Ash - 24 months

Two years old!!

 My apologies on skipping my 23 mo post, and on being so late with the 24 mo post.  As you may know, it's been a busy, crazy couple of months in our house.  First there was Thanksgiving week with Lola & Papa.  Then was the two weeks where mommy was watching two kids (plus me), while fighting off being sick.  Then Nanoo, PopPop, and Uncle John came to visit for a couple weeks.  After Christmas we caught the flu, so we all started 2014 sick as dogs.  Then we were healthy for a week, just in time for my birthday party.  The weekend after my birthday we all came down with the cold.  On top of ALL this, mommy is pregnant; I'm still not clear on what this means, except she complains about feeling sick and being tired a LOT.  Needless to say, it took a long time to get her to sit down and upload photos & type my post for me.  Thanks for your patience!

Chicken noodle soup during the flu

Size:  I'm wearing all 18-24 mo clothes now.  12 mo pants still fit my waist, but my legs are way too long for them.  At my 24 mo appointment, I weighed 23 lbs (3%) and measured 34" (39%).  I'll be 3' tall soon!

Eating oats on a breakfast date with mommy

Physical development:  I've gotten pretty good at going up and down the stairs by myself, so mommy & daddy don't even supervise anymore.  I can climb up on the furniture by myself.  I'm starting to jog a little.  My fine motor skills are still exceptional.  I can use my spoon to pick the raisins out of my oats and I love doing puzzles and playing with toys.  For Christmas, Nanoo & PopPop got me a sandbox, so when the weather allows I love playing outside in the sand. 

My new sandbox

Verbal development:  I'm talking up a storm, of course.  I'm getting better every day at expressing myself and what I want or don't want.  I'm getting pretty good at phrasing very specific requests.  I'm starting to make up stories about my toys.  Of course, my sense of humor is developing nicely as well.  I had a blast with uncle John when he was here b/c he loves to teach me new things.  He taught me all the parts of an airplane and a truck, he showed me his ukelele and played songs for me, and he even let me load his hands full of sand at the park playing construction vehicles. 

Lola & Papa got me a cool new hat like daddy's

Routines: Since the flu, mommy has been trying to make sure to get to the gym at least 3x's/wk, so I've been spending M/W/F at the gym with the kids.  I moved up to the bigger kids, so I get to rotate rooms every 30 min.  At first I had a hard time with the new setup, but I'm starting to adjust.  I love playing with the trucks in the free-play room, and I've enjoyed being in the big gym too.  One day we played with basketballs, another day we had hoops, and this week we got to bounce in the bounce house like Tigger.

Playing in the snow

Also, Ryker's mommy got a job in Boulder, so we don't get to see him anymore.  And we watched a baby named Rayden for a couple weeks, but over the holidays his parents split up and he hasn't come back to us while they figure out who is going to take care of him.  So mommy took a job watching the kids for MOPS twice a month; between church with the family and mommy's volunteering on every other Sunday, plus MOPS - I've been spending lots of time at church.  It's a little hard for me to be there for so long on Tuesdays for MOPS (8:30-12:00 is a loooong time for a 2 yr old), and since it's only a couple times a month it's harder to adjust.  But it's good for mommy to have a little work while she's waiting for a nanny job to work out.

My fancy new clothes from Lola

 Special events: Obviously this two month period was full of most of the big events for the year - Thanksgiving and a visit from Lola & Papa, Christmas and a visit from Nanoo & PopPop and Uncle John, and my birthday.  It's been a lot of fun and a LOT of presents.  I've really enjoyed it.

Elijah & PopPop helping Isaiah open his presents on Cmas morning

My favorites: I love all the new toys I've gotten.  Whichever toy is the newest present is usually my favorite at the moment.

This dump truck was from Lola & Papa

Daddy's favorites: Daddy has enjoyed getting his voice back so we can go back to our nightly routine of reading stories before bed.  He stopped singing songs, and added an extra story or two to the routine.

Elijah opening presents and Uncle John in the background

Mommy's favorites:  Mommy's favorite joke this month was when I was eating a veggie mix and said "eh-da-MOM-eh" while pointing at her for the "mom" part.  I'm a funny kid :)

Opening my new Otis Christmas book

Upcoming: We've got no visitors planned in the next few months, so it'll just be hanging out at home, the gym, and church mostly.  But now that I'm two, I may not get around to posting every month.  Don't worry if you don't hear from me so often; I'm just busy having fun!

Mommy lit candles on a cupcake on my birthday so I could practice for the party