Dylan turns 2...and 3 (maybe I'm a little behind)

I guess with the potty training right after Dylan's 2nd birthday, I didn't post anything about his birthday party!  I'll just do a little flashback for you with all the highlights!  As most of you know, I'm a planner.  That means that I annoy a lot of you about what I'm 'planning' to do.  The first birthday, while a huge milestone, did not have much in the way of a theme.  So, for #2, I did an airplane motif.  D was enthralled with basically any motor vehicle (and still is).  Unfortunately, Party City (or Micheal's or Hobby Lobby or Target) has failed to make a Dubai appearance, so I had to traipse around getting all the necessary decorations.  I even lucked upon a mini airplane cookie cutter at some strange Japanese version of a dollar store.  Airplanes 'flew' around the room and we even had packaged peanuts!  Thanks to my good friend, Shannon, who took all the pictures for me.  Also notice Dylan's special birthday shirt - on the front, Captain Dylan, and on the back, Flight 0002.

A party in Dubai wouldn't be complete without some freak occurrence.  On this day, my kitchen gas ran empty about 30 minutes before party time (exactly when all the food was being cooked)!

And, now...onto 3!  Dylan and I discovered Dinosaur Train (a show on PBS) sometime in January, and we've been hooked since.  It's incredibly educational (seriously, I've learned a ton about dinosaurs) and has a cute little catchy title song.  Everyone's happy.  So, for birthday #3, I decided to do a dinosaur theme.  Birthdays 1 and 2 were challenging for any games, but I knew that this year they would perfect!  I made 'fossils' and buried them in a sandbox for the kids to dig up.  I also had the kiddos hatch dinosaur eggs (balloons) to get the baby dinosaurs out.  The kids hunted for dinosaur eggs (spray painted Easter eggs) that were filled with goodies.  We also attempted some water painting of dinosaurs.  My crowning glory though was the cake!  I made a dinosaur landscape complete with a 'smoking' volcano! 

This birthday was special because the grandparents (and even a great grandma) helped Dylan celebrate!  While the grandparents made it to Dubai for his first birthday, it wasn't possible for them to make it for #2.