My son's first 2nd Birthday Party

As you might be aware from last week's continued panic on the subject, we had my son's first 2nd birthday party last Saturday.  (First because he technically turns two this coming Saturday, but my parents will be out-of-town, so we had a party early.)

If I do say so myself, I think it went pretty well.

The first BIG blessing came in the form of a $60 payout I got from some advertising vendors the night before the party.  I may not make much money of the blog, but those little boosts seem to always come when I need them most.

Then the Spongebob Cupcake-Cake from WalMart was a big hit.  So was the kiddie pool and the sand table.  (My mom brought toy dinosaurs for the kids to bury and dig back up.)

The fingerpainting wasn't too popular until the kids realized they could just paint themselves and each other and everyone else.  That was pretty fun.

The craziest part was the presents.  Oh my goodness, the presents.  I know I say it a lot, but my kid is spoiled.  Like, really, really spoiled.

Not that he's not super-sweet about it or anything; he did a great job of saying "thank you" (with minimal prompting) for his gifts.  It's just that he got so many things, I think he was a bit overwhelmed.  Plus he's got the attention span of a, well, two-year-old, so he just wanted to play with whatever he had just opened, and had to keep being reminded to open the rest of his gifts.

I suppose it's one of the blessings/curses of having a big family.  With so many aunts, and cousins, and grandparents, the spoiling comes from all sides.  Here is some of the aftermath of the present-ocalypse:

~  TONS of adorable clothes that Mommy was super-thrilled over.  (His favorite was a matching outfit of blue cargo shorts and a Spongebob muscle tank.  I'll admit; he looks pretty tough in it.)
~  Foam rockets that you launch with air pressure by stomping on a pump.  (My son loves it, but I almost took my husband's eye out when I tried it.)
~  A "Mater" (from "Cars") push-truck that makes bubbles.
~  The Fisher-Price LittlePeople space shuttle that makes take-off noises and comes with an astronaut and moon buggy.  (Mommy's big pick!)
~  A toddler-sized "Cars" theme loveseat that folds out into a little bed/mat.  (Good news:  He proved his sharing skills by immediately patting the seat on it next to him and inviting his cousin to come sit with him.  Bad news:  He's a giant, so he's too long for it in its bed form.)
~  A super-cute touch-and-feel book about a sheep.  (Just like his Mommy; books always land as a favorite gift.)
~  Various toy cars, dinosaurs, and other stereotypical little boy things.

And, more than anything, getting to be around and have lots of attention from his extended family for a whole day.

Not that his birthday's over.  Oh no.  Didn't you hear me say he's spoiled?

On his official birthday this Saturday, we are continuing our tradition (2 times counts as a tradition, right?) of taking him to IHOP for pancakes.  (Kid loooves some pancakes.)  Then it's off to my in-laws house for birthday party #2.  (My dad-in-law had to have another knee surgery, which is why they couldn't make it to the first party.)  Also, he's the only grandbaby (so far) on that side, so the spoiling comes pretty heavy from that direction, as well.

So, I know I'm asking early, but I have a Christmas present I'd like to request.  It's kind of big, but maybe everyone can go in on it together.

I need a larger house.  I'm going to keep my current house, and all my son's toys can live in it.

Thanks for coming through on this for me, guys.  : D