Our Little Monkey - 2 Years

A couple of weeks ago we celebrated Addie's 2nd birthday. One one hand it is hard to imagine life without Addie, but on the other it is crazy that 2 years have already gone by since she entered our lives.  Her creativity and heart for "helping" drives us crazy some days but we love it. I can't wait to see who this lovable, caring, spunky, smart toddler turns into as a young lady!

For the sake of my memory, I thought I'd jot down of the fun things that Addie does at this age.

• Loves singing!  She has a princess toy that plays some of the Disney princess songs, Addie buzzes through all of them until she gets to The Little Mermaid's "Part of Your World" and belts it out. We also sing the ABC's a lot, Jesus Loves Me, & If You're Happy and You Know It.
• She's got moves you've never seen.  I don't know where Addie learned these dance moves, but I hope she wasn't watching me! I probably have a million videos of it on my phone because every day, it cracks me up. We have a lot of dance parties and love burning energy this way before bedtime.
• Talk about mother-in-training. Cayden never goes a minute without some attention: his sister is constantly bringing him toys, kissing his head, rubbing his back and talking to him. I hope they stay this way forever.
• One smart cookie. We are always amazed how we can say or do something one time, but how Addie always seems to catch it and repeats. She is learning her colors, shapes, numbers and letters.  Our little lady loves puzzles of all sorts and matching games.
• Little Michelangelo. This girl is contantly coloring with crayons, chalk, or markers. She can be found at her easel or seated at her little table throughout the day, very focused on her current piece of art.
• The Helper.  Whether you want help or not, Addie is constantly dragging her chairs and step stool around to "assist" with whatever is going on.  Doing your make-up?  She's there. Changing diapers?  Addie is all.over.it.  Chopping veggies? You better keep an eye on that knife!  Sometimes I try to get something done really quick and hear the inevitable noise of her chair being dragged across the floor. 
• Athlete in the making. Though Addie isn't especially rambunctious for a toddler, she is super active.  Our mornings are filled with making forts and jumping in them, doing workout videos, playing basketball, going down the slide, driving cars around, and chasing each other or Mia.  All inside. We cannot wait for summer!
• Too busy to eat. This girl has a sweet tooth, just like her mama.  But when she isn't being bribed with snacks or treats, she is usually too busy to stop and eat. In fact, meats & veggies are really hard to get into that tummy!  In addition to sugar, Addie loves fruits, smoothies, PB&Js and pretty much any carb.
• Other favorites - Bathtime, follow-the-leader, playing with friends, frosting cookies, emptying dresser during naptime, dressing up in rainboots, playing with dolls, watching movies, and of course, the Ipad.

Here are some 2 year pictures from our sweet friend, Gina Zeidler!  And be sure to check out her blog here.

Cayden 6 Month Update

Our sweet boy turned 6 months old a few weeks backand this is the first chance I've had to document it!  Things have been a bit of a whirlwind with birthday celebrations,  busy workloads, and a sleepless baby.  But without anymore delay, here's Cayden:

Movement - Cayden is a wiggle worm. He loves to kick and bounce. Though he is an excellent sitter, he isn't one for a lot of rolling (unless you put in on his tummy, in which he will flip to his back without much hesitation). The exersaucer has been a lot of fun this past month, he will jump and throw himself around in that thing for a good 20 minutes at a time.

Eating - We've introduced solid foods at the end of this month, with the hopes that it would improve Cayden's sleeping. He enjoys cereal and pretty much all fruits and vegetables. Right now we are feeding him solids in the evenings, then he nurses or takes a bottle about every three hours throughout the rest of the day.

Sleeping - As you may have caught on, we haven't made much progress in the sleeping department. At one time it seemed like we were having some success in sleep training but the past few weeks have showed some regression. At 6 months, our little man was waking up every 90 minutes or so!

Interaction - Our little guy can be quite the snuggler. I love nuzzling my nose against his, he brings his whole head in and tucks it into my neck. These moments make she wish he would never grow up. He loves interacting on the changing table, we do lots of tickling and singing, Cayden squeals with delight. Some of his favorite games are peek-a-boo, patty cake, airplane, and singing songs.

These images were captured by our talented friend Gina Ziedler  Friends, she is amazing. Check our here blog here.