The BIG 2 and Music Monday

Well it's official: Matty is 2!

The big day was on Saturday and we started Matty's birthday off by introducing him to his Thomas big boy bed. He loved the Thomas face, but was not impressed when Dada started assembling the rest of the pieces to it. I think he thought he was just gonna have a gigantic Thomas head to carry around. He did get used to the idea and even slept in it all night, but only after a lot of carrying on. We tried the bed: he wanted to play.  We tried the crib: he wanted to climb out.  So we resorted to leaving him in his bedroom, closing the door and putting up a gate. This resulted in a screaming toddler.  Eventually he found his way to the bed and when we checked in on him a little while later, he was all cozy in it. I was not quite prepared for Matty to reject his crib so quickly after getting the bed. Another one of those bittersweet moments, but I'm really happy he likes it!

UPDATE: I've been working on this post for a few days and Matty has slept in his bed since Saturday night, including naps, but tonight for whatever reason, he wanted his crib, so that's where he is.  Guess we'll be leaving it in his room a little bit longer.  Yes, the part of me that wants to keep the "baby" in my baby is happy about this!

After showing Matty his bed, we came downstairs to the living room where Matty found a Thomas train table; needless to say, this pretty much occupied the rest of his morning.  This first pic pretty much sums up Matty's feelings about it:

{hooray!}

 {peek-a-boo}

{which of my boys loves it more?!}

Now with all of this train talk, you would think that would be the natural theme choice for Matty's party. Nope. Matty's first love used to be Curious George, but now George has taken a backseat to Thomas. That's not to say that Matty doesn't still love George. So mama made an executive decision and decided to have a Curious George themed banana split party. I figure the train stage will last a lot longer, so there will be plenty of opportunity for a Thomas and Friends party in the years to come.

We woke Matty up extra early so that he would nap early and be ready to party at 2 p.m. Our master plan failed and Matty went napless.  {He was a trooper, but eventually it did catch up with him...}

Gift opening began as soon as guests started to arrive. Try and tell a two-year-old that he has to wait!

The banana splits were fun, but we have way too much leftover, so if you're in the mood for one, you know where to come! We ordered the cake from Wegmans and as usual, it was excellent!  If you have a Wegmans in your area, I highly recommend their cake.  Ours was half vanilla cake, half chocolate with chocolate pudding filling throughout and whipped cream icing. Scrumptious!  And it looked awesome too!

When we began to sing "Happy Birthday," Matty got shy for a second.  He stuck his fingers in his mouth and buried his head in my shoulder.  It was such an "awwwww" moment!

It was a fun, happy time.  Matty had a blast and we are so thankful to our family and friends for making it a spectacular day. We look forward to what year number 3 will bring for our family!

In sticking with the "Curious George" theme from Matty's party, I chose yet another song off of the soundtrack {can you tell I love me some Jack Johnson?!}  It's a beautiful song, that to me, shows us that our curiosity just may lead us right back to where we were. Where we were always supposed to be.

Wordless Wednesday

Only two more days!

Music Monday

Jem's "Just a Ride" conveys an attitude we all need to adopt. It's an upbeat, fun tune about the highs and lows we all experience and that we should take it all in stride whenever possible. Minor mishaps should not sour our entire day; laugh, adjust, move on! 

Matty and I had our own little dance party tonight while watching this numerous times. In fact, he started crying when it was time to go to bed and kept yelling, "again, again, dance." He really enjoyed the music and when he's old enough to "get it," I will definitely be playing it for him in the hopes that it will help him not sweat the small stuff. Listen to it and during your day tomorrow, remember Jem's advice:

Out With the Old

One week from today, Matty will turn two. TWO. Not two days. Not two weeks. Not two months. Nope. Been there, done that.

Two years.

How did we get here ALREADY?! Of course it is bittersweet and I've come to terms with the fact that probably every birthday will be for some time. A child's birthday is an entrance that leads to new milestones and memories, but also acts as an exit for the previous year and its firsts that will all too quickly turn to lasts, the new that will soon turn to old. It's a reminder that this sweet little child will grow faster than you'd like and you'll wish you could just stop time. It's a little sad, a little scary, but a lot exciting.  It's definitely a reminder that not one single second can be taken for granted.

Speaking of new turning old, it seems like just yesterday that we were preparing for Matty's arrival by painting his nursery.  Well today, hubby began giving Matty's room a makeover. The transformation of nursery into big boy bedroom has commenced. Jungle green walls will give way to Thomas the Tank Engine blue.  Stay tuned for more pics of the complete makeover, but here's a peek at the color. We bought two cans of it months ago because they were $5.00 each, not knowing where we would use it, but couldn't pass it up. Hubby remembered it while he was at Lowe's this afternoon to buy the paint for Matty's room.  He called, told me to grab Thomas and compare to see if the paint we had would work. It is perfect!

As emotional as it is to see Matty's nursery go, I can't wait to see the look on his face when he sees his room's new do! 

Wordless Wednesday

Music Monday

"Without you I was broken, but I'd rather be broke down with you by my side."

The lyrics above are from tonight's song, Jack Johnson's "Broken."  It's from the Curious George soundtrack and is on my mind after watching the movie this evening.  It's a mellow, happy song as is most of Jack's music and it makes me think of my Matty. And hubby too, of course!  

Curious George is such a fun, touching movie, full of great tunes.  George and  Matty are a lot a like: little explorers that often get in trouble, but their cuteness usually prevails ;)

Enjoy!

Our Organist

Matty is loving our newly acquired Baldwin organ: