Happy 2nd Birthday, Tate!

Happy Birthday, Tate.

I've taken a break from my too-long hiatus to make sure I post to the blog for you. (Between the new job and the start of school, there was too much and too little to write about. But you are a great reason to write again!)

The cake is not my very best work- but fortunately you are only two and so you don't know any better. You will see the cake and scream and point, "ELMO!" because he is your favorite. You will also tell everyone today that you are two- and you will even hold up two fingers to prove it. Of course, the two fingers will be the pointers from each hand, and your "two" sounds like "ew." But that's okay because you are trying your best and we love you to pieces. And you love us, too.

I hope your second year of life brings you lots of opportunities for you to use your imagination and engage in creative play . . .

That you will continue to be adventurous and try new foods. (We were so surprised the other night when you ate piece after piece after piece of calamari- it was like candy to you!)

I hope that you will get to see lots of interesting places this year . . .

And - above all - I hope you make it to three (without any broken bones, and without any more stitches or staples). If nothing else, you are setting up our house and furniture perfectly to justify a re-do of it all . . . Let's let up on the coloring on the walls and the pulling over of furniture and the playing "king of the mountain" with every set of drawers or objects you think you can scale, okay?

In keeping with our family tradition, we're eating your favorites tonight-- rice, canned grean beans and Dinobite chicken nuggets. Yep, we're all about delicious, nutritiousness around here.

Happy birthday little man!