Rowan's 2nd Birthday

Happy Birthday Rowan!!!!! Our sweet boy has turned 2!!!!

Here is a quick recap of your big day: all of your friends came to see you....Brayden, Ethan, Tre, Maddie, Ryan, Audrey, Izzie, Tatum, Ellison, and cousins Teige and Tenae. Miss Jill made delicious cupcakes, which you told me were your favorite thing about your day! We had a Train theme going on the invites, cupcakes, and decor....but it was more of a "cool off" party. August in Phoenix is in the 100 degrees, so we had a kiddie pool, slip n slide, and lots of cold drinks! For your present from Mommy and Daddy we transformed 2 rooms in the house for you. First you got a big boy bed and we set up the living room as a playroom, complete with a new kitchen/grill and tent.

So in birthday tradition I must also write directly to my sweet boy..........

Dear Rowan,
You are our sweet, sweet boy and man has your personality blossomed this past year. It amazes me how much you have changed in such a short amount of time, and yet it seems like so long ago that you were just our little a "skootcher." This past year (2009-2010) you learned how to walk, talk, and became a big brother!!! You started walking in October 2009, so you were about 14 months old. Once you figured it out there was no stopping you. Let the bonks and bruises begin!!! It seems like for the past year you have constantly had some wound going (not because me and Daddy are neglectful) because you are on the move and won't let anything get in your way! Although you are very sweet, you are ALL boy. You got your first black eye in February 2010. It was pretty devastating for Mommy. Daddy had made some storage boxes for the family room and the intention was to upholster them, but that project kept getting pushed back. One night you were goofing off and fell right into the corner and hit your check bone just below your eye. It started bleeding and you cried really hard for a few minutes. The bleeding stopped within a minute or two, so I decided a hospital trip was not necessary (Daddy was in Tucson). Your whole eye got black and blue and to this day the scar is still there. It was then that I realized that you had a wild side that I would have to watch closely!!
You now have a few chores around the house....you feed Ramsey and we have clean up time at night before bed. You have become a tiny bit obsessed with Thomas the Train. You still love Elmo, waffles for breakfast, and Jeeps. You are learning how to swim and go to bed at night on your own in your new bed. You love going to church, running fast, and playing cook in the kitchen. You love going to Nonna's and going on bike rides to the park or to Sprouts to get supplies for muffins. You started putting 2 words together in May and now can almost say full sentences, you're vocabulary is huge. When Mommy is cutting food you say "careful Mommy" in the sweetest little voice ever. You even like to feed your stuffed animals just how Mommy feeds Lia-breastfeeding. You are sweet and sour with Lia depending on your mood, but mostly sweet. When ever I tell you we are going somewhere you say "and Lia too, and Mommy too, and Daddy too." Despite the recession we did manage to take a trip on an airplane to Colorado for the 4th of July this summer and you loved it. You talked about it for weeks after we got back. Your memory is amazing....sometimes you bring up things that happened 6 months ago, which blows me away.
Rowan, this year has been so much fun with you and it makes my heart smile to watch you grow! While I was pregnant with Lia, I would soak up the days playing in the backyard with you knowing that it would be our last bit of time together when it was just you and me. We have such a special bond and I know it will always be there. You are so smart and cute and funny...at 2....so I can only imagine how awesome you will be in the years to come. Daddy and I love you so much and cannot wait to see what Blessings God pours down on you and our family this year. We love you Bunky boo aka boo aka boo chops.