This place is a ZOO!

The long awaited day came... and went.  With much attention and doting on my baby boy.  Carter is 2. Which, is just INSANITY, I think.  By the time I grasp it, he'll probably be 3 or 4.

Yesterday was his birthday and we had his party ON his birthday, which I like to do whenever possible. It was Yo Gabba Gabba themed... sorta. I made Muno favor boxes, I made Muno and Brobee cupcakes and a Plex table cloth. I also hung tissue paper pom-poms of those Gabba’s colors and that was it, as far as Yo Gabba Gabba was concerned. Oh, I did have a Gabba DVD running continuously in the playroom. We had a petting zoo… in our backyard. It was really fun and done really well. I’ll be honest, I was a little nervous initially about how this was going to happen. I mean… a petting zoo? In someone’s YARD? But it turned out REALLY well. They even had bales of hay and flower decorations so it wasn’t just a pen with some animals in it. It was the real deal.

Before I go any further, let me tell you that the company is One of a Kind Pony Party. They were GREAT. Really great people. Friendly and laid back. And the animals were awesome, too. They all had names and were obviously used to people and kids and weren’t phased by anything the kids {or adults} did. They just wandered and ate all of our grass, lol.

There were ducks, multiple kinds and ages of chickens, 5 of the SOFTEST rabbits EVER {seriously, EVERYONE commented on how unbelievable soft they were}, a teeny potbellied named Petunia, 6+ dwarf goats, a black sheep, the CUTEST mini-donkey named Jesse James, a mini-cow, and a mini pony with multi colored party hair {blue, green, pink, orange}. Animals EVERYWHERE. And they had brushes you could brush the bigger animals with. Of course Carter immediately brushed the itty bitty piggy, lol. But she didn’t mind, so I let him.

The kids ran and squealed and chased the black rabbits until they realized the white ones wouldn’t spook and would just sit there and let you pet them all day long. They brushed animals and giggled and they kids all interacted. It was SO cute to see the outgoing kids interact with the shyer kids. Trenton was SO great with all the younger kids. He just adopts people. It’s so funny. He truly is the greatest big brother ever.

We sang Happy Birthday, then Carter {with Mommy’s help} blew out 2 candles on a Muno Cupcake then proceeded to make an absolute MESS of himself with red icing, lol. Then it was back out to play.

I think everyone was gone by 5 {including the animals} and THEN we opened presents. We didn’t open them at the party because young kids don’t want to sit still and watch other kids open presents. Plus, I didn’t want to take away from play/petting zoo time. Carter was all “WOW!”s and “YAY!”s while we opened gifts. He got so enthralled with EACH gift, he didn’t want to open the next… until he saw it. LOTS of cars and crafty things that he LOVES. We left everything in the floor of the playroom and when I came down this morning, he gestured to the surrounding toys and said, “Wooooow!. SOOO cute!

I LOVED seeing the boys have so much fun! I try to make birthdays as special as I can, because their very FIRST birthdays, as in their actual day of birth, were the 2 most important and special days of MY life. It’s a big deal to have a birthday. To celebrate having a happy healthy child who’s growing up is a great thing.

Other than the joy my kiddos were having, my OTHER favorite part was at the end when I was sitting on the ground and the little piggy, who were technically aren’t supposed to pick up, forced her little way into my lap and then lay there all cuddled up like a lap dog except for the little piggy noises she was making. SOOO cute. She stayed that way until it was time to pack the animals up and she was put in her carrying cage. She wasn’t even put there. Lots of the animals recognize their carrying cages and ran to them by themselves.

I think it was a great party.  I consider it a success as party host and mommy.  I know the boys had fun.  I had fun.  Our friends seemed to be having fun.  I hate seeing kids cry, but it makes me feel good when they're having SUCH a good time, they don't want to leave, lol {Sorry Mia!}. 
 
Thanks to everyone who came out!  We appreciate you sharing Carter's birthday with us!  You're all awesomely spectacular!!  YOU made the party great, so thanks again!

Happy Birthday, my sweet little Nugget!  I love you so much more than you can possibly know. 

I took about 600 pictures yesterday.  Literally.  Here's the condensed photo version of the party, lol.