2 years

August 10, 2014

Weight - 27 lb.  25 percentile

Length - 35 inches. 79 percentile

~You are quite the talker.  Why do both my babies have the gift of gab?!?  You are putting three and four word sentences together, but have the cutest habit of pausing after each word.  Example "Daddy.  Tired.  Book.  Bed" or "Mommy.  Eat.  Bars."  You start each sentence by naming the person you are talking to.
~You are the sweetest, yet orneriest boy I've ever met.  You often ask permission before doing an activity or action.  And to ensure you get a  yes answer, you cock your head, give your biggest smile, ask, and then follow it up by "Yes Mommy??  Yes??"  Quite the charmer….just like your Daddy.

~You run.  You throw.  You wrestle.  You tackle.  You tickle.  You are all boy.
~You have never been the best sleeper, but after our Kansas trip, reverted back to a 4am wakeup call and then refused to nap in the afternoons.  After a few weeks with two exhausted and grumpy parents, you seem to have righted your wrong, and are hopefully back to sleeping a normal 11 hours at night with a two hour afternoon nap. 
~You wear size 5 diapers, 2T clothes (for the length even though your shorts fall off that skinny waist), and size 6 shoes.   
~Your favorite foods include watermelon, 'bars' (Kids Clif bars), 'spicy chicken' (tilapia, ha!), and applesauce.  
~Your favorite activity is playing in the cul de sac with our neighbors and riding your bike.  "Mommy.  Bike.  Fast.  Outside.  NOW!" 

~You love to read books before nap and bedtime.  Favorites include Goodnight Moon, 20 Trucks in the Middle of My Street, and Little Blue Truck.  
~You continue to be the best snuggler and alternate between preferring Mom or Dad.  You often ask for hugs or kisses before heading off to play.  But your absolute favorite person in the world is your "sissy".  Picking her up from school is your happiest time of day…you can not wait to see her, and you both run towards each other for huge hugs at pick up.

~You bring our family so much joy and laughter.  We love you more than words, William Tommy.  

Birthday week

My baby turned two last weekend, and we celebrated him all week long!

First up, the Kansas City Royals were in town.  Though we've been in Arizona for almost four years, we are loyal to our midwest teams, and couldn't wait for William to experience his first game.  Ryan ordered the whole family t-shirts, and off we went for an evening of baseball, beer and hotdogs, and lots of memories.  We made it to the 7th inning (on a school night!) and both kids had a blast!

Over the weekend, we headed north and into cooler temperatures.  Our neighbor's family has a cabin outside Flagstaff and invited us to join them for a couple days.  We had an absolute blast!  Most of our time was spent playing outdoors and enjoying a 70 degree day. The big kids (including Lily!) went on a 15 mile four wheel ride through the national forest, while William stayed back with me and explored the neighborhood.  Ryan and I were a bit nervous Lily would get bored on such a long ride, but she was all smiles and can't wait to do it again.  A 3 mile hike later that afternoon wrapped up our outdoorsy day.

We really do have the best neighbors, who have become like family to us.  While eating at the country club, they ordered William a 'pizza cookie' for his birthday and were just as excited to celebrate him as we were.  He wasn't so sure about the candle, nor all the singing…a little bit shy and embarrassed about all the attention.  Sweet boy!

After dinner, the kids explored the golf course, hunted for worms, wrestled in the soft grass, and just enjoyed a cool summer evening.  The adults were content to sit on the patio and enjoy some uninterrupted conversation.  :)

More birthday fun coming up….

Kindergarten!

Welcome to Kindergarten, Lily LaVaun!!!

A few tears from Lily, but after four days she is loving her teacher as well as friends, old and new.  No tears from her mama, though I will admit that it was harder than I imagined leaving her at a new (huge!) school, especially seeing how nervous she was.    Looking forward to a fun year with my elementary school girl!!

Wrap it up...

{A few more pics to wrap up our two weeks in Kansas!}

My oldest friend Bryn (seriously...she came to visit me in the hospital when I was born!) drove over for a playdate and lunch.  I had never met her sweet Abram and was dying to get my hands on this adorable red head.  William was in rare form, not sharing and screaming whenever Abram came near his toys.  But Lily absolutely loved her new friend and spent most of her time 'mothering' him.  

(This photo cracks me up.  I asked Lily to smile for the picture and instead, this is what she does.  Perfect example of that girl's personality.  Ornery!)    

One evening after William was in bed, and Lily was upstairs supposedly watching a show, we heard a bit of noise in the bathroom but didn't think too much about it.  Until Lily popped over the balcony and yelled "Mom, I cut my hair!"  I looked at Nanny, asked if she heard the same thing, and took off upstairs.  Apparently Lily found a small pair of scissors in a bathroom drawer and did what any curious 5 year old would do.  Luckily it was a tiny piece of her bangs…though she was concerned she wouldn't look pretty anymore and Daddy would be upset with her.  I'm hopeful the lesson was learned and we won't be revisiting this childhood right of passage…until it's William's turn.

Blackberry picking on a hot summer morning.  With rows and rows to choose from, Lily came home with three baskets full.  Nanny then made a blackberry cobbler for all of us to enjoy!

And finally, REUNITED! After two weeks away from this guy, we were all thrilled to be together again.  

 Such a fun, and apparently exhausting, trip!

Swimming!

Our second week in Kansas, the weather turned more traditional July…hot and humid…so off to the pool we went with Maggie, Sam, and Aunt Kristin.  Lily and Maggie spent most of their time in the deep end, teasing the older boys, while William was content cruising the baby pool and snuggling with the ladies.  Lots of summer memories were made in this pool growing up, so again, a bit nostalgic for me!

Tea party

Nanny and Lily spent one afternoon organizing a tea party for a few special guests…Mema (my grandmother) and Uncle Tom.  

Lily created the menu...chocolate and powdered donuts, pink lemonade, cookies, and pretzels.  Memories from my childhood surfaced while watching this transpire, as Mema used to host similar "events" when babysitting me in elementary school.  I remember feeling so special to attend such a formal tea party! 

After our tea, Maggie, Sam and Kristin joined us for some bubbles in the backyard plus a little train track lessons for William.  We love spending time with these kiddos…both Lily and William look up to their big cousins and have lots of fun!

{William Thomas and half his namesake, Uncle Tom}