Happy 2nd Birthday, Matthew James!

My little boy is 2!  How is that even possible?  Seriously . . . how is that possible?  Time has flown by and, while motherhood has certainly been harder than I ever thought it would be (why did no one tell me the 'terrible two's' start at age one?), it's also been more joyful and rewarding that I ever imagined.

We've had a lot of family issues going on in the Wright household that led to a complete lack of time and preparation for a "proper" party but, luckily, Matty is two, and he didn't really care.  I was able to make a few cupcakes . . . 

 . . . and call up a few friends for a last-minute "Party at the Park."  Splash pads, swings, slides:  what else do you really need a for a two-year old's party, right?  Of course, Matty and his friends didn't care about that.  All they cared about was a nearby mud puddle.  They spent a good chunk of time splashing in the muddy water and throwing dirt at the ground, the light pole, and each other.

Thank goodness for the splash pads and a free "white trash bath" afterwards.

Two precious birthday cards from two of Matty's friends,  Kaylee and Jordan.

Daddy, of course, had to work so we had another small, mini-party when he got home, which meant even MORE cupcakes.  Matthew was VERY concerned about the candle.  As I was lighting it, he kept yelling "HOT! HOT!" in the background.

 

My little non-sweet tooth (seriously--how is this kid related to me?) wasn't interested in the cupcake.  All he wanted was the sprinkles off the top . . . 

. . . and to put the candle back where it belonged.

After (not eating) cake, it was FINALLY time for presents.  We are so blessed to have had friends and family from across the country shower Matty with presents, and we had been hiding them in the laundry room for over a week.  MJ may not have really understood the whole concept of a "birthday," but he darn-sure understood that there were presents in the laundry room he was not allowed to have.  He was NOT happy about it, either.  So imagine his elation when I finally pulled them out and told them he could FINALLY have them.  He wasted no time in diving right in.

A pretty good haul for someone who didn't even really understand why he was getting presents in the first place.  Our little boy sure is loved by some generous, thoughtful people!

Our tired little boy in bed after a long, happy day with one of his new toys (if you didn't notice, tractors and trucks were sort of the theme of the day).  

Thank you everyone near and far who helped make Matty's birthday so special.  We are so blessed by friends, real family, and our military family.  

And wish us luck as we navigate the "official" start of the Terrible Two's. :)

Can I Keep the Presents and Still Say I'm 29?

I always saw 30 as the mark in which you left youth behind and magically turned into an adult.  So, I guess despite the fact that I've been married for 5 years and have a 14 month-old kid, I only officially became an adult today.  I know, I know.  It doesn't make any sense.  It's all in my head.  But it's still a THING to me.  And, although I didn't completely freak out, I do have to admit that I was a little sad to say good-bye to my 20s.  My 20s were awesome.  I became independent, made some amazing friends, traveled the world, married my best friend, and became a mom.  I thank God for my first 30 years and can only pray that my next 30 are HALF as good.

Anyways, my husband is on the night shift so he spent my 30th birthday sleeping.  Bummer?  Of course.  But it didn't mean my day had to be a total wash-out.  As some of you may know, I'm not a huge fan of people, in general.  Today was absolutely beautiful so I knew that most of the city would be spending the day outdoors:  Red Rock Canyon, Tule Springs, Mt. Charleston.  So, I decided to do the opposite.  Matty and I would spend the day inside, visiting the Las Vegas Natural History Museum.  Turns out, it was an awesome choice.  No crowd and TONS of things to do.

One of our favorite rooms was the marine life room.  Lots of live displays, including a tank of sharks and sting-rays.

So much to see and touch and explore!

One of my favorite aspects was that many of the aquariums were down on Matty's level.  He didn't mind when I picked him up and showed him the fish, but it was nothing compared to the fish he could see himself.

Sharks!  I wanted to get a picture of Matty next to the teeth, but he wouldn't get close enough.  Smart kid.

Next, it was off to ancient Egypt.  I love this kind of stuff, but Matty was bored so I didn't get a chance to take many pictures.

This was the coolest part:  a REAL mummy with an x-ray scanner over the case so you could "see" through the bandages.  

I fully believe that Matty's version of heaven would look something like this:

The kid LOVES dinosaurs.  I worried that he would be scared because they actually roar (including the HUGE T-Rex) but nope.  He actually kept pushing the button to make it roar over and over again.

We spent an hour just walking around this room.  It filled my heart with so much joy to see him exploring.

The museum also a "junior scientist" room where kids could explore in a more "child-friendly" way.  Matty's favorite part?  Digging for "fossils."  We had such a blast, in fact, that I forgot to take a picture. :(  He thought this submarine was kinda cool, but not cool enough to in to.  

Too short to fit into the 'Nemo' aquarium.  Sorry, kiddo.

Next on our trek around the globe:  Africa.  Is it bad that all I could think of was Ace Venture:  "Little hot in these rhinos."

Too violent for a one year-old? Nahhh.  He even pushed a button to make the lions roar . . . over . . . and over . . . and over.

Severed animal heads?  Sure, why not?

Looking back, I can't really remember how I spent my 20th birthday.  I'm sure it involved heavy drinking of some sort.  Today was definitely much different.  No alcohol in sight.  No dancing with boys or giggling with girlfriends.  Instead, I spent the day exploring the world through the eyes of my son.  And if today is any indication of how my next 30 years are going to be, I say bring 'em on.