This little guy had quite a birthday celebration this past weekend! I know for many, this year has been somewhat disappointing as far as kids’ birthdays go but for us it was going to be small no matter what. Sean’s mom flew in from Florida and we had our wonderful Salvadorians neighbors over – Valery is Harrison’s best friend, after all. He had an absolute blast as the center of attention, getting to eat some of his favorite foods, blow out his candles, and dig into some cake – all before tearing happily into amazing gifts from our friends and family. We even managed to get a group photo!Family photo, pre-party.
Pablo is the best! We are all so very lucky and thankful to have him in our lives. <3
This face. <3
I had wanted to do a turtle theme party because turtles are Harrison’s favorite right now but it was pretty hard to find decorations. So I went for the multi-colored, bright decorations and figure we can use them again in the future! 
Getting some quality quiet time in with Nana. 
We kept the food pretty simple – we did make kimchi dip but then it was just hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, potato and macaroni salad from Mrs. Publix, baked beans, and watermelon. And we served Arnold Palmers to drink. Yum! 
I made key lime bars and cupcakes with key lime frosting, complete with little turtle toppers. This was my great-grandmother’s tiered tray. She came here from Finland!
Kathy took the group photo and I think it came out really well considering how many people are in this! We truly love our neighbors and are so glad we’ve gotten to know them over the past two years. We can thank our Spanish-speaking au pairs for helping us establish the connection.
After dinner, we sang happy birthday and brought out the TURTLE CAKE! Yes, I made my two-year old a cake shaped like a turtle, and decorated it. Got the idea online from Betty Crocker and adjusted it just a bit to fit my skill level. I’m no artist but I think it turned out well and both the chocolate and key lime frostings were super yummy.
Watch the video to see Harrison blow out his candle and figure out (with some prompting) that he had a turtle cake. 🙂
After gifts it was time for presents!
Our neighbors Elle and Joaquin are Valery and Emily’s parents. The other two couples are Joaquin’s aunts and uncles, and one of them have a teenage son, Fernando. The ladies speak almost no English (Sean and I both speak more Spanish than they do English) but all of the guys speak English in various levels of proficiency. We make it work!
And they are so darn generous with their gifts to Harrison! He got a tricycle, new clothes, a remote-controlled truck, AND a 14k gold bracelet with his name engraved in it. Apparently this is a Salvadorian tradition for kids (Valery and Emily have them too), and they wanted to share it with us. So, so special!
Harrison’s Nana also spoils him – he got many adorable clothes, sweet story books including one about turtles, and some awesome tubes for playing in the bath. Lucky boy!
We keep it simple with our gifts to him – a giant stuffed turtle, and a smaller stuffed turtle that lights up and plays music. <3
My baby boy is magical. He is so very smart, sweet, funny, and silly and I love his constant curiosity, courage, and the way he cares about everyone he knows. Watching him grow has brought me so much joy and purpose, especially in all this extreme isolation and uncertainty. 
Happy 2nd birthday, Harrison! You are SO loved. 