Matthew is Two! & A Photography Lesson

Wow!  What a weekend we are having and what a week it is going to continue to be.  Get ready for lots of Cibula posts {if I can find the time}.

We jumped right out of Easter Egg Hunts at school and into a birthday party weekend {and then right back into eggs as you will soon see in a post or two}.  But right now, let's focus on Matthew's "Out of this World" 2nd celebration.  I have to admit I was a teeny bit jealous of the space theme.  I've been trying to persuade Jack to give that a whirl for a while now.  He's coming around.  Maybe next year.

Until then, Matthew's party did not disappoint.  Stars, planets, and rockets everywhere.  So much space to be had...a rocket bounce house, rocket stomp {love that game}, art tables, a giant color in rocket ship, and even balloon rockets.  My kids were all over the place, enjoying everything.  Even Maggie, who usually stays close to home, was off exploring.  Now that tells you it was a great party.

The weather was absolutely ideal.  A little overcast, but clearly obvious the rain was gone which made it ideal for fabulous pictures.  And lucky me, Matthew's Daddy is a self taught photography genius.  {I think he'll appreciate those accolades from me}  He was able to squeeze in a few tips {okay a lot of them} between bounce house duties and birthday boy's cake.  I have to extend serious props to Erin for sharing her husband with me at a birthday party.  That is not easy to do.  {Love ya EO!}

So, I left with too much knowledge {trying to sort through it all to improve my skills behind the lens, which is a forever work in progress} and my kids left with astronaut space ice cream.  Yum!  I loved that stuff when I was a kid.  It is so cool {and actually my party favor idea for Jack's space party that I'm still waiting for}.

Happy Birthday Matthew!  We had a BLAST celebrating with you! {I just can't resist all of the puns that go with space;}

Even before my impromptu photography lesson, I knew it was a great day to take pictures.  So I bribed my kids to join me outside before we left for a quick shot.  Clearly Maggie can't be bribed nor does she like her personal space tampered with.

Maggie was right in her element at the party.  She adored decorating this table with glittery star stickers and stray marker lines.  For a while there, I thought this might be where she would stay 'til the party's end.  But, she surprised me.

How great is this color in rocket?  After Jack took a tour of the inside, he and the other guests {Maggie included} did a great job of decorating the outside.

Maggie even made up her own space party game...collect all of the rocket table decor and count them.

And what space party isn't complete without a moonwalk? Space themed?  Definitely a hit with Jack.

And this is Rocket Stomp.  We love this at our house.  It has become my go to birthday present for the boy's in Jack's class this year.  So much fun!

I couldn't resist squeezing this picture in there.  Gotta love when big brother is as excited about your birthday as you are.  Welcome to Planet Earth Martian Nate!

And the Birthday Boy...Matthew!  Could he get any cuter?  And look at his adorable tee.  Love that he put glitter star stickers on his cupcake...yum!

And for some reason, my kids always seem to think they need to reenact their own 1st birthday at every party we go to.  It is time for some serious cupcake manners lessons at my house.