2.5

Today you are 2 and a half.  You are closer to 3 than you are to 2. 

Not sure how I feel about that. 

I can tell you however how I feel about you. 

What a joy you are. 

Your smile, your laugh, your blonde little head. 

The way you are head-strong, confident and matter-of-fact.

Your funny faces, funny words and expressions.

You are articulate, talkative and know what you want.

You are oh so funny. 

You listen when you want to, tune us out when you don't.

You love to snuggle, cuddle and give hugs and kisses.

You are a lover.

You adore your sister and follow her everywhere.

You love all things soccer, football, basketball and baseball.

You also love high-heeled shoes, dress-up and being silly.

You love to snack. We find you in the snack cupboard all of the time.

You like stories, your lovies and your blanket.

You inspire us to be better parents and have patience.

You test boundaries and our limits.

You are growing into an amazing big boy right before our eyes.

A boy we love oh so much.

Life would not be the same without you.

Thank you Maxy for being you.

 

 

Happy St. Paddy's Day

Wise Words

Rainy Sunday

A fun way to start off this rainy day--Mickey and Minnie Mouse pancakes.

 

 

Oh, and testing out new swim goggles.

Getting ready for the Arizona sunshine.

 

'The Gulp'

Another Carmen funny...
Yesterday she went to the dentist.  As part of the routine, she gets to pick a new toothbrush.  She pursued the Princess selection--Ariel, Cinderella--all met with a 'thanks, but no thanks.'  Dora?  Ah, no.  Cars?  Tempting, but no.  Her choice?  The Incredible Hulk.  I'm all for gender equality; I wasn't pushing the pink or purple.  I was completely fine with her selection.  I prefer green and blue over pink and purple myself. The funny part is, she thinks he's called 'The Gulp' not 'The Hulk.'  She keep insisting in her Carmen way that his name is Gulp!  That's our headstrong girl.  She can't be persuaded. So. Funny.

Zoo party

Birthday party at the zoo! 

It was sunny, they ate cake, blew bubbles,

rode the 'up and down' and we even saw a hippo out of the water. 

What could be better?!

 

 

Who is this big kid?

New haircut makes our little Maxy look way too old. 

Who is this handsome big kid?

I don't like it. 

I know it's happening. 

I know he's growing. 

It's just hard to get used to. 

 

Likes and Dislikes

It occurred to me the other night while getting dinner ready, that while our kids are both good eaters, they have very distinct likes and dislikes which sometimes make meal-time challenging.  For instance:

Carmen loves carrots, corn and avocado.  Max will not touch any of those but does like broccoli, mushrooms, and lettuce, all which Carmen despises.

In the fruit category, Carmen can't get enough of strawberries and will tolerate tomatoes but won't touch a blueberry, blackberry or raspberry.  Max is not picky, he gobbles up any type of fruit and then asks for more.  Fortunately, they both are fond of apples, bananas, oranges and grapes.  However, it's skin on the apples for Max and 'no thank you' to the skin for Carmen.

Carmen will drink a 1/2 gallon of milk by herself each week and Max refuses milk at all times unless it's in his cereal.  Although, he has no problem with yogurt and cheese.

One of Caremen's favorite things to eat is eggs.  She's not particular about how they are prepared--scrambled, fried or egg-toast.  Max, not so much.  It's usually one small bite and he's had enough. Sigh.

There are however many, many things that the two of them share a love for (pineapple pizza for example).  Most of them are in the 'treat' and 'snack' categories.  Carmen savors everything and nibbles at it for a while whereas it takes Maxy about 1.2 seconds to devour everything.  Carmen loves ice cream but is not a big fan of cake or cupcakes; Max is not particular.  All treats = yummy.

It's fun seeing their tastes, likes and dislikes develop and change.  If nothing else, it keeps things interesting around here!