Happy Birthday, Ethan!

September 1 marked a milestone in the Mitchell family. Our little baby boy turned two. Sniff, sniff. He is truly such a joy and such a gift. I could go on and on about what a blessing this child is...from the sweet way he wakes me up every morning calling out "Hooooney, Hooooney" to the way he ambitiously tackles any sport involving balls, to his good manners (I've never met a kid who enjoys saying "thank you" so much for the heck of it) to his hugs and kisses, to his obsession with wanting to "Pway" at the "pwaygwound" or to the adorable way he says "bye poo poo" after the flush of the toilet. He truly one of the best things that has ever happened to Mark and I.

Now, Ethan truly doesn't know what turning 2 means. He just knows he ate a lot of cake and got sung to by a variety of people. However, as his mother, this is a huge celebration for me. The fact that I actually managed to keep this child alive for two whole years is a miracle. Let me tell you, people, it hasn't been easy. From calling poison control twice (once for eating a Nerf ball and the other possibly ingesting liquid nails) to two different spills down the stairs, to losing him at a park; there must be a special angel assigned to keep my son alive and out of the ER. In light of that, here is how we celebrated this year.

First a trip to Toys R Us with "Bampa" and Grandma Bonnie (who came from Portland for the weekend to join in the festivities), Mommy, Daddy and Brooklyn to pick out whatever his little heart desired...

Which ended up being a soccer ball and a basketball (Surprise, surprise. Hopefully he'll always be so easy to please!)

Instead of a crazy party with a bunch of toddlers, we did what Ethan wanted to do...play with balls at a beautiful park in Boulder.

And of course, he had a blast

Even Auntie Foster showed up to
show Ethan some of her moves

And to give Brooklyn some love, as well

Family photo

Hugs for the Birthday Boy!

On the actual day, Ethan awoke to a fun present from
"Pa" and "Gigi", which he immediately loved

Then had his favorite breakfast of "cake"...
and, yes, he ate with a knife. Don't judge me.

After Daddy got home from work, we headed
off to the Denver Childrens' Museum


Where he had fun being a kid

But his favorite part was the firetruck

And he loved getting a chance to steer the big wheel

After a few hours, it was time to head home and consume more cake. All in all, it was a pretty great birthday weekend for a two year-old.