Max is 2!

Well, the big two year milestone has come and gone. We had a great time celebrating Max's second birthday here in Tokyo with our new friends. While we missed our friends and family from the States, we felt close to them since many called and sent gifts and cards.  

Official birthday celebrations began at school on the 29th.  I made, decorated and brought in cupcakes, recalling that my own Mom had done this for me.  Max's birthday was Friday, the 30th which was spent relatively quietly. We had a music class friends Tamano, Naia and Dylan over in the morning.  Rich came home a little early so we could eat dinner together and have cake.

I cannot recollect what I made for dinner but I prepared a chocolate cake (7 bucks for a box of Duncan Hines mix) and we sang Happy Birthday.  Max enjoyed the cake and then opened up some presents sent from family overseas and from us.  Lastly, he opened the train set and was extremely excited.  Rich and I promptly put it together in his bedroom and he has been playing with it ever since.  He does rip it apart on a daily basis when he gets frustrated so I am getting good at putting it back to together in new and ever-changing track patterns. 

We had a big party for our friends on Sunday morning at the local Gymboree so the kids could tear around on the play equipment with abandon.  It was a good choice.  We brought cheese and crackers and fruit for the adults and had some elaborate cupcakes catered. An excellent event, I

think. It was also such a treat to look around the room and see all the people we had become friends with.  Internationally, we had guests from Australia, Britain, France, Hungary, Ireland, and Japan.  

I have a few pictures of the event and am hoping that some of our friends will share theirs as well.