2 YEARS OLD!

Technically, Kaden doesn't turn two until Monday, but his birthday party is tomorrow and I'm so excited!  About a month ago, I decided on a basketball theme.  He is in love with a "junior" sized basketball that Aunt Charolette gave him a while ago.  He even wanted to sleep with it the first week he had it!  So when I started looking at Party City's website and saw that they had all the basketball stuff, it was too perfect!  I'm definitely the kind of mom that loves getting the party together and making it special for my kids.  So it's all set up for tomorrow and the only thing I have left to do is make the cake in the morning. 

It's a small, mostly family, kind of party.  My dad, sister, niece, brother, and Aunt Charolette, along with Deborah and Wade, Rachel and her family, and the Cowarts.  They're basically all family to us!  9 kids total, including Theona and Kaden. 

My mom was in town earlier this week so we did a mini celebration with her.  She got Kaden a big Buzz Lightyear toy!  He was pretty stoked on it too.  It makes all kinds of noises and the wings pop out.  His face was hysterical the first time he saw it.  My sister got him a Toy Story outfit (totally unplanned with my mom's gift) and a noisy light-up gun (which I don't mind at all, but Loren doesn't love it ;)) and two small cars the zoom across the floor when you pull them back. 

Having a birthday so close to one of my kids is pretty awesome too.  I got some presents too. =)  A really pretty outfit from my mom and a beautiful necklace and earrings set and a cute keychain from my sister. 

We got Kaden a "Kaden-sized" basketball hoop and a Leapfrog alphabet fridge magnet set.  He kind of gets what it means when you open presents...and he had his little practice session with my mom and sis, so he should dig right in tomorrow.

His cake...I'm making a round, two layer cake (chocolate) with buttercream icing that I'm dying orange with food coloring to make it look like a basketball...with chocolate piping for the accents on the ball.  We also got a basketball pinata, but besides that there aren't any birthday activities.  He's turning 2, after all.  Nothing too complicated.

Theona told me today that she wants to have her birthday party at Chuck E. Cheese.  Hmm.  Not that I don't like going there...but we'd be doing it on a Saturday since her birthday is on a school day.  And I don't love going there on Saturdays.  I told her we'd probably just do a family thing, with Kaden and my niece being the only other kids.  Less stressful only having to keep up with 3 kids.  She was fine with it.  Gotta love my laid back kids!