Happy Birthday to One Cool Dude!

Even though Mason's 2nd birthday isn't until Tuesday, we celebrated a little bit early by having his big party today! The fun began at 1 pm. We had a "Surf's Up, Dude!" beach bash in our backyard and it was the most fun! Of course we were hoping for 85 degree weather so that the kiddos could play in all the water fun we had set up, but at least it didn't rain on us! It ended up being a beautiful, sunshiney day, just a little chillier than we expected. We had lots of fun stuff for the little party guests to do, including anything sports-related (bats, balls of all kinds, golf clubs, basketball goals, etc.), bubbles, Mason's wagon & little car, and a big inflatable bouncy thang that our friends from church & neighbors, the Ballards', let us borrow. That was the hit of the party! We had baby pools, a slip n' slide, and water table all ready to go for when it warmed up, but that didn't happen. That didn't stop Mason's friend, Luke Smalling, from taking a dip in the pool! Ha! Luckily his momma ran over and caught him before he took a serious swim!

We were so blessed that so many of our family members could come from all over KY & TN, as well as so many friends who are so special to us! The Brostowicz' also made the drive up from Nashville! Andrea and I never miss these special moments of each other's lives, and Luke definitely wouldn't miss his best friend's 2nd birthday party! Looking around at the party also made me realize how many amazing friends we have made in Bowling Green. And, there are sooooo many kids here for Mason to play with! There were about 25 kids at the party! We're thankful for our big fenced in yard that allowed us to have a fun backyard party like this.

Mason with lots of crazy girls in his family!

me, Aunt Linny, MaMaw, cousins Steph & Erica

Mason with his Great-Uncle Mark & Great-Aunt Karen

Such a fun, happy pic of us with Mason's Great-MaMaw! We are so blessed and thankful to have such a wonderful, healthy grandmother who holds our family together!

Cory & Andrea with Baby Luke

I LOVED decorating and planning for this party! The beachy theme definitely made it easy to find decor at Deals, The Dollar Tree, and other cheapo places. Ha! :) We had "The Beach Boys' Greatest Hits" blarin'; beach balls, lanterns, and pineapples hanging from the ceiling of our covered patio; leis & Hawaiian flowers for all the guests to adorn themselves in (have I ever used that phrase in my life??); yummy tropical style food such as chicken salad, pasta salad, and fruit & cream cheese dip served luau-style; and straws with little pineapples on them to make our guests feel like they were in a warm, tropical paradise! :) We used fun beach towels as table cloths and beach pails filled with sand & pinwheels as centerpieces. And all of this in a bright orange, aqua, and lime green theme! My parents & I made lemon, strawberry, and white cupcakes and decorated them in white cream cheese icing with blue, orange, and green sprinkles. I made Mason a birthday banner last year, and Andrea made him a matching bib & birthday hat, so I just used the same colors this year. That's my favorite color scheme lately anyway!

Some of the yummy food we were about to eat!

Cupcake & fruit tea table... it was soooo windy that day that you'll see how the decor was all wind-blown! Capri Sun for the kiddos
The banner I made for Mason last year... one of my very first sewing projects! I just sewed a triangle with a "2" on it over the "1" triangle! I'll just keep adding triangles every year, I guess! :)
I loved the cupcake toppers! I ordered them on Etsy.com along with a matching door sign & favor tags.
The leis were orginally spread across the table, but we had to secure them around the beach pails so that they wouldn't blow away! I saw this idea on a party blog I read often :) It was an easy & cheap way to decorate the tables.

Party favors... I bought these beach pails months ago and have been filling them gradually with fun little doo-dads... sunglasses, bubbles, candy, beach toys, stickers, & Bible trivia cards
We thought the guests needed a little help figuring out where to go in case they didn't hear the Beach Boys blasting & see all the cars. Ha!

Mason woke up this morning in the best mood and went to sleep tonight still just as happy! He was just so laid-back and calm the whole day and had the most fun playing with all his little friends. He didn't love the cupcake (not much change from last year!) but seemed to really like having everyone sing "Happy Birthday!" to him. He just grinned all shyly and looked around the whole time and took it all in. I just kept looking at Mason the whole time thinking, "There is NO way my baby can be TWO and that we are really celebrating his birthday today!" It seems like yesterday that we were celebrating his 1st birthday party under a picnic shelter at Edwin Warner Park! We realize how important it is to let every single moment with Mason and make as many special memories as we can.

My Dad waking Mason up from his nap & getting him all ready for his big day!

Hangin' out with some our party guests: Jason & Julie Kiper, Phil Kimbel, & David Kimbel

Playing some serious baseball with Uncle Steve
Sweet Lydia enjoying Mason's bday gift from his Momma & Dada: a picnic table & umbrella! I'm seeing many fun cookouts in our future where this table will be filled with lots of little friends.
My mom looked so cute & tropical! Love her!
Sleepy surfer dude taking a little break
Mason, Ally, & Maddie
Some of the guys chillin... Scott Burton, Brent Ballard, Kevin Cleaver, Josh Owens, Matt Jones, & David Kimbel
Lydia & Audrey havin' fun on the slide!

Talkin' to David & Kelly
Find the little golfer in this picture! Gavin R. was in his own little world! Wait, and does 17 month old Gracie really think she's gonna be able to pull those 2 big boys in that wagon?!!?!
My cousin-in-law, Scott, & Marc's momma, Connie, taking a little rest from all the festivities...
Okay, so someone was cheating the most and had their eyes open while Marc was praying for our food! I had no idea my mom was snapping these pictures! I kinda love it though. :) Only my husband would think to stop and do this!
Mason & Luke getting the biggest kick out of my cousin, Erica. No tellin' what big game she was playing with them!
Mason's Poppa Jack pourin' himself some Fruit Tea... I don't know what I would have done without my parents' help with all the food!
Bunches of our family! Marc's parents, Marc's brother & his girlfriend (Jonathan & Molly), Marc's Aunt Bonnie, & my Uncle Mark & Aunt Karen
Sweet little brother & sister, Gavin & Katie
Mason's favorite "center" of the party: ATHLETICS!We got all the kids to sit in a little area so that Mason could "pass out" the party favors. They had the most fun pilferin' through those pails to see what all was in there! I loved that moment. :)
Luke Brostowicz was really getting into his beach pail!
Mason right there in the middle of it all!
The birthday boy just wanted to get down and play! Had no time for family pictures! He had some California girls to impress! :)

Cupcake time!!!
Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday Dear Mason, Happy Birthday to you!!

My sweet boy gettin' embarassed

Present time..... oooooh, ahhhhhh, a tractor from Uncle Jon!!

Oh, wooooo! A SUPER gigantic beach pail filled with lots of cool stuff to do outside! A perfect gift for our busy, outdoor-lovin' Mason Thomas!

Tryin' out his new chair from his buds Garrett, Lydia, Zoe, Audrey, Reese, & Jack

I didn't even know this was going on... Mason snuck away for a quick second with his new book... just him & the book! Mason says, "Thank you, Aunt Bonnie & the Smallings' for my new books!"

So many wonderful new friends!

Mason & me with Stephanie & Gracie Burton

Us & the Jones'... love them!

The Ballards'... neighbors & church friends! We're so blessed to have such a wonderful family right across the street!

The Owens'... We just love us some Josh & Sarah! And Lydia is the sweetest big sister to her newborn sister, Riley Jane!

I cannot believe this picture turned out this good with all us crazy adults & kiddos! We've already made so many fun memories with the Givens'! Bray Bray & May May formed the strongest bond within weeks of us moving here!

I love how my mom captures sweet moments like this! I was walking MaMaw out to Mark & Karen's car... She was holding on to me so tight with that lei all perched up around her neck!

Mason slam-dunkin' it with Brayden

Bubble time with Paw T

Luke wants to be a cool surfer dude, too!

Erica & Luke going for a dip in the pool!

Newfound friends: Luke & Luke! Two sweet little boys.

Mason with his two BFFs... Oh my, a 1 year old, 2 year old, and 3 year old can sure get into some trouble when they get together! :)

Mason took such good care of Luke at his party!
Best friends forever! Andrea and I have been best friends since we were 11 and now here we are with little boys just 9 months apart!
Marc's second cousin, Hanna, giving the birthday boy a ride in his wagon
Marc's brother & his girlfriend lovin' on Mason... We love Molly and hope she sticks around a while! Ha! :)

Pinata Time!!! The Highlight of the Beach Bash!


Lydia's turn!

Gavin's turn! He was really putting his all into it!
Pinata down!! Run for it!!


Marc & I, along with our families, cherish every moment we have with Mason and are so thankful for our big TWO YEAR OLD!!! Thank you all soooo much for helping us celebrate this special day. We love you!