August 17, 2010: You might be 2 years old if...

• You know all the letters in the alphabet.
• You can count from 1-30.
• You can jump and (finally!) get both feet off the ground at the same time.
• You still sleep in your crib with just Bobo (dog) and Cat (obvious)...still no blanket or covers. You seem so content, have never tried to get out, and there is a good chance you will potty train before you move into a big bed :)
• You pick out your own clothes (sometimes its a dinosaur shirt and camo shorts or a blue and red shirt with orange shorts..cringe!) and make a very good attempt at dressing "all by self" (you can handle your shorts, but still need a little help with your shirt and sandals).
• You know all your colors.
• You speak in sentences...no, make that paragraphs! And like your daddy, you can talk to anyone :)
• You can spell 2 words: L-I-A-M and M-O-M. You have replaced the baby phrase of "what dat mama?" with "how you spell...car/daddy/construction truck/train, etc." We do a LOT of spelling now and you will unfortunately also repeat the bad words that mommy and daddy try to spell instead of saying in front of you...guess we're going to have to switch to Spanish till you become fluent in that as well :)
• You can drink out of a cup without a lid.
• You still have one of the best appetites ever...even though you refuse to put on weight! You eat everything we put in front of you and LOVE your veggies specifically corn on the cob, broccoli, carrots, and peas. Your favorite fruit is blackberries (weird, since I don't think we had ever had them till you starting eating them). You still only drink whole milk (big boy milk to you) or water, no juice. You love all types of foods and def have your daddy's taste buds for spicy foods.
• You are (finally) your mommy's boy when it comes to sleeping...at least 12 hours overnight and a good 2-3 hour nap during the day. You have a wonderful nap/bedtime routine, go down so easy, and always spend a little time talking out loud in your crib. We love listening to "the Liam show" over the monitor and feel like we really get to hear your thoughts out loud as your replay your day.
• You have learned the art of bargaining. Like when we tell you it's time to go to bed and you say "few more minutes" or when daddy makes deals with you about doing something you don't want to do and then getting a reward he will ask you 'deal or no deal'...usually you say "deal" and shake his hand but there are times when you say "no deal" which totally cracks us up!
• You sing a ton of songs like "Old McDonald", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "Take Me Out to the Ball Game", "Down by the Bay"...and a few not so nursery rhyme songs like daddy's Oasis and Beatles songs he sings to you before bed and mommy's songs from the radio like "Magic" by B.O.B, "California Girls" by Katy Perry, and "Break Your Heart" by Taio Cruz and Ludacris (okay not the most appropriate but mommy can only take so much Elmo in the car).
• You know the difference between left and right. You know your left and right hands and feet and will tell me in the car when I'm going to "turn left mama" or "mama gonna turn right". Sometimes you just like to direct me and are getting very good at knowing the route between our house and Mallie and Dallie's.
• You know 9 states on your map including CA, TX, NY, TN, FL, MI, AL, MN, and NV. You even know some facts about them like which one your live in, which one mommy went to school in, which one you were born in, which one is where Las Vegas is located...and which one Aubie (the Auburn mascot) lives in (thank you Uncle Cameron).
• You still take your multivitamin (the yucky liquid kind) every night and now brush your teeth twice a day with your Thomas the Train toothpaste.
• You got completely spoiled rotten by your family and friends with a new train table, kitchen set, wagon, and bike for your birthday! Among all the other tons of toys, books, and clothes :)
• You officially understand how to play peek-a-boo and have def jumped out at me once(from behind the island while I was cooking) where you really did scare me!
• You play "I spy"...although our version is actually my Grannie's "riddle riddle ree, I see something you can't see and the color is...". We are usually playing this in the car (when you are not asking me how to spell every word under the sun) and the cute thing is now we take turns where I name a color and you find it...then you recite the phrase and name a color for me to find!
• You know the full names of almost all your first relatives, including the Barkers, Renfros, Curriers, and "Miffs" (Smiths) :)
• You play made up games like "loose monkey" where daddy chases you all around upstairs while you pretend to be a monkey who escaped from the zoo.
• You have chores including opening the shutters in the morning and closing them at night, putting your dirty clothes in the hamper, and being mommy's big helper with lots of things like cooking, changing the laundry, and sweeping (you hold the dust pan).
• You still haven't had your hair cut...and we have no plans in the near future to do so! But you do now have to use your daily leave in conditioner to tame those ringlets :)
• You still LOVE to read. I don't think I could even name a favorite book because you just read anything (including Presley's "Too Purpley"-sorry daddy!). You especially love all your train and dinosaur books right now.
• You have the most wonderful social life!! You play with your playgroup at least twice a week doing fun things like splash park, pool days, story time, playing at the mall, and just playing at friends' houses.
• You are so sweet to Ziggy already...kissing my tummy, listening to her (you tell me she sounds like a dinosaur and says "roooar"), and now feeling her kick.
• You recognize your daddy's favorite teams the Rangers and Manchester United whenever they are on TV or you see their logos. You even know his favorite players on each (David Murphy and Wayne Rooney) and cheer for them alongside daddy.
• You know your shapes (square, triangle, rectangle, and circle).
• You can have semi-decent phone conversations with family members who call you. I also find you talking on your "cell phone" from your new kitchen set to Thomas (the train) about coming to visit you :)
• Your daddy taught you how to shake hands with people and if you don't know them (or even when you do!) you say "nice to meet you".
• You are so well behaved...for a two year old :) But seriously, I so appreciate the fact that I never have to worry that you will be into something you're not supposed to be. You really mind well and respect your house and toys.
• You have a piggy bank that daddy and Dallie are very good about helping you add to. You sometimes get upset if you see us giving away "your monies" at a drive-thru :)
• You are so healthy and strong!! Your baby eczema seems to finally be gone, you are no longer anemic (first time in 18 months), and seem to be just thriving!
• You share your birthday with your daddy...best gift I could ever give him!
• You have the proudest parents in the whole world!! We couldn't love you anymore, you make our life so full of happiness and we are so lucky to watch you grow into a little boy and (one day) a grown man.

Happy Birthday to both my boys, the loves of my life!! Pictures to come soon of all our birthday celebrations...

July 2010: Summer Fun!

Liam continues having a wonderful summer. It's been nice not traveling so much this year, and we've been plenty busy at home!

Dallie and Mallie have found a new favorite treat...the Snow Cone Lady! As you'll see in this blog, we visit her little stand often :) We took Liam to the Railroad Museum as well as the Museum of Nature and Science. They have a wonderful Children's museum as well and both my boys LOVED going there. Liam is in a huge train phase and even though he's still partial to Thomas and Chuggington, he liked seeing the real trains too. They were so much bigger than I would've expected.At the Children's museum Liam dug for dinosaurs bones, dressed up like a fireman, built Lego blocks, played at the water table, looked at backyard bugs, crawled through tunnels, milked a cow, and cooked mommy some food :)Mal and Dal took us all to a Rough Riders game...Liam has gone to 5 so far this season and loves it. It could be all the free food he gets, but he does stare at the field yelling "Go Murph" or "Go Rangers"...oh well at least it's the right city.Liam and I also got a special treat while Nick was visiting Linds in San Antonio. We celebrated Liam's birthday (a month early) with Mal and Dal at his first dinner at Benihana's. He loved the rice, hat, and cooking right in front of him...and of course the ice cream after dinner. I also got a cute pic of him and Dal afterwards at the fountains outside.
Just a few pics from the weekly family dinner, this time at our house....Liam's new favorite veggie...corn on the cob! Actually he's always liked corn, but now that he knows he can eat it off the cob he refuses it in any other form :)Another first for Liam...the circus!! We had great seats, right under the tightrope. Liam loved the elephants, horses, tigers and jumping dogs. He studied all the stunts very seriously, like he was trying to figure them out. He had big smiles and claps though at the end of every event!

We ended July with a long visit from Grandma Debbie! Liam took her to all his favorite places: Rough Riders game...

Daddy even snapped a shot of Liam getting put in the "naughty spot" during the game...don't worry though, he made amends in time for fireworks! the Snow Cone Lady...(Dal, Mal, and Pres came too!)

the play area at the mall...playtime in Liam's playroom which he now refers to as "chester 'nited room"...it's a reference to all the Manchester United paraphernalia that we have put in his playroom, which Liam is OBSESSED with. I think he's counting down the season opener with his daddy :)

Frisco splash park...and story time!! Liam learned about seeds and got to plant some of his own...hopefully mommy can keep it alive :) We had such a good visit with Grandma and can't wait to see all the fam in a few weeks for Liam's birthday weekend!!!Look who's almost 2!! And no, the curls aren't going anywhere anytime soon :)Ziggy and I continue to have fun as well. She's growing and her kicks are ridiculously strong already! I don't know if she's excited or just is ready to get out, but she's non-stop. I remember worrying about Liam and having to count my kicks, but I literally feel her all day! She def doesn't want us to forget she's on her way I guess :) I promise to post a belly shot soon. She seems to be growing straight out just like Liam did...but that could changes as we have many more weeks to go! Work is going well and I'm picking up extra shifts now whenever I can. I also took some more lactation education classes so that I can start seeing some new moms and babies for breastfeeding consultations! I'm so excited about this, and hope it will be a good experience. Nick's been busy with work, but has a few trips coming up with fall which he's really looking forward to. Since his birthday is always a little overshadowed by Liam, he'll celebrate later in the fall with trip to LA and Vegas with the boys...not too shabby :) We have a busy month coming up with Liam, Nick, Cameron, and Rachel's bdays, can't wait!