In the months before Cole's birthday, I started asking him what kind of party he wanted. For Owen, I would have known the answer (dinosaurs of course), but Cole doesn't have that one thing that he is obsessed about like his big brother. So while I didn't know exactly how he would answer, I can tell you I was completely shocked with the birthday theme he came up with. In response to my question, "What kind of birthday party do you want?", he replied, "I want giraffes." Hmmmm...giraffes. Okay. Maybe he had seen a giraffe on tv or in a book on that particular day. So I asked him again the next day and the answer was still the same, "I want giraffes." Just to be completely sure, I asked him several more times over the course of a week and he always came back with the same answer...giraffes. So a giraffe birthday party it was!!
I made Cole's birthday invitation again this year. As I was going through photos, I remembered Cole was a giraffe for Halloween when he was just a couple weeks old. How quickly he has grown!
There aren't a ton of options when it comes to a giraffe party, but I did find some decorations, inflatable giraffes, and even a giraffe pinata!
One of his inflatable giraffes even came with a mask...
And of course he had to have a chocolate gluten free, dairy free giraffe birthday cake too!
With the plethora of giraffes, all we needed was our guests to bring this jungle party to life! Luckily it wasn't long before the party guests arrived. Cole was so excited to see his nanas, popis, aunts, uncles and cousins.
Soon it was time for lunch and the meal was just up Cole's alley with his favorites - gluten free, dairy free "cheese" pizza and blueberries. Um, umm! By the looks of his messy face and big grin, he was really enjoying lunch!
After lunch, it was pinata time. Shane held the giraffe pinata while the kids took turns pulling a string. One special string attached to a hidden door would open the door, releasing the candy...or so I thought! While the giraffe pinata looked adorable, it had one major flaw...the trap door never opened. Bummer! It took a bit of effort, but eventually the candy did come out and the kids didn't even seem to mind. They were just excited to see CANDY!!
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| Cole pulling the first string |
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| Elmo helping Owen pull the pinata string |
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| Casey having a turn at the pinata |
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| Jaden taking a turn |
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| Yum-yum! |
Finally it was time for Cole to open his gifts. He loved tearing open the paper to see what fun surprises lay underneath.
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| "Let's see who this is from..." |
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| "Oooooohh!" |
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| "Yes! Just what I wanted!" |
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| "This is the best birthday ever!" |
The only thing left after presents was cake. So we all gathered around and sang Happy Birthday to the birthday boy and then dug into the gluten-free/dairy-free chocolate cake.
Owen decided to cozy up to Cole for a photo. Cole is usually the one being bossed around by his big brother so I thought it was quite humorous to see him push Owen out of his space...
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| "Hey, that's MY cake!" |
And Owen kept flashing his camera smile the entire time!
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| "You go on!" |
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| "Um, ummm. That's the good stuff." |
Cole spent the rest of the afternoon playing with all his super fun new toys.
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| Taking his new wheels for a spin |
After dinner, we surprised Cole with our gift for him - an IKEA chair and dvd set of the Doodlebops. They have the same chair at Cole's preschool and he's always loved sitting and playing on it. And the Doodlebops are his all-time favorite Saturday morning tv show. Needless to say, he was shocked and excited to get his gifts.
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| "What?!?" |
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| "I wonder what's in here?" |
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| "No way!! The Doodlebops!" |
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| Cole enjoying his new gifts |
Oh little boy of mine...how is it that you are already 4 years old?? You have changed so much over the last year. You used to want mom to do everything for you and now you are always saying, "No, I do it." You have become very independent, helping yourself to whatever it is you want (even if you shouldn't have it!) You've figured out by watching your older brother that all you need is your scissors and you can open just about anything in the pantry...fruit snacks, chips, granola bars. I find wrappers all around the house of some sort of treat you've decided to enjoy without asking permission. Your favorite is the chocolate chip bag. You even need to stand on the step stool to reach it, but that doesn't stop you. Yes, you have gotten your chocolate addiction from your mom.
You have also become quite the risk taker. You hop on your trike and away you go down the driveway laughing hysterically as I chase after you like a lunatic, reaching you just before your trike crashes onto its side. You love wrestling with your big brother and chasing each other around the house, over benches, behind couches. You two are crazy and the very best of pals!
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| Owen and Cole wrestling |
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| Cole giving Owen a ride in the truck |
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| Cole pushing his big brother in the stroller - they sure are goofy boys! |
You still have your signature smile - nose crinkled, eyes squinted, teeth clenched. Your smile is contagious and your deep belly laughs get everyone else laughing along with you.
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| "Cheese!" |
You are sure a jokester. You love it when someone asks you a question and, when you're feeling a bit on the silly side, you answer the question with the wrong answer, look right at them straight faced, and then throw your head back laughing hysterically. You sure think you are funny - and so does everyone else!
You love playing outside. Whenever we head out to the car or get home from an errand, you are quick to ask, "Outside for five minutes?" Answering 'no' to that question sets off a tantrum complete with yelling and hitting, but answering 'yes' brings out one of your sweetest smiles and a very happy little boy.
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| Cole laughing as he rolls a plastic cover down the sidewalk |
You were definitely born with a double dose of stubborn. You love getting your way (as do most people). But when you don't get your way, you have mastered 'The Look and Humph' consisting of arms crossed, chin tucked, and eyes rolled followed by an irritated "humph".
Books now interest you. Before you could have done without them, but now you have your favorites, especially "Peek-a-Moo", or "The Cow Book" as you like to call it. You love watching Choo Choo Bob and the Doodlebops - you really enjoy music so any shows like these with lots of catchy tunes are sure to be your favorites. I asked you what your favorite TV show was and you said, "I like George, because he's cute...I like George because he's smart...like you." Ahh, so sweet. I'm as cute and smart as Curious George according to my 4 year old!
Your favorite thing to play with is the Cafe (a tent-like house that Owen got for his birthday). You love playing inside it, although you call it the "cave." In the "cave", you are always whipping me up something to eat. Most of the time you tell me the food you made tastes bad and in return, I make a face and say "Blah! That tastes bad." Then you take a turn tasting the food followed by a "Blah!" and many, many laughs.
You also LOVE playing hot potato. Although it's not your typical game of hot potato - it's basically a version of your yucky cafe food game where you throw me a toy potato, say it's gross, and wait to see what silly face and noise mom makes. We go back and forth tossing the potato and saying, "No, you eat it.", "No, YOU eat it!" until someone finally pretend eats the rotten potato. Oh, the silly games you come up with!!
This year has been packed full of changes - moving to a new house with a new room, transitioning to a big boy bed (which you love!), your first time taking swimming lessons all by yourself, your first time playing soccer, your first time on skates, and even your very first haircut! I can't wait to see what the next year has in store. Love you, Cole!
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