A Lot To Celebrate

My birthday continued a good week after my official day. We decided to have a family party after Memorial Day weekend since so many people travel and have lots of plans over the holiday. Mommy found these cute invites that she had made for my big day. The colored square under the time is not part of the invite, it just covers our info. on here. As you can see, John Deere was the theme for my 2nd birthday party.
For party favors, Mommy came across candy tractors in one of her magazines. She used a variety of candy bars and went "nuts" one night with the glue gun. These were a huge hit with my cousins.
Jeannie, Mommy's friend, makes cakes for a fun hobby. We all think she could open her own bakery. She designed a John Deere cake for me with chocolate angel food inside. It was absolutely delicious and super cool, as you can see!

We finished the theme with birthday plates, John Deere table cover, cups, etc... It was a tractor lovers dream come true! My shirt, which you will see soon, was made for me with my name embroidered on it and "2" to commemorate my big step!

I have been singing, "Happy Birthday" for a few weeks now. We tried to insert the video clip here, but it kept putting it at the end of the blog. So, you will get to hear my little version of the song at the end of this post!

My parents are not sure why, but I point and use my middle finger for everything. I had to taste the cake carefully before I truly dug in. Don't take offense to my finger that I used to taste the delicious cake!!!I soon finished my first piece of cake and hollered for some more. My parents let me indulge on my special day and I had TWO pieces, which makes sense since I am TWO now!

One of my strange routines is when I rub my hands through my hair after I eat. I am lucky that I don't have dry scalp since I practically get a full bath after every meal. I guess I enjoy the finer things in life, such as messy foods! Gift opening! I am a much better gift opener now that I am older. I was very good about opening cards first and then ripping open the gifts. I received a sit and spin, baseball bat/ball, swimming pool for the yard, sprinkler, slip and slide (silly Papa), a tent with a tunnel for indoor/outdoor fun, John Deere tractor, money, clothes, and books. I love all of my gifts and thank everyone for the awesome toys!

My cousins Lexi and Sam were good helpers, especially when I started to get antsy and wanted to play with my presents. It was such a beautiful day for my party. We had a lot of time to spend outdoors while we BBQ'd, visited, and enjoyed the day together.

Uncle Bruce, Auntie Stefanie, Uncle Jimmy and Karri had fun with the Bocce ball set.

Grandpa Jamie took me to our garden so he could peek at what we had growing. It is amazing what water does to make these plants grow. Mommy is neglecting the weeding right now, but everything looks great! Grandma, Daddy and Great-Grandpa are standing together in the middle of this picture. Great-Grandpa and Great-Grandma (Grandma's parents) drove 4 hours to come to my party! It was so nice of them to make the trip south to spend the day with us! Love you guys! Papa and Grandma Sharon are officially home. They live in FL from early January until mid-May and then were at Grandma Sharon's house in Indiana for the past several weeks (they kept Sharon's house after getting married last year since her family is from that area). Now they are at Papa's in the cities and we look forward to seeing them this summer!

Two of my favorite people....GRANDMA and GRAMMY! I "call" them every morning to say "hi-ya" and "have a good day!" What a dream come true to have them both at my party!

Great-Grandma (Daddy's Grandma) came to the party too. We are sad that Great-Grandpa is no longer here to celebrate with us. It was sad to think he would not be part of my special day. We were good buddies and I miss him and like to see pictures of him in my baby album. Great-Grandma and I kissed goodbye when it was time for her to go. We will be visiting her rhubarb patch very soon!

Mommy found these completely random pictures above on her camera. She is not sure when or how I got a hold of her camera, but she laughed when she saw my expression and guessed it was most likely after I had plenty of sugar at the party :) As a wrap up to my birthday, I want to thank our family and friends for their well-wishes! I feel blessed to have all of you in my life. Thank you for making my 2nd birthday special! I can't wait for my 3rd one to arrive!

One of our other big celebrations was the END of this school year for Mommy! She is sooooo happy to be done. She loved job-sharing with Heather which went awesome this year! They are both organized, good communicators, and had plenty of fun ideas for their students. But.... they had a full classroom of 24 (and 25 for several months) kids who did NOT behave that well. Of course, there were some amazing kids too, but a good handful kept Mommy on her toes. She is so thankful she didn't have to survive 5 days a week with the little cherubs. Mommy and Heather will be job-sharing next year and they received exciting news that they will be able to move into the "Cadillac" Kindergarten classroom across the hallway b/c of a retirement in the building. Although this will create a lot of work, it will be a great move for both of them AND there is a storage room (Daddy hopes to get some stuff out of our house). I already told Mommy I could help her haul stuff to her new room, but she is thinking, "No way" at this time... I wonder why?

We went to Mommy's school on the last day to see the kids. It was Heather's day to teach so Mommy got out of the carnival fun. Sadly, it rained, but the kids still had fun with the DJ, games, treats, and face painting. I mostly just stared at the little live wires, sat on the blue couch in the classroom and ate fruit snacks. Mommy hopes their behavior scared me to pieces so that I can be a good little student in school.

We gave Daddy an early Father's Day gift. Cooper and I (yes, I do realize he is not here, but I still talk to him via Mommy's belly button) decided it was time to give Dad a BIG gift... a new barefoot wetsuit. Daddy has had the same one for 5 or more years now. On Wednesday, Daddy barefooted with Keith St Onje, the number 1 barefooter in the world. So, we gave Daddy his new suit and he was psyched about his new gift. Daddy commented that he wants to get me up on skiis this summer (I ride on his) but Mommy is thinking I should wait one more year. We will see who wins this battle :)

Mommy gave Daddy the camera to get pictures while barefooting, but Daddy did not get any pictures this year. Darn! He is making all of his back deeps (long-line backwards barefooting), one foot, tumble turns, and many other barefooting tricks. I hope he can teach me someday. Mommy can't wait to work on her barefooting (she is working on deep water, frontwards barefooting) but says it will take a good while for her to fit into her barefoot suit! Lily came over for dinner to celebrate the start of summer. Her Mommy job-shares in teaching too and is happy to have her summers off as well. Daddy and Ben went golfing while we had a playdate. Laurie Jo made a delicious dinner for us and we had fun playing together. Of course, we had to kiss on cue just for the camera's sake. I talk about Lily and Laurie Jo daily. I just love those girls!

By 8:15 p.m., it was time to say goodbye to our friends. We had ice cream sundaes for dessert and the above pictures are good examples of what sugar does to kids before bedtime. We look forward to many fun playdates with friends this summer.

Mommy Update: She is nearly there! Today she is officially 38 weeks or tomorrow she could be 39 weeks. The doctor gave her a six day window with her due dates. So, how is she doing? A week ago, we found out the baby was breech, so the doctor did an external version. Basically, they pick up the baby's tush on the outside of Mommy's belly and rotate it. Daddy nearly passed out and Mommy did deep yoga breaths and concentrated for 5 minutes. IT WORKED and was worth the strange and unbelievable pressure/pain that Mommy endured. The baby has been head down ever since, so we are hoping for a normal delivery. The last few days Mommy has complained of feeling yucky and "weird." Daddy is certain the baby is coming and Mommy is fairly certain too. She hopes the yucky feeling is a sign of labor instead of a flu bug. Mommy was still dilated only at a 1 last week and was 50% effaced or more (according to the NP). She will see her doctor on Monday for the latest update. The baby is healthy, heart-rate is good and the doctor said his size was "average" but wouldn't disclose an estimate of weight, to Mommy's disappointment. All we know is that he will not be as little as I was (4 lb. 13 oz). We hope that we are able to post our little man's arrival on our next blog post. Until then, send us good thoughts and prayers our way!

In closing, enjoy my birthday song that I sing almost daily around the house!

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!