Our Big Two-Year-Olds!

This is a belated Happy Birthday post, but one that I did not want to go unwritten. Isaac and Audrey are two years old already--crazy! They are such sweethearts and so full of personality at this age. Here's what you should know about them as they begin another year:

Isaac:
1. Isaac, to this day, still has such a love of life and so much enthusiasm. He gets excited about all of the things around us that we take for granted. It's so much fun to go on car rides and to new places with him and hear him exclaim things like, "Look, Mama! I see one! I see an airplane! Up in the sky! There it is!" I never get tired of hearing his excitement and awe over both the "big" things in life (i.e. airplanes, buses, trucks, boats, lakes, creeks) and the small things (i.e. ants, rocks, twigs). Not enough people show that kind of enthusiasm for life, if you ask me!
2. He is so affectionate and such a hugger. He loves to give "bear hugs" where he squeezes you as tight as he can and insists on just "one more time." I've heard the average person needs to be hugged eight times a day to feel loved, and we're so fortunate Isaac has so much love to give and hugs to give out. No one feels unloved in this house, thanks to Isaac!
3. He's really starting to expand his conversations with us, along with his imagination and curiosity. He has started asking simple questions, like "Where'd Dada go? In the shower?" and using his imagination to start conversations like the following:
Isaac: "I see a bald eagle...in the tree!"
Mom: "Really? Which tree?"
Isaac: (pause) "Bye, bye, eagle!" (as in, "Oh gosh, Mom, you must have just missed it. I swear it was right there!").  :)
He is also learning to reason and jump to conclusions, which is fascinating to me. For example, Ryan was following us on the highway once in his car when we lost him. When I explained that we'd lost him and I couldn't see him anymore, Isaac exclaimed, "Too fast, Mama. Car too fast!" I couldn't believe that he'd figured this out and could articulate it, too!
4. His dance moves go unmatched. I guess he cracks everyone up at day care when they have dance time in the gym because of his hilarious dance moves! He has this crazy head roll/arm roll thing he does that is just too darn cute. We need to get a video of it to truly capture his talents! It seems I might be enrolling Isaac in dance class with Audrey next year. :)
5. Some of his "favorites" at this age include:
Color: still blue!
Foods: still blueberries, but also yogurt, macaroni and cheese, broccoli (believe it or not!), and basically any fruit you put onto his plate.
Phrase: "Go away ____!" (no ill-will intended--I'm pretty sure he just thinks it's funny to tell Mom, Dad, and Audrey to "go away. " We're working on cutting this phrase out of his vocabulary. :)
Books: He really loves them all, but his current favorites are Chicken Little, Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, and Daddy Hugs.
Movie: Finding Nemo (of course!)
Number: 3 (fun to say, perhaps? We get a lot of, "1, 2, 3! 1, 2, 3! 1, 2, 3!...8, 9, 10!"
Song: the alphabet song/ABCs (it's pretty funny to listen to him substitute a couple of the letters with whatever he can think of!)
Animal: definitely sea turtles (he proudly proclaims in the tub, pool, etc. that he's swimming "like a sea turtle!") and bald eagles
Toys: He likes to ride the "bumblebee" ride-on toy, loves his new play "laptop," and still hearts his blankie. :)

Audrey:
1. Audrey continues to remind us to just be happy and silly. Everyone knows I'm a pretty serious person, but Audrey can get me into a giggle fit like no other. She comes up with the silliest, goofiest games and the two of us can just laugh and laugh together. It's so hard to get mad or impatient with her when you know that she's just trying to add a little bit of fun to life!
2. This silliness, however, means that Audrey is usually the "instigator" between the two of them. We might be able to hear Isaac in their room the loudest when they start jumping in their cribs and playing games when they're supposed to be sleeping, but we know that Audrey is the clever one who starts these games and then tries to look innocent when we confront them. :) She has this cute little mischievous glint in her eye that gives her away every time. She also likes to turn up the radio super loudly and then run away from it and pretend it wasn't her who did it!
3. She can be fiercely independent, which I absolutely love about her. For every time she wants me next to her, holding her hand through the next great challenge, there is a time where she swats my hands away and insists she do something all by herself. This, in my mind, is one of her greatest strengths and a trait that will carry her far someday!
4. As quiet and soft-spoken as she is, she hides a kind of intelligence and critical thinking that amazes me at the most surprising times. She is well on her way to knowing the alphabet and the sounds that each letter makes and while she doesn't flaunt what she knows, all you have to do is ask her to identify a picture in a story or an object in the room and she'll do it correctly--nonchalantly--almost every time. I suspect someday she'll be one of those people where--when she speaks up--the whole room will stop to hear what she has to say because she makes it count.
5.  Some of Audrey's favorites at this age include:
Activities: swimming, dance, puzzles (she still loves her puzzles!), reading stories, and playing with her "Blackberry"
Foods: spaghetti, grilled cheese, yogurt, and ice cream
Phrases: "Bye bye _______" and "Water! Water!" (she gets excited about lakes, pools, the splash pad, puddles, and just about anything she can splash in)
Books: Chicken Little, Go Away Big Green Monster!, Llama Llama Red Pajama, and any story about Elmo
Cartoon: Little Miss Spider and her Sunny Patch Friends (something like that)
Animal: owls, whales, and ducks (I love how much she loves owls still!)
Song: the alphabet song/ABCs and Pop! Goes the Weasel


We love you guys and are so proud of you both! We can't wait for what's in store this next year.

Cabin Weekend - Fourth of July

What a fun weekend we had at the cabin! Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa! Audrey loved the water and Isaac still can't stop talking about "grandpa's boat" and all of the pontoons (not to mention the bald eagle we saw...boy, was he excited to tell his teachers at school on Wednesday!).

 Stacy and Audrey on the dock

 Isaac and Grandpa "skipping" rocks

 "Eagle! Eagle!"

 Just me and dad

 On a mission!

 Here, fishie fishie

 Ugghhh...yuck!

Best part of the whole weekend, if you ask me!

Turning Two!

Thank you to everyone who came out and helped us celebrate Audrey and Isaac's second birthday. Here is a recap of the kids' fun:

 Yay, bubbles!

Finding Nemo theme

Audrey's cute polka-dot birthday outfit (thanks, Aunt Stacy!)

 Boys will be boys!

Mmmm...cupcake....