This past Sunday, Jackson turned TWO! Cue all the emotions….Originally we didn’t plan to do much for Jackson’s birthday this year given that we knew we’d be dealing with the logistics of a newborn, but we decided last minute to have a small party at my parents’ house with just a few of my friends and their kids who live nearby. My parents are about 90 minutes away so at first I didn’t think it would be a good idea to go there, but Jackson is obsessed with “gamma and “pop pop,” so we knew that visiting for his birthday weekend would be special for him in and of itself, even if we didn’t have a big party planned. And if I’m being honest, having a couple of extra helping hands didn’t sound like a bad idea. With Emmy being relatively easy up until that point, we decided to brave the car ride and different sleeping arrangements, and I’m glad we did! Jackson had a blast, and seeing his many smiles over the course of the weekend made it all worth it.

On Friday we decided to visit a local lake that my parents have a membership to because I wanted Jackson to get to play in the sand and try out the water. We came once with him last summer but he wasn’t feeling very well and he was still a little too young to really enjoy it. Since he hadn’t been to a beach since, I figured his birthday weekend was the perfect time to try it again. I was a little apprehensive after the disastrous swim lesson attempt in the winter but Jackson had a great time splashing around in the water. And little Emmy slept the whole time in the beach tent, like a champ! I can’t wait to take them to the local Greenwich beaches this summer.

Jackson’s birthday party was on Sunday from 11 to 2. I thought that timing would work well because the kids wouldn’t be tired yet and it would still allow for an afternoon nap, but of course Jackson was way off his normal schedule. He woke up a little before 5am on Sunday and then wouldn’t go down for a nap before the party. Needless to say, we had a very tired boy on our hands after the party was over! He was a trooper though and hung in until the end. In terms of the party itself, we kept things very basic. We got some brunch food (bagels, quiche, fruit salad), a few balloons, and an ice cream cake and called it a day. Kids are very easy to please and they had a blast simply playing with my parents’ bucket of toys and running around after each other. Although things were definitely chaotic and we couldn’t have pulled off the party without the help of my parents, I’m glad we decided to do a little something to celebrate our favorite guy. I just wish we got some better pictures….

Blurry photos aside, I’d say Jackson’s birthday was a success. I’m so lucky to be his mamma and I can’t wait to see what this next year brings!