Benjamin ~ 22 months
The absolute sweetest boy in the world...at least to his mama!
He loves to play and uses his imagination to pretend and play things that are way beyond his years.
He hates vegetables and won't eat anything green.
He loves waffles and asks for one every morning.
His new favorite thing is chocolate milk.
He's getting his 2-year molars on top and hasn't had much of an appetite lately, so the chocolate milk is my go-to when I need to get some calories and protein in him.
He's in size 4 diapers and 18-24 month clothes.
He's still on the bottom of the height/weight chart...a !
He loves to take a bath with Taylor. They giggle and splash like crazy the entire time they're not fighting over who has more space.
He loves to go to bed. At nap time and nighttime he asks to go "nigh-night." {I'm really not sure how we lucked out with two amazing sleepers!} If I forget and leave the side of his crib down he'll climb in and snuggle himself up in his blankies.
He loves anything that has wheels and makes noise...cars, trucks, tractors, trains...definitely all boy.
He asks at least a hundred times a day to go see the cows...but he can't say the 'c' sound so it sounds like "he hows?! he hows?! We take a lot of walks down to my Grandma's and to the barn. Thankfully we've had some really great weather and we've been able to make a lot of trips! It's especially fun when they're in the field that's right behind my parents' house...they're literally right out the back sliding door and the kids can watch them all day! Pretty cool.
He's also been spoiled by getting to do all kinds of fun boy stuff with my dad, like riding on the lawn-mower, going for tractor rides and getting to help feed the cows. I can't help but get a little sad watching the two of them together, knowing that in a few short months my dad will be missing his little buddy like crazy.
He talks a lot and says a lot of words...and if he can't say it, he can usually get his point across so I can figure it out.
He can get on or into anything...especially if there's treats involved. He gets a chair or stool, carries or scoots it where he needs it and proceeds to get up on the counter, or on the bed, or on the table, or into the refrigerator. He's relentless!
He's been going on the potty for a few months. He usually stands but likes to use the training seat every once in awhile. He still goes in his diaper most of the time, but if I take him to the potty he will go every time. He knows how to make himself go. He will also tell me that he has to go if he doesn't have a diaper on...or if he's in the bathtub. I'm crossing my fingers that he's going to be one of those kids that potty trains in 2 days once we really start trying!
Mostly, what I want you to know about my sweet boy is this...he is my heart on the outside of my body. He is silly and snugly and loving and hilarious and adorable and stubborn and rambunctious and practically edible. This boy has made my life and my heart so much fuller than I ever expected or thought possible. And every single day I thank God for the gift that he is to me, and for choosing me to be his mommy. Oh, and he calls me "mommy" now, instead of mama. ♥
Taylor ~ 6 1/2
This girl challenges me more and more every day.
I can look at her and want to cry because she's such an amazing girl with the most loving, tender heart...and 5 minutes later I want to shake her because I'm so dang frustrated! I know that it's all part of her age and she's testing her limits and trying to fight for her independence, but boy, does she know how to get me riled up!
She's doing so amazing in school. She is one of 3 kids in her class who are reading at a higher level so she gets "extended reading" practice twice a week outside the classroom. She takes an extra reading test on top of the test that the rest of the class is taking and she's doing so well. I'm amazed at how quickly she has learned to read and I'm so proud and relieved that she loves it! She loves to read books to Ben and to the daycare kids and loves to sit and read by herself, too.
She is just starting to take an interest in what she wears. I usually set her clothes out the night before and sometimes in the morning she'll request a wardrobe change. The good thing is that I can usually still talk her into whatever I have picked out! ;)
She wants the same thing in her lunch pretty much every day...a PB&J, Chobani greek yogurt, raisins or apples and usually something like Pirate Booty, mini rice cakes or fruit snacks.
She makes a mess everywhere she goes. Matt calls her "Pig Pen." If I didn't pick up after her, or get after her to pick up after herself, she would leave a trail of evidence of everything that she'd done that day in every room she'd been in. She is Messy Messerson.
I literally have to repeat myself at least 3 times before she will listen to anything that comes out of my mouth.
She still gets a little jealous of Benjamin and his cute baby charm and asks for alone time with me, or "girl time" as she calls it. She says that sometimes it's good to get away from boys and just have some girl time. And I completely agree. :)
She hates going to bed and will stall as long as possible.
She hates getting up and will stall as long as possible.
She loves it when my dad drives her to school...and so do I!
She's an awesome eater and will almost always try new things...and usually likes it!
She loves to be outside.
She still loves her stuffed animals and plays with them almost everyday.
Her imagination still goes into overdrive when she's alone with her toys and she will play for hours by herself...perfectly happy in her own little world.
She's nervous about moving. More and more she's been telling me about her fears and I'm happy to talk about them with her, but it's also breaking my heart. She's afraid she won't make any new friends, or more accurately, that nobody will like her. She's afraid she's going to miss her family here, which she is, like crazy. She's sad to leave her friends at school because she doesn't know when she'll see them again...she probably won't. I put a smile on my face, take her in my arms and tell her that it's ok to feel all the things that she's feeling, while at the same time reassuring her that she's going to make some wonderful new friends and love her new school. And yes, we'll miss our family here, but we'll visit as much as we can and we can Skype just like we do now with daddy. "But mom, it's just not gonna be the same..." :(
She loves her Barbies, her princesses and Legos.
She wants to know when we can go back to Disneyland.
She can't wait for summer.
Pancakes are still her favorite dinner...and her favorite breakfast, for that matter.
She loves to shop.
She's a social butterfly and always wants to have a play date or a sleepover. God forbid we stay home by ourselves!
She's excited to start swimming lessons and gymnastics again after we move.
She's a really good big sister.
And, as frustrated as I can get with her these days, she is honestly the sunshine in my day. I love this girl with everything in me and I know she's going to keep testing me for a long time to come, and that's ok, because that's what she has to do to grow up. I just pray that I find the right words, and have the patience that she needs from me, to help her along her way to becoming an independent, intelligent, beautiful, responsible, caring, considerate, well-mannered, respectable young lady. I see it in her everyday...and it makes my mama heart so proud. ♥
I'll save Me for next time. :)
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