Liam is 2!

Our little man, Liam, turned 2 today.  I said this of Gavin and I will say it again for Liam...the second year goes by a lot quicker than the first year.
Liam's formal birthday party is on Saturday but today is his actual birthday and we planned a few special things for him.  As tradition goes in our family now, Liam woke up to birthday balloons in his room.  Gavin was such a good brother to Liam.  He was very happy for Liam. Grandma Mary and Grandpa Ron (aka Pe-paw) spent the day with us from swim lessons to cake!
After Liam's swim lessons we went to Monkey Joe's for bouncy house fun and boy did Liam have fun.  He screamed for joy!

At Monkey Joe's an older boy knocked Liam over in one of the bounce houses and Gavin pushed the boy and told him to "stay away from my brother."  While it may not be a good thing to push other boys, we were a little proud of Gavin for stepping up as the big brother and looking out for his little brother.

Back at the house, Gavin and I decorated a cake while Liam took his nap.  I made a chocolate/coconut cake that we were supposed to top with a creamy coconut whipped cream but the coconut cream never fluffed so it became more of a (delicious) glaze.  Gavin decorated the cake by topping it with shredded coconut and making a "2" out of chocolate chips and a circle around the number.  Gavin asked, "mama, did you make the cake chocolate coconut because that's Liam's favorite?" to which I replied, "no, I made it because that's the only cake I know how to make"....and it just so happens that Liam likes it too.  :)      

We were joined by our friends, Anne and Peter and their 2 year old, Selassie as well as the boys' cousin, Isa, and we all sang happy birthday to Liam.  He actually was able to blow out his candle.

It was a great day for Liam and all of us.  I really felt like a family today and loved every minute of it.