James' 2nd Birthday Parties (Part 1)

Last Saturday, we had a marathon of two birthday parties for James. It has taken me a week to recover and rejoin the blogging world! We had a friend party at Central Park in Plantation, and although it was quite hot, the kids all seemed to have a great time. We rented a pavilion right across from the playground, so we could easily keep our eyes on the kids as they played. It was really nice... except for one detail. It didn't have a grill there and we weren't allowed to bring our own (which we found out when we booked it), so we ended up cooking the burgers and hot dogs at Matt's parents' house (thanks Pops!) and then bringing them over to the park. Matt's mom helped me decorate which was a HUGE help! Everything turned out great and I think everyone had a great time (thanks to the help of Matt's parents and Aunt Dee!). Here are some pictures from the hot (but fun) day:

James wasn't crazy about the cute party hats, but I did manage to get one picture with it on him. He looks a little "tipsy" in the picture, but I promise it's just juice and water in his Cars cup!... and can you tell it was hot that day?

Once one kid decided to eat on the ground, all the kids ended up there. Too bad I didn't think of putting a table cloth there ahead of time! Pictured here are Christian, Noah, and James in the front, with Avery and Mary Hannah behind them. Nicole, James' cousin, is 6 so, of course, she sat at the table! =o)

James on the playground at his party with his buddy, Christian, coming up the slide behind him. His Cars cup, as you can see, didn't leave his hands most of the day (which was fine with me since it was so hot!).

The Cars-themed party, of course, had to have a Cars cake! So, we ordered it from Publix and it turned out pretty well. Maybe we should've added "Lightning McQueen" after we got to the park, though, because in transit he decided to roll forward over the writing that said "Happy 2nd Birthday James!" Oh well... that's just like that McQueen, isn't it?! =o)

Here's a picture of James with all his friends at the party! Front row: Nicole (James' cousin), Max, James, Noah, and Avery. Second row: Mrs. Rebecca (Max & Charlie's mom), Charlie, Christian (supported by Mrs. Blair who's hiding!), Mary Hannah, and Mrs. Emily. How blessed James is to have so many great friends!

(I'll write more tomorrow about the Family Party but I've gotta get to bed!)