What a Difference a Day Makes

Last week I saw a cute craft on Pinterest from an etsy shop: a wedding date, a list of birth dates, then at the bottom the words: "What A Difference a Day Makes." I thought a lot about that statement on Henrik's 2nd birthday yesterday.

It sure was a special day when we brought our first son into the world. The girls were gaining a brother, and we were changing the dynamic of our family. We had so many visions of the future: father and son camp-outs, team sports, scouts, a mission....

But before any of that happens, we are enjoying a little boy--a boy who loves cars, trains, balls, running, wrestling, splashing, playing, and...
 

...his binky. (I really need to break him of the addiction, but he just goes to bed SO well!)

We had a very modest celebration for him last night. Sundays can be hard, and having a birthday around the holidays is even harder. Eric commented to me that with each subsequent child, we are getting lamer and lamer with our execution (e.g.-- no "wrapped" gifts--I stuffed them all into a gift bag). But Henri did get some pretty cool gifts, for a 2-year old: a car playmat that we bought at IKEA in Utah this summer and hauled home (and then to a new city); toy cars; a Cars book, and Cars pjs. He was pretty excited about it all!
 

The girls fondly remembered his 1st birthday--they kept telling him the last few days that he would get to smash the cake in his face! I quickly set them straight. :) Then tonight I watched from the sidelines as Henrik skillfully used his fork to eat.

 

Once the cake was eaten, the birthday was officially over and he was put to work!

(Ha ha, not really--it's actually one of his favorite things to play in the suds while we wash dishes. If he sees us at the sink and hears the water running, he yells, "Bubbles!" and goes to the closet to get the step stool.)

I snapped a few more photos this morning as he was playing on his mat (I only got video of him opening it last night).

We love this boy! He is a joy to everyone around him.