2 years old!

Happy 2nd birthday, Paul! He is such a happy little boy and brings joy to everyone around him. We had a train party the day before his birthday. He always gets very excited when a "choo-choo" goes by on the tracks behind our house or when we see a train anywhere. Here are some things I want to remember about Paul as a 2-year-old.

*Paul LOVES his big brother and little sister. He can usually be found doing whatever Stephen is doing. As much as he likes playing with him, Paul is also very good at pushing Stephen's buttons. He will take toys away, push or bite him, or even tackle him if he is upset. Paul calls Theresa "Rose" and just points at Stephen.

*He enjoys looking at pictures of his family members and will point and name everyone.

*His imagination is really developing. He has fun pretending to play basketball and baseball. He will also pretend to be a puppy or a tiger.

*Paul is a big fan of reading books, by himself or with mommy or daddy. His favorites include any books about trucks, "Slam Dunk," and animal books.

*He has a stuffed tiger that always goes to bed with him. He holds onto it by the tag around its neck. Paul is also still attached to his pacifier. He asks for it by pointing his finger in his mouth.

*His vocabulary is building everyday. I can usually understand what he is talking about. His favorite word is definitely "why."

*Stephen and Paul both like to be "Father." They are frequently seen holding books up and walking around like a priest does at Mass. Paul likes pointing out crosses and Jesus. He has started repeating random words he hears during Mass. This morning he heard the priest mention St. Paul. Paul looked at me and said, "Paul!"

"Paul loves playing outside. He likes riding bikes, playing baseball, and digging in the dirt.

We love you, Paul!

"Happy birthday, dear Paul!"

Blowing out his candles

Happy 3rd birthday, Stephen!

Stephen is 3! He was very excited about his approaching birthday and kept talking about his birthday party. Here are some things I want to remember about him at this age...

Stephen requested to wear a tie to church on his birthday.

A picture with our 3-year-old

*He LOVES basketball, football, baseball, soccer, hockey, tennis, golf, volleyball...basically anything that involves throwing, hitting, or kicking a ball. I think basketball is his favorite to play. He loves watching the Denver Broncos, Colorado Rockies, and Nebraska Huskers on TV. He knows that John Fox is the Broncos coach and Peyton Manning is the quarterback. Michael Cuddyer is his favorite player on the Rockies team. He also enjoys watching basketball games in person. When he watches sports, he is very attentive and will talk about what is happening. "He just scored a touchdown. They miss the shot. He didn't catch it. He just throw the ball. Go defense!"

*He talks about himself as whatever athlete he is that day. For example, "Basketball player is dribbling the ball. Basketball player is going to Target. Basketball player is eating lunch."

*He loves playing with Paul. He also loves taking toys away from Paul. I love watching their brother relationship develop. They have a great time chasing and tackling each other and spend lots of time laughing together. Stephen likes it when Paul tries to repeat a word or sound he says. Stephen usually uses the cutest voice when he is talking to Paul.

*Stephen will come up to me randomly, give me a hug, and say "I love you, Mommy." So sweet!

*He loves cars and can name a Mustang, Shelby, or Corvette by sight. He likes to watch for muscle cars and hot rods on the street.

*A few months ago, he stopped playing with my hair. It happened all of a sudden and I didn't even realize it at first. I sometimes miss it but am glad he is done.

*Stephen loves reading books. Some of his favorites right now are Pete the Cat, Curious George, "Go, Dog, Go," "Angel in the Waters" (a book about a baby in utero and being born), and the blog book from his first year. There are a few books he can "read" on his own. I love seeing him sit down with Paul and read a book. These include "Pete the Cat - I Love My White Shoes" and "Brown Bear, Brown Bear."

*He can be quite the little chatterbox. I love hearing him talk and laugh at the things he comes up with sometimes. He has quite the imagination. For awhile he had a friend named "Duncan Jackson." Sometimes he has a puppy named "Jackson." (Not sure where he came up with those names.) He plays with imaginary basketball and football players. He talks about going to work. He used to work at the post office. Now he works at high school basketball games.

*Stephen loves helping Daddy, especially if it involves going in the garage. He likes following Daddy around and going on errands with him. He also loves playing football and basketball with Daddy.

*Stephen is usually an early riser...up before 7. He'll come into our room and say, "It's morning day." Sometimes he'll be okay playing or reading in the living room. Other times he'll bring toys into our bedroom.

*One morning Stephen was finishing breakfast, and I was in the bathroom getting ready for the day. He started yelling, "Mommy, I'm done," and got no response. So he decided to try yelling, "Jessica!"

*I know there's more that I just can't think of right now. I wish I could record every cute thing he says and does because I want to always remember him at this age, especially when he becomes an adorable teenager. :)
          

Happy birthday, Daddy!

Daddy took off work on his birthday yesterday, so we were able to have a fun day celebrating him! We started by opening presents.

 Next, we discovered some deer hanging out by our swingset.

Stephen wanted to take a picture of the deer also.

Capturing the deer from outside

 Then, we headed up to our favorite mountain spot with a stop in Georgetown.

A picnic along Guanella Pass

Yummy cookie!

Exploring with Daddy

King of the mountain!

King of the bigger mountain!

Stephen wanted to take our picture.

After lunch we headed towards our rock. We didn't hike all the way in but did enough hiking to satisfy Stephen who had been wanting to walk on a mountain.

2 happy boys!

Throwing rocks in the river

 After eating tacos for supper (Steve's favorite), we had a birthday German chocolate cake (also Steve's favorite). The boys were very excited to help Daddy blow out the candles.

A baseball party

Paul's 1st birthday party had a baseball theme.

Stephen likes pretending he's a fox, so we gave him a fox tail with some leftover streamers.

I was excited to find this cute baseball shirt for Paul to wear.

We were blessed with a beautiful day for the party. Thirty-seven people attended, including Grandma and Grandpa G., who were able to come out for the weekend. It was wonderful having the extra help keeping the boys entertained and getting ready for the party. The cake was from Steve's favorite cake shop, but I added the baseballs to it.

Talking to Aunt Anne and John

Greeting Uncle John

Stephen had fun playing with Morgan and Ava.

Paul chats with his guests.

Stephen was very excited about wearing a birthday hat. He had also been eagerly anticipating Paul getting to eat cake, and the big moment was greatly enjoyed by both boys. Paul managed to get a couple fingers in the big cake as we sang to him. He was reaching for his piece of cake before it even reached his highchair, and it didn't take long for him to devour it.

Paul kept the hat on just long enough for us to get a picture.

Yummy!

Paul wishes he hadn't eaten his cake so fast.

Paul opened his presents on his actual birthday. Stephen was more than willing to help him.

Happy birthday, Paul!

Happy 1st birthday, Paul!

From a precious little newborn...

to a rambunctious little toddler...

We love you Paul James!

Christmas #2

My family traveled out to Colorado on December 26. Stephen eagerly anticipated their arrival. Of course, the kids jumped right into playing as soon as they got here.

Guess there was an emergency at the stable.

Grandma plays football with Stephen.

We took the traditional pictures in front of the tree and opened presents that evening. Paul slept through most of it but did wake up just in time to open his gifts.

Stephen, once again, crying in a cousins picture

Steve played princesses with Emily.

The next day we went to JumpStreet and had fun bouncing around.

Paul tells Monica good morning.

That evening we celebrated three birthdays - Amy, Emily, and me.

Stephen helps Clare set the table.

Instead of cake, we put candles into a piece of fudge.

The Children's Museum was our destination on Friday.

Stephen the firefighter

Playing trains with Amy

Paul the engineer

Paul the scientist

Stephen enjoyed exploring the bubbles area.

Paul had fun in the baby area.

Paul the rabbit

Stephen the veterinarian

 We played a game of Sorry in the evening. Playing a board game with a 7, 5, and 3 year-old is definitely an experience.

Stephen and Grandpa

Shooting hoops with Clare

Unfortunately, Emily got sick that night, and Jacob got sick the next morning. Megan wasn't feeling well either. Their departure was delayed a couple hours, but they managed to get on the road. Amy got sick on the road. So, not a fun ending to the trip, but we had a good time until then!