Dinosaur Party Ideas: Tommy Turned 2!!

My baby boy is 2!!! I swear it seems as though it was just yesterday that he was a new born in my arms. And now he were celebrating his dinosaur party! I feel a knot in my throat thinking about how fast he’s growing up. Time is slipping right past me and I don’t want to miss a thing! My little man is fast developing his own little feisty personality, he’s my Mr. Independent, always saying “I do it myself” and getting mad when I try to help him.

He’s frequently plotting some unnecessary ploy and as his Mother, of course it’s my responsibility to redirect his behaviors. But my goodness how I adore that mischievous look and smile he gives and that wrinkled nose he makes right before he’s about to get into some trouble. Sassy attitude and all however, he is such a sweet boy and I can’t get enough of him.

        

I had a blast planning his birthday party and by the looks of his outfit at the end of the night, I think it safe to say he did too! I’m still trying to wash out the mud, candy and cake stains from his costume!

We had a dinosaur theme costume party with close family and friends and my cutie looked sooooo adorable!! I “tried” to be a little more budget cautious with decoration this year.  So, as I always do, I gathered inspiration from my sister who had the amazing idea to use cardboard to create portraits. Erika has ALWAYS been extremely talented, creative and frugal. I feel like she could build a house out of scraps! Being that she’s also the artistic one, I asked her make dinosaur portraits as a backdrop and OH MY GOSH they looked AMAZING!!! I couldn’t have asked for more! These pictures do not do justice to how beautiful the portraits came out! My brother also made wood dinosaur cutouts and their rustic look where a perfect accessory.

Of course no event goes without hiccups.  I was a little nervous because Mother Nature did its thing the night before the party and blessed us with a night full or rain. Fortunately the rain stopped around noon and I only had to make adjustments to the buffet setup. I ended up putting the food in our den rather than outside. My Mom’s champurrado and the pan dulce I ordered were a huge hit on this gloomy day!

Erika, once again came to my rescue and essentially decorated and set it all up for me. As I’m reflecting on this event, I’m honestly not sure what my contribution to decorating was!

 

I brainstormed for a while on potential themes for the party and I was having a hard time pinpointing what Tommy was into. He’s the little brother and naturally he wants whatever his older brother has. It’s not so much that he likes what Elias has, I honestly think he truly enjoys the thrill of snatching Elias’ toys right out of his hands just to get a reaction out him.

On one of those thrilling moments, Tommy crept his way towards Elias rawring like a dinosaur.  He had just listened to Blippi’s Dinosaur Song and was filled with inspiration. Tommy continued to Rawr at just about everything for the next few days. He rawred during play time, diaper changes, bed times, chores, bath time. You name it, he rawred at it! For a good while he had all of us stopping around the house, rawring back at him with half clenched fists. Subsequently, a dinosaur theme party came to be.

  

I know Tommy wont remember his 2nd birthday. This is why I have over 1,000 pictures to remind him of it. I’m fairly sure that birthday parties at this age are more for the parents; at least for me a lot of it is. But a part of me feels that I have to celebrate every major milestone. And he only turns two once!

Every parent I’ve met with “grown” kids tells me that it felt like a blink of an eye, time flies, and they all seem so sad when they say it! I don’t want to feel that I was robbed of time, I already feel that I’m missing out on so much because I have a career and I spend an average of 10 waking hours away from my boys Monday thru Friday.

I know that sooner than later, Tommy is not going to want me to sing happy birthday to him every single time he sees a birthday cake or a candle. So why not do all those little things that he asks for now that the opportunities are slapping me in the face!

  

Even though I’m dreading Tommy growing up, I’m so excited to see my little guy continue to develop. I can already tell Tommy is going to challenge our creativity with keeping him stimulated. When he isn’t taunting his brother, he’s climbing on furniture, getting into the toothpaste, eating random stuff off the floor, washing his hands in the toilet…

He’s adventurous and fearless and his curiosity gets the best of him and I love that about him! As a parent I just need to find positive activities for him to be curious about! Whatever life path he chooses, or wherever life leads him, I want him to truly 10000% know and feel that his family will be here to support him! We’re doing our best to try and lead him in a positive, promising direction and we are hopeful that Tommy will do great things in life!

 

Thank you to all our family and friends who celebrated Tommy’s 2nd birthday with us. The children all looked adorable in their costumes!!! Tommy’s Dinosaur Party was a success! I’m praying for another 12 joyous, healthy months full of adventures and milestones for my Tommy!

 

Until Next Time…Much Love!!!