Choo choo, Jack is 2!

Taking a moment to write about Jack's party. This boy is so lucky and loved! What a special day. His birthday was on Thanksgiving this year and who was the first balloon in the Macy's parade that we saw?? None other than Thomas the Train, of course!! Can you believe Macys had a parade JUST for Jack?!? :) On Thanksgiving, we went to have dinner with Justin's aunt and uncle, Sherry and Whit, on Folly Beach. They rent a beautiful beach house every Thanksgiving and have lots of friends and family. This year was a treat b/c we got to see Caroline, Jeffry, and Jen. They live in TN and it was a real treat to see them.

Jack is such an affectionate boy. People immediately fall in love with him. There's just something about his sweet personality, eagerness to please, and gentle spirit. As my mom says, "He's just a special one." Jack's party was the Saturday following Thanksgiving.  Sherry was a huge help in getting everything ready and as soon as my family got into town, we put them to work too. More about the party later, but first a few recent pics.

Jack has gotten into hiding lately. He loves to hide. He giggles and gives himself away...or sometimes he leaves his feet hanging out. But we always pretend, "where's Jack, I haven't seen him." And he just loves it. Jack loves getting into our bed to "hide! hide!" and he gets under the covers or buries himself in the pillows.

Ella girl started pulling up a few weeks ago! This pic was taken on 11/26/14. The first time I caught her standing up on the toy basket. She's sneaky and we've already caught her on the stairs a few times this week. She is great at it and is getting fast!

The night before Jack's birthday, Justin and I decorated a little downstairs. I made these pom poms for the dining room. They turned out cute but took a little longer to make them than I expected, probably a good 45 minutes. We put streamers over his door and 2 balloons in the hallway.

A few streamers downstairs and the chalkboard finished it up. The morning of his birthday, he was thrilled to see it all.

Here is princess on Thanksgiving. She and Jack had matching outfits. Her hair bow was a turkey. It was precious. I hope we can use it next year too.

 Jack had a few presents to open. He accidentally poked Justin in the eye with the pole to his railroad crossing signal. We have it on video and it was hilarious.

We sang happy birthday and let him tear into a cupcake or two.

What a precious face. Hard to believe he's 2. I can still remember the exact feeling when they handed him to me the day he was born. The weight of him on my chest. The way his foot kept getting caught on the blanket when Dr. Stickler was handing him to me. How warm he was. I snuggled him later that evening, just smelling him. He smelled so sweet. That's what heaven smells like, I think. Now look at him. A head full of golden curls, pouty lips, and a heart of gold. His great love is trains. His favorite food is pizza. He loves to drink "SPITE!" (Sprite)

We had a few outside decorations. I had the yard flag made. Sherry made the wreath.

Shannon and her crew were sweet enough to come down! Such a long drive! We had a great time together that evening. We watched the Clemson-Carolina game and then went to see the lights on James Island. 

Emma came too!

Oh, and Aunt Katie came too *sarcasm*...like duh, the guest of honor in Jack's eyes :) He loves his Aunt Katie so much!

 One of Jack's favorite party gifts was a ride on Thomas. I didn't even know this was in existence but it's something special. He rode it around the block and still climbs on it everyday.

Jack and Julianne played well together. He gave her a ride on Thomas!

 Ella took him for a spin too.

The cookies were made by a coworker. The cake was a lady in Mount Pleasant. The cake. OMGoodness the CAKE! It was delicious. The top layer was red velvet. And it was so moist and delicious! The bottom layer though, that was to die for. It was chocolate chip cookie dough with cookies and cream icing. Justin and I ate off that thing for a week. I don't want to even consider the calories!

The party was a hit. It was a lot of work, but it was all worth it. The balloon arch nearly did me in. Haha, it turned out okay, despite the pattern getting messed up in the end.  Jack really enjoyed himself, even though the train didn't show up at the end. We were honestly, perfectly fine with that! It had been a long day. Look at my handsome hubby. I couldn't imagine spending life, decorating for birthday parties, and raising babies with anyone else. Thanks for such cute babies honey :)

Below is our beloved BB and her husband, our pastor, Kevin.

The bottom left is the Halloween costume Thomas, repurposed as a coal toss. It was fun.

Bottom right is a pic of Jack tearing into the balls that Meghan, Daniel, and Emma got for Jack. They get lots of use everyday! Who wouldn't want a ball pit in their house??

Jack is a lucky boy. He has so many wonderful people who love him dearly and came to celebrate his birthday with him. I really am amazed at the love that surrounds him and all of us. We are so incredibly blessed and I don't take that for granted. There are so many people in the world that would give anything for a family. For babies. And I have two of the best. ;) Thanks for everyone who made his party so special!