Planning a 2nd Birthday

I have been in the midst of deciding what we will be doing on little man's 2nd Birthday.

I have an idea in my mind’s eye of how I want the day to go, I want to spend the day out in the garden with family and friends, amongst his birthday presents, balloons and giant bubbles.

Luke will be tasked with the job of putting together Leo’s main birthday gift the night before while I keep little man with me at home. You see Leo’s birthday present off us this year is something that won’t fit in our garden at home without taking up the majority of the lawn…

He is getting his very own wooden playhouse, that is going to be set up in his Grandparent’s garden ready for those days he is with Granny!

A house that comes kitted with a slide right off the side of the house, and it is a house that we will be putting Leo’s very own mark on over the next few months. Luke is being tasked with wall papering the interior, I can only imagine that Baa and Macca Pacca will feature! He is in charge of finding some carpet that will fit snuggly inside to make it a perfect little space for Leo to enjoy.

We will be kitting it out with a sofa and other items favoured by Leo that will keep him entertained as he plays house in his little wooden home.

I am wishing for sunshine and warding away any Grey clouds and rain for Leo’s big day. I want to invite some of his little friends around for a play and to help celebrate Leo’s Second birthday in style!

I have spent many a evening dreaming up Leo's birthday cake and deciding whether I have the ability to cook something amazing up. Regardless of capability I will be giving it a shot! I have spent hours in the kitchen on test runs...Some have worked and others...Just haven't.  

Now I know exactly what I will be doing. 

Leo is having a Timmy Sheep cake that I know he is going to love, and I have just worked out how to make the cake work. By molding Rice Krispie treats I have managed to create Timmy's face, arms and legs out of nothing more than Rice Krispies, Marshmallows and Butter. So now all I need to do is apply this to the final cake and fill in Timmy's middle with the birthday cake!

The full 'How to make a Timmy Sheep Cake' will be coming soon...

And to in-keep with the theme of the Timmy cake, I have decided that Timmy will feature throughout the entire day! Expect Timmy balloons and Happy Birthday Banners! 

We have booked in a family photo shoot on Leo's actual birthday, The last one we had done was just after Leo turned 1 and started walking. I think that it would be amazing to have some professional photos taken once a year around this time as Leo is growing up.

Now I have an idea of how the day is going to go (Sunshine permitting) I am getting rather excited about Leo turning the big 2!

But I still find it hard to comprehend just how quickly the last 2 years have gone. How is it that next year he will be turning 3? 

Time is quite simply running away with me.

Who took my baby?

Leo is fastly approaching 11 whole months old, and he will be 1 before I know it. I sit here wondering where that tiny baby boy has gone...You know, the one I brought home from hospital all those months ago.

He has just disappeared. He was there one day and the next he had been replaced with this beautiful boy with a larger than life persona. The most cheekiest chappy you could hope to meet, with nothing but trouble on his mind.

Leo has taken to climbing, much to my horror of course...If he can escape the living room he makes a bee line for the stairs, and he has no problem getting all the way to the top (watched very closely by myself), if he can't quite escape...Well he can climb everything he likes these days, even me if the need arises.

This morning I caught him climbing on the side of his ball pool, just so he could reach the television on/off button. He knows he shouldn't be doing it as when I ran over to him, he shot me a smile that spoke a thousand words, pretty much telling me he was going to do it despite my reservations.

Leo is becoming more confident on his feet everyday, he would much rather stand than sit and there have been a few instances over the past few days, where he has even stood un-supported for a couple of seconds. He just seems to take everything in his stride and he is always on the look out for the next new thing he can do. I guess he is finally seeing the world the right way up and walking will be the best way to see the wonders that await him.

Next month is Leo's birthday, June the 27th. I find it hard to believe a year has almost passed since Leo made his way into our lives. He has enriched every single day, and I find it incredibly hard to remember a time before Leo. It is amazing seeing how he has developed and grown over the past 10 and a bit months...and I can't believe I am going to be Mummy to a One year old.

Daddy and I have started making birthday preparations, and hastily getting lot's of special presents together. What I really want for Leo is a wooden playhouse. I know I am perhaps re-living my childhood through my beautiful boy, as this is something I always wanted...and never got, but I am so excited at the prospect!

This playhouse is going to be something Leo can grow into and play make believe games, while enjoying the great outdoors. It is going to look amazing. It is going to be something he can share with his cousin as he or she grows up. At 12 months he may be a little young for it, but as he has demonstrated, he is growing up so quickly and it won't be long before he is ready to play!

I of course don't have the money for such a extravagant present at this moment in time, so until that first pay cheque comes in July, Leo will be busily enjoying all of his other presents that we have put to one side. Watch this space though...As Leo will be happily playing in his play house before you know it.

I am going to kit this house out, and it is going to be a toy haven. The walls will be wall papered and the floor will be carpeted. It will have a little sofa inside on the upper floor and a John Crane Kitchen at the heart. Yes I know...I really am re-living my childhood, but I think as Leo grows he is going to get so much play value out of this. I would much rather encourage his imagination and help him make his own games, than sit him in front of the television all day long. I grew up playing outside and using my imagination, and I want to give Leo this gift too.