Happy Birthday To Me!

As may of you probably know, I celebrated my 2nd birthday on Thursday, May 27th. My parents can't believe how fast two years have gone and they are bracing themselves for a busy year ahead!

My day started off with my favorite breakfast, blueberry pancakes, POPS cereal and milk. I recently learned how to sing the birthday song, although most of the parts are unrecognizable to others. The first person I sang this to was Grammy a few weeks ago for her birthday. My Mom is working on teaching me how to say, "TWO" and show two fingers for my age, which I am just now starting to do. Anyhow, I thought it was strange that my parents kept all of the blinds closed in the house while I ate my breakfast, but quickly I learned why... my birthday present was "hiding" outside!

My parents debated over whether to get me a big swingset or a smaller one and they decided the smaller one would be better for now. I am fearless on the smaller playgrounds and tend to either get hurt on the larger ones or else I stress my Mom out. So, this is the perfect size, just for me!

My "Clubhouse Climber" has a tunnel, walkway, steps, a little living area with a table, stools, clock and a phone that dials. The slide is fun and I am just now learning that I can go down on my bottom instead of turning around backwards.

All of this fun started before 7:00 a.m.! Mommy headed to work for the day and Daddy took off so he could spend the day with me. Mommy reminded Daddy to have fun, make the day special, and to take pictures. Well, the day was fun, almost too fun, and there weren't any pictures during the day (strike one, Daddy!)

When Mommy got home from work (she raced out of school to get home to spend time with me), I was SOOOOO tired. Daddy took me on the boat for a ride in the morning and we played outside the entire day with the exception of nap and lunch. Daddy promises that he did put me down for a nap and that I slept for two hours, but Mommy seriously questioned this (strike two, Daddy!) Since my birthday was on a work night, we ended up ordering pizza from Papa Murphy's, which I normally LOVE and we just had a little chocolate cake. My birthday party is next weekend due to the holiday weekend. I decided that I was too tired for pizza and I only took a tiny taste of cake. By 6:15 I was begging for my bed and kept saying, "Night, night" while cuddling with my parents. Grammy came to have dinner with us and thank goodness she is the mother of three boys and recalls the ups and downs of two year olds!

I wasn't interested in opening gifts, so my parents practically unwrapped them for me. Mommy and Daddy bought the play gym outside and they also bought me a few other smaller gifts (tape measurer, birdie whistle, fingerpaints/paper). Grammy bought me a fire hydrant sprinkler, John Deere tractor, and also gave money to go in my education fund or towards the play gym. One of my favorite gifts was the Old McDonald singing card from my parents. I thought it was so funny that I could open and shut the card and make the song start and stop! What a cool invention!

The next day, the birthday celebration continued at Jenny's house (daycare provider). Jenny's husband, Jamie, was home and he was showing me how to properly blow out my candles. He also spoiled us with McDonald's for lunch! Thanks buddy!

Aren't these the cutest cupcakes ever! Jenny picked them out for Mason and I since our daily routine is to watch Sesame Street around lunch time and practice our "skills" such as counting and ABC's.

Here is the birthday cake snapshot that all Mommy's love to take. Thank goodness Jenny got one since I was in no mood for anything but bedtime the night before!

Me and my buddy "Mase."

Jenny and family spoiled me with a perfect gift... an outside toy! I could live outside, so this is a great gift for me! We of course had to open it and try it out ASAP! Thanks Jenny and family... love you guys!

Mommy thought this picture was great! I am clearly showing off my amazing physique and I expect a call very soon from GQ Magazine.

Mason and I have spent many of our afternoons outside in the pool. Jenny thought it would be fun to have the slide dump into the pool and she was right. I love going down the slide and lounging in the pool. The next fun toy we started playing with is Mason's new baseball tee and ball. Mommy found out that I am pretty good at this, so we are going to put this on the list of things to buy with my b-day money. She had high hopes that I would play for the NHL, but she has agreed that playing MLB would be "OK" with her too (go TWINS!)

One of the "joys" of turning two was a trip to see my pediatrician doctor. He had to do a basic check-up which did not involve any needles, yeah! My development is going great (I could have told you that). I am advanced with my verbal skills and the only thing that concerns my parents is my terrible pickiness at dinner meals. This is an ongoing battle in our house, but the dr. assures my parents I am "normal" and to keep trying to introduce the foods, even if I throw them on the floor ("NO, NO") It is no wonder I love the "NO, David" books! I can associate with that little rascal and every night, my parents are asked by me to read David books, Bad Dog Marley, or Good Boy Fergus (No David). Notice a trend here????

I waited very patiently for the doctor, who was 15 minutes or so late to the appt. My parents bribed me with fruit snacks and the truck keys. I know what the red button means and often say, "HONK, HONK" as I press the button. Mommy just about dies in embarassment as the car alarm goes off, but the keys do keep me preoccupied.

Mommy is not sure why I am giving Daddy this look; she thinks it is a classic 2 year old facial expression, lovely.

While my parents talked to the doctor, I found lipsticks and the camera in Mommy's purse. I have figured out how to turn the camera on and took at least 20 pictures of myself while saying, "Cheese" which made the dr. laugh hysterically. My Mom didn't think it was as funny as he did... lots of deleting took place afterwards. My stats for the weight and height are as follows: Height= 34.17 inches which is 50% for my age, Weight= 24 lb. 4 oz which is 10% for my age, and my head size is 18.7 inches which is 35% for my age. My parents were surprised to find out that I am not as short as they feared I was.

When we got home from the doctor, I helped Mommy water the plants that Grandma helped Mommy plant last weekend. I mostly like to fill up my watering can and dump it all over my clothes. It will be a summer of many outfit changes!

A few days later, Mommy spotted something moving across our yard. Instead of shrieking, she decided to watch for a few seconds and then hollered for Daddy to come look. She knew the thing was a turtle but what kind of a turtle was a mystery. Daddy and I went out to investigate and Daddy brought along an old hockey stick to make sure this kind of a turtle would not bite my hand off. Luckily, it was just a painted turtle, whew!

This is one of my new poses. When I get excited, I put my arms straight behind me, run, and squeal with delight. It always makes my parents laugh when I do this little routine. By the way, I just so happend to have on my turtle shortall on this day. It was completely by coincidence!

I thought it would be fun to use the hockey stick too, so I started to prod the turtle. My Mommy was afraid we would have turtle guts in our yard, so the stick was quickly taken away from me. Before heading back in for bed, I said "Bye, See ya!" to the turtle and to my parents surprise and delight, I did NOT kiss the turtle.

Grammy came to help Mommy garden and Daddy and Grandpa Jamie went golfing. One of our stops, besides the greenhouse, was to a carseat check to make sure Daddy didn't get a strike three with the carseat installation. He put in the baby carrier and moved my carseat over to the side. They were very impressed with Daddy's installation skills and we were given the A-OK to continue on. Daddy rolled his eyes and told Mommy he just knew he did it right.

They had to weight and measure me to make sure I was in a proper carseat. Notice I only have one shoe on. Mommy thought it was a bit strange they didn't ask her to put the other one back on that I chose to pull off while on our ride to the dealership.

Grandma kept me busy while Mommy had the backseat inspected. Most people would cringe looking at this picture... a 2 year old, with keys, sitting in the driver seat. Whatever keeps my attention is the name of the game these days.

I saw my other Grammy that weekend too when she came over to celebrate her birthday. We had a little BBQ, went to Olson's Ice Cream and Grammy opened her gift from us (new bike helmet, bike seat, and bike trail pass).

Happy Birthday Grammy! It was a nice dinner for all of us and I especially loved my chocolate shake!

The last few weeks have brought beautiful weather. We visited a few local parks to burn some energy and have some fun. Jenny brought Mason and I to Owen Park to play on the equip. there.

On one of the days Mommy had off, we met Laurie Jo and Lily at Irvine Park. They have a new tiger exhibit and we couldn't wait to see these amazing cats.

I am completely obsessed with Lily. I talk about her daily and love when we have our playdates. Laurie Jo also job-shares, which is nice because our Moms have the same days off. Lily and I were giving each other a kiss goodbye knowing it would be a good week before we saw each other again, ahhhh.

Laurie Jo took this picture of Mommy and I. She is not excited about the picture of herself, but this is a glimpse of how HUGE she has become. The hot weather has caused lots of swelling but fortunately, her blood pressure is still great. At her doctor's appt. last week, Mommy was dilated at 1 cm, 50% effaced and the crampiness she is feeling are Braxton-Hicks contractions. This is all new to Mommy since she was induced with me at 36 weeks. She never had the side effects she is experiencing now. Her due date is between June 20th-26th and the doctor said the baby is VERY low and they will not do anything at this point to stop labor. So, we wait and do projects, and try to keep life "normal" as we know it!

Mommy loves this picture of Cory and Easton. They also were at Irvine Park and Easton gave his first big smile right before Mommy grabbed her camera. She is anxious to meet Cooper (so am I) and the babies we get to be around sure make it more exciting as we wait. We will be in touch with the latest... next weekend is my John Deere b-day party, Mommy's next doctor's appt. is on Wednesday (she can't wait for her next exam, strangely), and Mommy is most excited that she only has two days of teaching left of this school year! That's all for now! Thanks for reading this super long blog post!

No more cheese, please!

Mommy is planning a John Deere themed birthday party for me. In her frantic preparation, she decided to do picture invites and realized that all John Deere pictures of me are from Christmas (when I received my ride on and electric John Deere) and from last summer with Daddy. The picture above is the best John picture she could get. One "check" off of Mommy's endless list of "to do's" lately!

Mommy and Daddy tried for a full week to capture the best John Deere photo. I was not humoring them at all because riding John is a serious job that I don't take lightly. I just wanted the camera and my paparazzi parents to go away!

Seriously!?!?!? Put it away....

A little tease to my parents; a smile but of course, not at them directly :)

Of course I am smiling here, but where is the John Deere prop?!?!? Funny how that worked out!

Daddy felt it was pertinent to get a picture of me by our blooming crab apple tree. Mommy was not sure what this was all about, but her guess is that it was some strange tradition as he grew up to stand next to a crab apple tree each year to show his growth. Anyways, she decided to give it a try to make Daddy happy and this is as good as it gets.

Yes, I am a shrimp compared to our 7 year old crab apple tree. I stood for a moment, but was ready to play. Maybe next year Daddy!

The day before Mother's Day, we celebrated with Grammy by heading to the resort. My Grammy (Daddy's Mom) lives on the lake and runs a 3 cabin resort as a hobby. When Grandpa was alive, this was their fun time with guests who have returned for 20+ years. It is now Daddy and Uncle Matt's job to keep the resort tradition going which includes some spring preparations. The irony of this day, was that it was FREEZING cold and the boys usually reward themselves with waterskiing afterwards. As you can see on the outdoor thermometer, there would be no skiing or extra "fun" time outside this day. Liberty came along for the day and she was the only trooper who headed for the water. Mommy, in the meantime, was nice and warm as Daddy surprised her with a manicure/pedicure and massage appointment while we worked. She was VERY thankful for her special time of pampering. Later that evening, Mommy came up to make dinner for Grammy and we gave Grammy a bouquet of flowers and a huge hanging basket from Klingers for her deck. Unfortunately, Daddy and Uncle Matt did not get a picture of me and Grammy together this day (come on boys!!!) Thank goodness Grandma snapped a few to capture the day's events.

Yes, it was May 8th when Grammy snapped this photo of the temperature. The temperature was probably even colder since we had winds on top of it all! Lucky for Uncle Ben (who gets out of this by living in Georgia), he was probably enjoying a day of golf!

Grammy and I stayed busy while the boys were putting in the docks and doing other outdoor work. I helped Grammy clean the cabins and make the beds for the first resort guests. Of course, we did have some outdoor play and I even helped Grandma mow her yard.

This is my "see ya" Hitler look. For some reason, when I say, "see ya" the hand automatically comes up in a semi-salute. I think this was a strong hint to Grammy that I needed to head in to warm up.

On Mother's Day morning, Mommy woke up to us making breakfast just for her. We gave Mommy her presents which consisted of a photography book with amazing newborn pictures in it, pajamas and a "care kit" for her to take to the hospital when the time comes, two new maternity shirts (one is a Brewer's t-shirt that I picked out for her), and her pampering gifts from the day before (spa day). She was very thankful for all of these special gifts and she is thankful that this was the only picture taken of her that morning... yikes! After we celebrated with Mommy, we headed to the cities to visit Grandma and crew for lunch.

Snuggling with Grandma... one of my favorite things to do!

Auntie Stefanie, Uncle Bruce, Lexi, Sam, Uncle Jim and Karri, Grandma, Grandpa, Samantha and Maggie were all together for Mother's Day. We had a yummy BBQ, gift opening, and visiting time. Auntie even let me use her keys so that I could continue to set off the panic button, my favorite button of all these days. For Mother's Day, we bought Auntie (my Godmother) a blueberry bush for her garden since this is my favorite fruit along with bubble bath b/c with two kids, I am sure she needs relaxation time. For Grandma, we gave her a eco-friendly and stylish bag for the Farmer's Market, a huge hanging basket from Klingers, and a recordable book, All Things Bright and Beautiful, which is one of Mommy's favorite songs/books from growing up. Grandma will give me the book back when she is done recording it...can't wait!

On Friday night, my parents went on an actual, real live, date. I gave them my blessing, knowing that Katie was coming to see me! Katie is graduating from college this week and heading back to the Madison area. We are sad to see her go, but are happy for her new adventures with law-school and with her family living close by to her again. She plans to come back to see me and Cooper, once he arrives! My parents date consisted of dinner and shopping, two things that I don't do so well with these days.

As you can tell, I was VERY excited to go on the boat. Our boat has been sitting at our house for a week and everyday I ask politely to go on it ("ride on boat?!?!?") With the chilly weather last week, we FINALLY had the opportunity to take a ride with the wonderful weekend weather!

Daddy was reassuring me that the waves were not as scary as I made them out to be. I did much better on the boat this year compared to last. I still prefer a leisurely drive, which Mommy didn't do so well with because she wants to go fast in need for the closest bathroom (baby=squishing Mommy's bladder all the time now).

After a LONG (OK, 10 minutes is long in my world) boat ride to the State Park, we finally arrived. I needed to stretch my sea legs.

It has become my "job" to pick all dandelions and wish flowers that I can find. I was so preoccupied, that my parents thought I wouldn't make to the playground. Since Mommy insists that Daddy kills all weeds in the yard, the State Park was a special treat with a full field of these fun things. I especially like to pull the flowers apart and hand them piece by piece to Mommy. I also attempt to blow the fuzzies off of the flower, but this is a bit tricky yet.

Mommy sees how brave I have become on slides. Maybe it is with age or it could be in thanks to Jenny who encourages me to go down the slide at McDonald's Playland. I used to hesitate and wait for some help, but now I just zoom down with a huge, "WHEEEEEEE!" Daddy and I had many races down the slide together and he always would let me win!

Mommy loves this picture of Daddy and I on the swings. She thinks it shows the love between the two of us.... ahhhhhh!

On a sad note, we said goodbye to our friends Arlyn, Jennifer, Jacob and Aiden. They are moving to Florida, where Jennifer's family lives. They have been wonderful friends for the past several years. Mommy and Daddy met them at church years ago and have enjoyed their friendship and many memories (their wedding day, church groups, Jen's pregnancy, the twins, and many fun brunches and activities together). We wish your family the best and we know we will be visiting with you soon!