Adventures in Indiana, Part II

While we were in Indiana we had the pleasure of helping cousin Parker celebrate her 2nd birthday. We were especially excited to take part in this celebration, because Parker's 1st birthday party was all but canceled due to the fact that Hurricane Ike hit Houston this time last year and all flights in and out of the city were grounded.

Parker loves the movie, Finding Nemo, so she had a Nemo themed party.

Aunt Holly and Big Mama worked tirelessly to create a Nemo cake and although it didn't turn out as Aunt Holly hoped, it looked great!

Aunt Holly said all the hard work was worth it when Parker took one look at the cake and yelled with excitement"Nemo!"

Parker's not a big fan of sweets, but she did enjoy a few licks of Nemo icing

Luke, on the other hand, devoured his piece of cake

After a few bites, he noticed that he hands were getting dirty, but that didn't deter him from finishing off the rest of his cake

Other than cake, what are some must haves for a 2 year old's birthday party?

1) Ride on toys

They provide hours of fun for toddlers with little supervision from adults, who might have been caught up in a cornhole tournament :)

Luke and cousin, Hillarie, crusin' in the driveway

Luke had enough of the crusin' and decided to bail

Parker preferred the "Learning Train", and she didn't care about riding it,

instead, she tried with all her might to stuff a basketball in the caboose

While the toddlers were busy riding their cars, the babies were engaged in stare match

2) Presents

Of course the toddler who is actually opening the presents is having the most fun,

But, watching in anticipation can also provide enjoyment

3) Balloons

The balloons were a huge hit

Here's a short video of Luke playing with his "moon" as he called it

4) Bubbles

Parker received a bubble blowing machine from her parents and the kids loved it

Most of the kids liked to chase after the bubbles

Luke decided he'd rather stick his face right in front of the machine and try to get as many bubble suds in his hair as possible

And last, but not least...

5) Fireworks

Did that last one catch you by surprise? Fireworks at a 2 year old's party? Believe it or not they were quite the hit, the kids clapped after each one was shot off and yelled, "More!, More!".
Don't worry they weren't the big, scary, loud kind, just small, tame, and colorful.

Happy 2nd Birthday Parker!