Yesterday we had a birthday party for Sam and Nate, and it was a pretty big hit for everyone that came. The boys have made some good friends since we moved here, and they were all able to make it to the party. As you can see from our invitation, the theme was a Cowboy party. The boys have cowboy hats they got from Uncle Clay and Aunt Gail, and we bought them some cowboy boots on our trip to Texas over Thanksgiving. So, all the conditions seemed right for a Cowboy Birthday Roundup.

We were able to find some great Western decorations for the party, including a saloon-style swinging door decoration, which the kids loved running through. I also brought the boys' rocking horse in from the garage and let everyone take turns riding the bucking bronco. On more than occasion a child snuck off to get  a solo ride on the horse without any other kids around (Sam did this 2-3 times).

Once again, Gina hit a homerun with the cakes. You may remember, she made two football players for their Super Bowl birthday party last year, and this year she continued with the Cowboy theme. And trust me, the cakes were every bit as delicious as they look.

Other activities included decorating a personalized cowboy hat, making a horse puppet with a yarn mane, eating snacks and participating in a good ole' country sing-along (led by me, of course). Every one had a great time, though I can say I would love to do it again, I don't even want to think about the boys' 3rd birthday. I am still letting this moment sink in.

There are a lot more pictures of the party, which you can find here. Toward the end of the party, I did feel a little sadness as I thought about the party last year and how excited Big Mama was to get all the details. I even made her a DVD of the party, which I think she watched over and over. I will really miss not being able to tell her about the boys and all the milestones in their lives. Being a native Texan, she would have really gotten a kick out of this one.