Turning Two at the Zoo

Calvin loves animals. His favorite toys are his animal figures and his stuffies and he absolutely loves going to aquariums and, of course, the zoo! So what better place to bring him on his birthday than the zoo??

While I got his birthday breakfast ready, Calvin played with his birthday presents without even realizing they were presents! Apparently my animal habitat gift wrap was entertaining enough. 

I needed a brilliant idea for making my usual brown paper gift wrap extra special and exciting for Calvin's birthday presents. Washi tape felt wishy washy. I wanted something more interesting. So I channeled my inner cut-paper collage artist and turned the wrapped gifts into backdrops for these animal figures he already had!

How much fun to have presents you can play with while they're still wrapped! I saved the wrapping after he opened them. I might mount the backdrops on cardboard or something so he can keep playing with them. 

After he enjoyed his beary adorable pancake, we broke the news that we were going to meet his friends at the zoo.

I used banana slices and dried blueberries to make this bear pancake!

He was So Excited all morning. He was signing nonstop giraffe, lion, penguin, zebra, tiger, monkey, friends, Autumn, go, car, elephant, bird, rhino... over and over and over! Yes, yes! We're going to see those things and our friends! Yes, Autumn is coming! Yes, we're going in the car! Now please please please put your foot in your pant leg! That's about how the morning went. 

It was sunny and warm at our house, so I excitedly dressed the boys in adorable shorts outfits and then had a minor nervous breakdown when we got to the zoo and it was foggy and chilly. I should have known! Visitors please note! It is almost always foggy and chilly at the San Francisco zoo no matter what the weather is anywhere else! So we dug up some sweatpants from the car and borrowed a sweater and blanket from our friends and made do. Not that the birthday boy cared! He was just thrilled to be there seeing all his favorite animals.

Hobbes? Is that you?

Watching some adorable monkeys. Oh and the zoo monkeys too. 

Zoo lunch for the birthday boy! Got the inspiration for the giraffe from Swanky Baby.

Calvin's favorite part of the zoo! It's my favorite too. 

Calvin was signing "zebra."

We went home for nap time and then the birthday boy got to open his presents. 

Wearing his new Mickey Mouse hoodie from Granny Anne and playing with his new work bench.

That evening, we met up with some of our cousins at SOMA Streatfood park, which is a food truck park. Calvin dug into his pork bao (a little Chinese sandwich), but he was really excited about his animal cracker cupcakes! 

Calvin picked the tiger! How appropriate ;) 

And birthday fun was had by all! More celebrating to come later that week at Calvin's Hop 'n' Play party...!