Risa's Pieces: Joseph & Luke's 2nd Birthday Party

This party was brought to you by the letters J & L and the number 2!

Cupprimo cupcakes. Mmmmm.

The boys woke up from their naps, thrilled to see the Elmo balloons waiting for them. Lots of screams - "Eeeeeeellllllmooooooo!" - with frantic pointing to make sure we were all seeing the same thing. Yeeessss, Elmo!

But being my children, what really excited them was the food.

Luke in a state of stunned euphoria

As Greg likes to say, these boys could eat for the U.S.A. If it ever becomes an Olympic sport, we're bound to medal. They ate their weights in tomatoes and fruit and relished every second of it.

Quality assurance team

Around 3 in the afternoon, our guests began to arrive...

...and rip the house apart. :)

Now would be a good time for the (non-pregnant) moms to grab a beer, sit back and bear witness to the destruction. There's really nothing else to be done when a dozen 2-year-olds are set loose in a house full of Other People's Toys.

I tried and failed to get a shot with my big boys, but they were a bit distracted.

Mimi & MAC! came to help us celebrate - and Mimi to cook and clean and prep and generally manage the chaos. Thanks, Mimi!

Since last year's EPIC birthday song meltdown, Luke has been scarred. When he hears the song, he screams, comes running, and clings to me like his life depends on it. Poor kiddo. Joseph is usually fine unless he sees his brother panic and thinks there's something to panic about. We've been working on it, singing it to him loud and often. When we're at other parties, I always make sure he's in my arms before the song begins and that we have a quick exit strategy just in case.

So here, the moment of truth...

Not bad, I'd say. As soon as Mommy stopped singing, he was a-okay. I'm trying not to take it personally.

Joseph watching calmly as his brother pitches a surprisingly manageable fit

Perhaps it was all a ploy to get the cupcake that much faster.

The boys' first cupcakes

They approve.

And so did everyone else

Convincing Mimi to share her fruit - she did

After most people left, the hardcore partiers started a mosh pit. It was positively encouraged.

Joseph and Luke had such a fun time. We were sorry to see everyone go, but it did take it's toll.