Happy 2nd Birthday

I've been counting down to November 19th for weeks now. I was so excited to celebrate you boys this year, hoping you would slightly understand that the day was all about you. Your daddy and I both had the day off; we eagerly awoke, waiting for you to wake up so we could begin the day of celebrating you!

Good morning, two year olds! We greeted you with the singing of "Happy Birthday to You," and tossing balloons into your crib. You knew immediately today was going to be a special day! The giggles and squealing as you played with the balloons was great.

       

Once downstairs it was gift number one: Mickey Mouse choo-choos. The perfect combination of your two favorite things!

 

 

Next in the birthday celebrations was birthday cinnamon rolls: blue icing and candles to blow out, and hugs and kisses during a quick visit with Zsu Zsu and Paka.

 

 

 

 

 

  

After breakfast, Tse-Tse popped in for a quick visit - with balloons and cupcakes. You only turn 2 once, right? So, it was cupcakes at 10:00 AM right after sugary cinnamon rolls.

    

    

 

From cupcakes and smooches, it was off to All About Kids - a local gym for you boys to play at and then lunch at Chick-fil-A. There were bouncy houses, giant slides, mini-tramps, and tumbling floors for you to run around on.

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

  

Once home, it was round two of presents - a new Mickey blanket for your naptime. Ryan, as soon as you opened it, you cuddled up with your blanket, began sucking your thumb, and said, "Nap!" Our busy morning had worn you out and you were ready!

You woke up from naptime to open another present (a fishing set) and take a family walk.

 

 

 

After dinner, it was another cupcake, one more present (Mickey Mouse and Thomas the Train seek and finds - your new favorite books!), and off to bed....as BIG, TWO YEAR OLDS!! 

We loved celebrating you all day and you loved it too! It was such a fun, full day. We love you both dearly and love watching you grow. Already you make us so proud and know you will continue to do so as the years go on.

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

24 Months...TWO YEARS OLDS!

One of my favorite quotes I recently heard, "The days are long, but the years are short." I remind myself of this daily; trying to soak up every moment knowing all too well, I'm going to wake up and my babies will be adults. No matter how often I remind myself of this though, it's still shocking just how fast time is going...how am I writing about our "babies" who are now 2 years old?!

 

Wiley

• 27 lbs 3 oz - in the 55th percentile for your weigh; 35 inches - in the 63rd percentile. You would never know you were once a preemie!
• Your language is on the verge of truly exploding! You have always hit your physical milestones first and language follows shortly after. Currently you have between 50-70 words - not necessarily understood by all, but Mommy and Daddy definitely speak your language. You get frustrated when we don't understand you though and you can see it on your face, you just wish you could say the word you're trying to get out.
• You are our curious little monkey. You have no fear and just want to explore the whole world. You are our climber, jumper, and daredevil. Wiley, you have one speed - fast - and often go without taking in surroundings around you. Which means, you are always covered in booboos, but that doesn't stop you. Rarely do you stop or cry over getting hurt (there's too much to see to stop!), so when you do cry we know it's a bad one. You are one tough cookie.
• Speaking of cookies, you have absolutely inherited Mommy's sweet tooth. As soon as you come downstairs in the morning, it's straight to the cookie drawer, begging for one. And every morning, a meltdown follows when you are told you can't have one yet. (But who can complain about meltdowns when you look so darn cute doing it - body on the floor, grunting, and smacking your milk or breakfast away because all you really want is that cookie!). You are a great eater though. You love your "baaaaa-dadas" (bananas), "oh-meal" (oatmeal), and "yog" (yogurt) each morning for breakfast. 
• You are very particular, Mr. Wiley-Woo. You must have "your" cup, fork, plate, etc. Typically you go for blue things first, green if you must. Red and oranges you pass off to your brother. While I tried to mix it up so that you wouldn't get set on one thing, I can't seem to break it now. So, it's just not worth the hassle. You get first pick of things, and your generous, flexible brother gets whichever one you didn't want.
• You are still an excellent sleeper - we hit the baby sleeping jackpot with you boys. You are in bed by 7:30 and typically don't get out of bed between 9:00 and 9:30 (what?! How did we get so lucky??). Some of my favorite sounds are those early morning conversations you and Ryan have. "Hi Ry-Ry!" you'll greet him in the morning. Ryan likes to entertain you with silly headstands, animal sounds, or launching stuffed animals into your bed, so we hear your giggles with him. You also now take one nap a day, typically from 12/12:30 to anywhere from 2 and 3:30 (depending on how long you two talk before you fall asleep. As I type this post, you're still talking and you've been up there for over an hour now!)
• You are starting to use your imagination which is incredibly entertaining to watch. You make train and car sounds while playing with your toys. And if you don't have a train or car, you will turn any bowl or box into one! I adore it!
• You LOVE to read! You could spend hours (quite literally) throughout the day reading and being read to. You know some of your favorite stories so well, that you help me read - you will say words hinting at what is about to happen or what I'm about to read (it makes my teacher heart skip a beat to see you comprehending stories so well already). You love making crafts and doing art, which keeps me busy thinking of new, fun ideas for you. This will be great come this winter when we are cooped up inside. Along these same lines, you love Toddler Time at our local library too. We go twice a week and you love it. I think you love the social side as much, if not more, than the songs and books. You like to say "hi" to the other kids and interact with them.
• You are very thoughtful and caring. When Ryan (or anyone for that matter) cries, you rush over and rub their back, telling them it's okay. If you have a toy or a snack, you are always sure to get a second and bring it to Ry-Ry. It makes my heart burst to see that you already have a heart for others. 
• You bring us so much joy, sweet little boy. I just cannot believe, my three pound baby is growing so quickly. We have such a hope and prayer for your future. We can't wait to see how you use the talents God gives you, Wiles. 

Ryan

• 23 lbs 9 oz - in the 13th percentile for your weigh; 33.5 inches - in the 18th percentile. You have made great catch up growth, Ry-guy!
• Your language is on the verge of exploding! You have always hit your physical milestones first and language follows shortly after. Currently you have between 60-70 words - not necessarily understood by all, but Mommy and Daddy definitely speak your language. You get frustrated when we don't understand you, so you'll say, "Hand! Hand!" take our hands, and lead us to whatever it is you're trying to say.
• You are our observer. While your brother is jumping from couches, you are watching to make sure it works out alright for him. If it does, you will follow suite...if not, you're content to continue doing whatever you were doing. You are a little more shy and timid. You like to have your Mommy close by - especially in new situations. You are a little more sensitive, but know just what you need to fix all booboos: a "bay-bay," (blanket wrapped around you), "iiiice," and cuddles and kisses.
• You don't love milk quite as much as your brother, but you are a fantastic eater. You love your "baaaaa-dadas" (bananas), "oh-meal" (oatmeal), and "yog" (yogurt) each morning.  For lunch you love "cheeeeeese," "orrr-gge," (orange) and "gray-pp" (grapes).
• You are still an excellent sleeper - we hit the baby sleeping jackpot with you boys. You are in bed by 7:30 and typically don't get out of bed between 9:00 and 9:30 (what?! How did we get so lucky??). Some of my favorite sounds are those early morning sounds. You are one funny guy, Ryan and keep your brother giggling in the morning. You'll wake him up with, "Hi Wy-Wy!" Once awake, you'll make animal noises to make him giggle, launch stuffed animals into his crib or make silly faces at him. I could watch you all interact via the monitor all day. It's a side I don't always see of you two because you don't realize we can watch you. You also now take one nap a day, typically from 12/12:30 to anywhere from 2 and 3:30 (depending on how long you two talk before you fall asleep). You will let me know when it's naptime too. You'll say, "Nap," lay down, and begin to suck your thumb. 
• You are starting to use your imagination which is incredibly entertaining to watch. You make train and car sounds while playing with your toys. And if you don't have a train or car, you will turn any bowl or box into one! I adore it!
• You LOVE to read - especially about Mickey Mouse and trains! You could spend hours (quite literally) throughout the day reading and being read to. You know some of your favorite stories so well, that you help me read - you will say words hinting at what is about to happen or what I'm about to read (it makes my teacher heart skip a beat to see you comprehending stories so well already). You love making crafts and doing art, which keeps me busy thinking of new, fun ideas for you. This will be great come this winter when we are cooped up inside. Along these same lines, you love Toddler Time at our local library too. We go twice a week and you love it. You are right up front with Ms. Shannon doing all the motions to the song, pointing pictures out on the books, and participating the whole time.
• You bring us so much joy, sweet little boy. I just cannot believe, my three pound baby is growing so quickly. We have such a hope and prayer for your future. We can't wait to see how you use the talents God gives you, Ryan. 

First Football Game

Your daddy was able to get a couple of free tickets to the UL football this weekend. And while it would've made for a fun date, we decided our "ball" lovers would enjoy it just as much as we would. So, the four of us headed out for your first college football game!

Wiley, you were all about the snacks and walking the aisle - which kept us busy trying to keep you contained. Ryan, you just wanted to watch the game, cheering with the crowd, clapping, and shouting, "Go cards!" and "Touchdown!" We only made it to halftime, but we're so excited to take you with us. You even got to see Paka and Zsu Zsu who were there too. I'm sure this was just the first of many trips we will take down to Cardinal Stadium.

On our way:

 Taking it all in:

  

 

  

 Go Cards!

 

 

 

 

What a fun day!

Happy Halloween

Carving pumpkins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Showing off and checking out our masterpieces

 

 

 

 

Halloween breakfast: "ooh" ghosts and pumpkins were a HUGE hit! I love that we are at the stage when you recognize a change to the ordinary and get excited over new things

 

 

Boo Dell at Yew Dell Gardens: trick or treating with cousins. The toothbrushes were your favorite treat!

 

 

 

 

Trick or treating in our neighborhood. You were all about getting out of the train on your own turf. After one house, you caught on to what we were doing and ready to go! We may have only made it to a handful of houses, but I'd say you enjoyed your first year of truly trick or treating! Happy Halloween, boys!