2/13 - Boaz turns 2!! We had a fun day with our little boy. We didn't do a whole lot out of the ordinary, but told him that everything we did was special b/c it was his birthday. Here's a recap of the big day. It all started with a snuggle with daddy!!
Cousin Brenna got to come over for awhile while the rest of her family was at Kindergym. They had a fun picnic in Boaz's new house.
After Brenna came, Boaz got to go to work with daddy!! Luke had to run to his store here in town quick and asked Boaz to come along with him. Boaz was so excited to go to work. (He plays 'going to the office' everyday.) He even got to see all the pizzas!! We lit the candles on the cake and sang Happy Birthday again at lunchtime... that song never gets old, does it?? :)
Then Boaz opened a couple presents from Mom, Dad, & Cainan. He really is enjoying this baseball toy. Hopefully a future ball player!!
For dinner, we took him out for chips and salsa at our favorite Mexican restaurant. Boaz got to dip his own chips and was quite excited. My sister kept Cainan so we could actually focus our attention on him and make the night special. He had so much fun and the restaurant staff treated him well!
They brought Boaz this dessert and even sang to him!! He danced in his booster seat and was so thrilled. We'd never tried flan before... very interesting stuff. Boaz loved the whipped cream the most. His meal pretty much consisted of refried beans and whipped cream. Oh well, it was his birthday!
Boaz had fun bantering with our waiter throughout the evening. He learned how to say 'gracias' and kept asking where our 'man' went. "Hey! Where man go??" They became good buddies.
After dinner, Boaz got to go into Katie & Nolan's house for a bit while we picked up Cainan. Then we headed home to start bedtime. But the birthday wouldn't have been complete without an acrobatics routine with daddy!!!
It was a super fun birthday for Boaz. We love you, buddy!!!
Cainan looking on in his new bumbo chair. We love this thing! And so does Cainan. He enjoys being part of all the action around here. 
Pouring the beans in the box....
and mixing them up!
We gathered a bunch of little toys and took turns hiding them in the beans. We have lots of fun digging, hiding, and scooping. I do wish that I had thought to rinse the beans before we used them. Boaz's hands come out pretty brown after he's done playing... but it's well worth the mess for the hours of fun this has been for him!
Here's another picture of our little man hanging out in his bumbo. Doesn't he look so grown up sitting upright in this thing? What a sweetie... 
One of Boaz's funny phrases the last few months is "He hear dat?" (You hear that?) We sit at the dining room table for meals and have lots of hilarious conversations about the noises he hears- the ice maker in the fridge, the laundry buzzer, the dogs next door, etc. "He hear dat, Mommy? Listen!" I decided to try to record one of these conversations the other day and for some reason he decided he could hear grandma. Hmmm? 
Boaz got to meet TC! He was scared to go up and talk to him by himself, but if daddy went he was fine. Boaz said 'hello' and gave him a high five. And then he talked about it for days afterward!!
We ran around the concourse with Boaz before the game to get some of his energy out. He was really into the game for about 10 minutes. Then we got out the picnic supper we packed. Then we tried to keep him still. Then we gave him raisins. Then we lost the battle. I had my baby bjorn with me, so strapped Cainan in and spent most of the second half walking around with the two boys. But- we DVR'd the game, so I got to see the big victory when we got home!
Boaz got this Panther tattoo at the game also. After they put it on his hand, he walked around with it held out in the air like no one should touch it. It was hilarious. For days he stared at his panther. We even got some professional two year pictures taken and I tried to remove it- but he would not have it. His pictures proudly display his panther!! We had to let it fade gently. 
Although we didn't really even see much of the game, we decided it was still fun to say that the boys went to a basketball game this year. I think we'll keep trying it each year just to say that we did it... all the while looking forward to the day when the boys will really like cheering on the Panthers with us!!!
Creating on his new MagnaDoodle from Gma & Gpa Glace. Today (2/13) he woke up really really early. I put him back in bed with this toy and told him to stay there until mom came to get him. (So I could go back to bed for another half hour) He actually stayed in bed!! It's the first toy that kept him in bed! Hooray for the MagnaDoodle!!
And on to the big box from Grandma & Grandpa Bartlett...
A house of his very own! Several weeks ago, Luke remembered a cardboard house they used to have when he was growing up. He asked his parents if they still had it and they started telling stories about all the fun they had with that thing. All the storytelling made Grandma & Grandpa think Boaz needed to have a cardboard house, too! They found one online and I think Boaz will have just as much fun in this as Luke remembers having. 
Peek-a-boo!
Grandpa Bartlett was inside the house with Boaz and got out his phone so Boaz could order some pizza... Luke delivered right to his doorstep. :)
The mail slot was a huge hit. He would stand inside and yell "more mail!" until someone slipped something inside to him. The video below shows some of the fun...
Not going to lie... I'm pretty proud of this!!! We're looking forward to celebrating tonight.
Boaz is also really into singing songs lately.... although he doesn't get too many of the words right yet. But he sure tries!! Here are a few videos of us singing and talking to Cainan.