Three weeks ago...

...Milo had his 2nd birthday party. And despite the unexpected heat, it was a great success.

When I started planning an outdoor party, I worried that it would be too cold. The weather in late March is incredibly unpredictable around here. (To demonstrate this point: my wedding anniversary is April 14, and it SNOWED the day before we got married.) However, it turned out to be almost too hot. The temperature pushed 90 degrees, and since few trees had any leaves, the shade was minimal. Thankfully, the guests were all good-natured and got friendly under the shade of the single umbrella without complaint. And aside from the frosting melting off the cupcakes, the party was just as I hoped it would be.

Milo had a trucks/construction theme, complete with orange traffic cones, a couple traffic signs, and a construction site cake. The tables were covered with brown paper; hand-drawn roads were dotted with toy cars. The kids played with bubbles and a couple of Milo's ride-on toys. Presents were abundant, and in the weeks since the party, Milo has really enjoyed playing with his new toys.

Perhaps the highlight of the party for me was the expression on Milo's face as everybody sang to him. We had tried to tell him about the singing/candle tradition so he wouldn't be startled by the attention. I don't know if the prep helped, but he seemed to love having everyone sing to him. He even tried to blow out his candles, with help from Daddy of course.

I imagine this is the last year that Milo won't know his birthday was coming up. The last year he wouldn't want a say in the theme or flavor of the dessert. The time really flies, doesn't it?