under the magnolia tree

We celebrated George's 2nd Birthday last week!

What a big boy you are George!  You make me laugh a hundred times a day.  You are SUCH a little boy with your love for all things trucks, fire engines, and balls.  I love how you had to wear your football jammies all winter and you'd have us digging through the dryer for them just so you could wear them.  I love how I caught you throwing a tennis ball against the wall in the tub and laughing when it splashed back in the water and you did this over and over again.  I love how you can differentiate all types of balls: soccer, football, basketball etc.  I love how you demand to watch ball on t.v. and when we finally find a game, you settle back and say "there."  

You have gotten me so excited for all things firetrucks, when we saw our local firefighters in the grocery, I thought I was seeing rock stars!  We walk almost every day to the fire house just to see if the fire trucks are out.  When they are I swear your heart stops, I never see you so excited and for the rest of the day I have to relive the sighting to you over and over again.  

You love to wrestle which you have taught Magnolia to love too.  I love hearing you two giggle and seeing you roll around the floor.  You have the best sense of humor, you see something in a book that is funny long before I do.  Magnolia quickly learned that the quickest way to get a laugh out of you is make a toy fall down or run into something.  You two will giggle endlessly over that.  Just when I think you are all boy I realize you've had a bow in your hair all day (because Magnolia wears one, we happily oblige and put one on you).  You can also walk in Magnolia's play high heels better than she can!  Such balance you are learning!  ;)  

You too have a love for books and you will sit on my lap forever reading them.  Go Dog Go was a favorite this winter and one day shopping we crossed the parking lot hand in hand and you put out your hand to an oncoming car and said "stop."  Just like the bird does in the book!  And, I never you knew how to say stop or what it meant!  

At 18 months your doctor wanted you to get speech therapy but I knew you'd come around and you did!  Your vocabulary exploded and soon after you turned two you started to put together phrases.  You are smart cookie George, I know that for sure.  Your head is proof of that as it's nearly always off the charts for size.  So big that taking off your shirts is a bit traumatic!

You couldn't say "Magnolia" for the longest time, you didn't even try.  One day I told you that you could call her "Maggie."  Immediately you called her Maggie and it's stuck.  I even find myself calling her Maggie now.  It's as if you were so relieved to finally have something to call her.  She has so many nicknames for you and they are all ones she has come up with on her own; Georgie, Georgia, Georgie the Fourthie, and Baybay.

You love your "babies" which are all of your blankies.  Every morning when we get you out of your crib you want to bring all of them with you.  You have a such a routine around bedtime that we bring them all downstairs every morning while you have your juice and SLOWLY wake up.  I do say that I sometimes dread the wakeup process as it's very difficult for you to transition and there's lots of crying and fussing.  Your Nani told me your daddy was the same way!

You are also the sweetest little boy.  Very shy and very much a Mama's boy.  You never leave my side, never run off from me, you will happily sit in my lap for a long time.  When I say something hurts, you offer me your "baby" and hug and kiss me.  I love you George, I'm so proud to be your Mama!

I decorated for his birthday during nap time.  When he woke up and saw everything, including 12 helium balloons, he said "wow!"

He wanted a truck on his cake with dirt, rocks and sticks.

I used pretzel sticks for the sticks, bridge mix for the rocks. and ground thin mint cookies for the dirt.  All piled on a chocolate cake with chocolate glaze.  I filled the dump truck with chocolate frosting and topped it with the dirt, rocks, and sticks.  I added the worker and this cake was a hit!

I let him eat some of the "dirt, rocks, and sticks" before dinner.

I made his favorite meal, Spanikopita.  (Greek spinach pie) 

Happy Birthday to you...

Happy Birthday dear George...

Happy Birthday to you!!!

How old are you??? 

Happy 2nd Birthday George!

We all love you SO much!

xoxo