Rowan turned 2 on Saturday! Can you even believe it!? Last year we threw him a pretty fantastic birthday party and I baked him the panda cake to top all panda cakes. This year, we hosted a similar shindig, but managed to keep stress levels to a minimum by keeping things simple and easy. Rowan had a blast entertaining his friends and family and Chris and I managed to come out the other end of a long weekend feeling surprisingly rested (and very well fed).
I snapped far fewer photos than last year, but I did get a couple shots of the birthday spread. Last year, since Rowan didn't really eat that much, I wasn't quite as in tune to what toddlers will eat. This year we were all about simple cheese cubes, crackers, and bite sized fruit and veggies. We tossed in a little bit of candy for good measure, and because it's my new favourite thing ever I made my Grandmaman's caramel corn recipe because a big bowl of caramel covered popcorn is always a good idea.
The big star of the lunch menu was Chris brilliant idea: we bought a brisket from our local smoked meat place, heated it up and sliced it, laid it out artistically on a wooden cutting board and served it alongside a dish of mustard and bowl of sliced rye bread. It involved almost no work on our part and was such a big hit. Who doesn't love a Montreal smoked meat sandwich?
This year's cake was also incredibly simple. I basically smeared a bunch of chocolate frosting messily over a two tiered sponge cake and then dumped a bunch of rock shaped chocolate pebbles on top. Decorated with a few construction themed trucks it took minutes to pull together and was totally cute. If you have a child (or a friend, or a husband...) who is into trucks like Rowan is, I highly recommend this cake. ;)
Rowan's birthday fell over Easter weekend this year, which was super fun because it meant that my brother and his family, including his two beautiful daughters, were here for the festivities. They participated in the most adorable toddler Easter egg hunt you've ever seen and a good time was had by all!
I can't believe that Rowan is 2 already. He's really coming into his own. He grows and changes everyday and though I'm constantly thrilled and amazed at what a smart and funny little boy he is, I wish it would all just slow down a bit. He's working on his ABC's and any day now I just know that he's going to start singing them and won't miss a single letter. For a while he would say "babaloo" instead of "W" and then all of a sudden one time he said "W" and I fear that the days of him adorably stumbling over "babaloo X, Y & Z" are over. I want "babaloo" to stick around a little while longer!