Benjamin is 2!

Today is Benjamin's second birthday, and it was also his party.  Julie and Andrew put together a cute Trucks and Cars and Things That Go theme, which is a book with Richard Scarry's Busytown characters.

They had a house full of people who love Benjamin, including Mom and Ron, Grandpa and Grandma Hall, Tom and Pat, Lisa, Nathan and Linsie, Jade, Jalie, Joanna, and our family.

The food was great, but the cupcakes were the star of the food show, as everyone ate a lot.  Each kid had at least two.  After eating, Clara and Joshua desperately wanted to go play outside on their old swing set, so we let them do it for a bit, but it was pretty hot out, so we didn't stay outside for long.

Soon it was presents time, and Benjamin got to collect his new loot, and later he got to pose for his first picture as a two-year-old with Daddy and Mommy.

Joanna and Kirk gave him the same landscaping set that Joshua has, and he thought the wheelbarrow was the best thing ever.  He drove it around the house, transporting various things from one place to another.  Joshua was really excited to play with the lawn mower that Benjamin got for his birthday last year, and he filled it up with the gas from the pretend tank every 30 seconds or so ("Uh oh!  It's out of gas again.  Time to fill it up!").  They had a lot of fun playing together and driving their toys around the house.

Finally it was time to go home.  I dressed Joshua this morning and put on some new shorts, but I apparently didn't size them correctly with the adjustable elastic waistband, as his pants fell down as we headed out to the car.  That didn't stop him, and he just kept walking in his underwear with his pants around his ankles.  That aside, it was a great party, and we had a fun time celebrating as our little nephew/cousin turned 2.