the pigeons.

On our way to check out another one of Jackson's favorite places on the trail...Lou Neff Point.

Before heading back to the truck, we stopped back by the playground for a balloon sword because the best way to leave Zilker Park is with a parting gift.  Of course, Jackson chose "blue"...the only color that he knows {and by "knows" I mean "says" because he calls every color "blue"}.

After another long nap, we invited all of the grandparents and aunts/uncles over for pizza and to watch Jackson open up all of the gifts that he had received the day before.  Of course, I forgot to take any pictures {or maybe I was just too tired from all of the partying we had already done}, but Jackson loved having everybody over and really enjoyed playing with each gift that he opened, which caused the whole process to last a lot longer than I originally expected.  That night, after everyone had left, we gave Jackson a bath, and I brought in a cupcake with a lit candle so that we could sing "Happy Birthday" one last time.

It wasn't until Jackson blew out his candle {and started pigging out on the cupcake} that I noticed the time on my phone.  7:59...the exact time that Jackson was born just two years earlier.

The birth of this sweet boy has been the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I love him even more now than the day that they laid him in my arms.  Happy 2nd Birthday Jackson!  I love you and am so proud of the little boy that you are growing up to be.