Monday, June 25, 2012

David Turns 2!

On June 5 Jay and David saw the pediatrician for the "Well Check" appointments.

Here are David's latest stats.

Weight: 26 lbs. (25-50%)
Height: 34-7/8 or 35" (I'm thinking/guessing that is 50%)


And here are some things of note about our cute and expressive 2-year-old boy. (Like I said in Jay's post, these bullet-points are probably very boring to most. It is more of a "remembrance" list for me. I truly won't be offended if you skip reading the rest of this post! You have my permission, in fact.)
  • Runs!
  • Can walk up and down stairs by holding the rail or a hand
  • Scribbles with a crayon, paints with watercolor, draws with pen/pencil, creating "pictures"
  • Kicks or throws a ball willingly and enjoys playing "with" someone else
  • Can combine words and points to pictures
  • Temper tantrums started to happen a couple of weeks before his 2nd birthday
  • Just after turning 2 years old "Nay" suddenly became "Jay" in his vocabulary. For the longest time I didn't think he could say "Js," but when he clearly pronounced his cousin's name (Josh), I KNEW he could say his brother's name correctly - he just was choosing not to. And then a few weeks later, he changed the pronunciation!
  • A phrase that melts Mommy, Daddy, and loved ones/family/friends that David says is this: "Hold you." That means he wants to be picked up and held. We rarely resist that sweet request unless it is an absolute necessity to deny.
  • Cars and Cars2 characters he adores, along with Curious George, Caillou, and Thomas the Train. He cracks me up when he enthusiastically says, "Light'ning McKing - Chow" meaning "Lighting McQueen - Ka Chow!" "Mater," "Missile" meaning Finn McMissile, and "Holly" meaning "Holly Shiftwell."
  • A few weeks before his 2nd birthday he decided he was done with the crib and requested to have his naps in the "big boy bed." It wasn't but a few days when he insisted on sleeping in the bed at night, too! It was all his decision...such a good boy about it, too. He rarely gets out of bed on his own - waits and calls for Mommy or Daddy to come to get him. You'll hear him say, "Sleep" when he wants to go back to his room to take his afternoon nap and when tucking him in bed at night will sometimes say, "Sleep" or "I tired." (David sleeps in the full bed and Jay sleeps in the twin bunk bed that sits above the full bed now.)
  • Isn't potty trained at all, but enjoys "practicing" from time to time. I'll take off his diaper and he'll sit on his little potty chair. He points his "pee-pee" down and makes a "s-s-s-s-s" sound like he is pee-ing, then when he is "done" he'll stand up, turn around, and pretend to press a pretend handle to "flush it" while making a loud "swish" sound. It is HILARIOUS! We shower him with praise for trying and he just beams and is so proud of himself. I think he'll catch right on to the whole potty training thing when he is truly "ready."
  • Is a terrific eater. He'll eat and snack on something or other all morning long ("eereal and mik" with a "poon" is his first request every morning followed by a string of sweet, repeated "tank ooo Mommy" after it is ready for him).
  • Goes to sleep around 8:00/8:30 every night and wakes between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m. every morning (with an occasional quick wake-up at night between 12 and 2 pm in which he calls for Mommy. I just go and pat him on the back or put his blanket back on top of him - then he is right back to sleep again).
  • Has become much more possessive recently about toys he is currently playing with or interested in, but when asked nicely to trade for another toy or give one item out of several in his possesive "stash" to brother Jay or another kid, he thinks about it, then almost always does as requested/asked when presented to him in a polite way.
  • Enjoys bath time (3 times a week) and brushing his teeth at bedtime.
  • Received another/final Hepatitis A immunization shot in his thigh at the end of his healthy well-check.
WE SURE DO LOVE YOU, DAVID! XXX OOO

Jay is 4!

Back on June 5th I took Jay and David to the pediatrician for their "Well Check" appointments.

Here are Jay's 4-year-old stats.

Weight: 34.6 lbs (25-50%)
Height: 41-1/2" (75-90%)
BMI (Body Mass Index): 14 (5%)

Here are some things of note about our terrific guy. (These bullet-points are probably very boring to most. It is more of a "remembrance" list for me. I truly won't be offended if you skip reading the rest of this post! You have my permission, in fact.)
  • Asks LOTS of questions (we've hit the "why" stage!)
  • Able to put on his clothing with just a little assistance
  • Runs, jumps and climbs
  • Loves to find a new "friend" at the playground, playing cooperatively with others
  • Can say his first and last name when asked (sometimes/many times when asked what his name is he responds, "J-A-Y" -- spelling it out).
  • Can name his friends
  • Has a healthy, active imagination
  • Enjoys drawing circles, spider webs, faces, etc.
  • Can follow dotted lines to make letters and numbers
  • Enjoys "helping" in the kitchen and around the house (mixing/stirring ingredients together in a bowl, counting how many eggs I crack into the mixing bowl, dumping pre-measured ingredients in the bowl, washing windows, vacuuming, dusting, wiping door handles and such with disinfectant wipes)
  • Breakfast is his absolute favorite meal of the day. Pancakes, waffles, and french toast are tops on the list. He starts his mornings off most days snacking/eating a bowl of dry Life cereal.
  • Other favorite lunch/dinner foods include cheese bagel bites, chicken nuggets dipped in ketchup, buttered pasta noodles and most recently slightly cooked BROCCOLI (dipped in ranch dressing!! (Can you tell this Mommy's excited about that last item?!?)
  • Enjoys building forts or hideouts using furniture and blankets
  • Big cardboard boxes are a hit. They become a house, a dog house, and most recently he requested a smaller box to become a ferry boat for his play cars.
  • Is quickly learning how to ride his bike with training wheels. Still needs just a bit more practice to get the hang of it.
  • Is completely potty-trained during the day. Wears pull-ups at night/in bed, but many days wakes up with a dry pull-up!
  • We have lots of "God" conversations, most of them he initiates -- "God made that beautiful ____," he'll say, for example. Or "God is giving the trees, grass, dirt, and animals a big drink of water/a wash today," is what I heard on this rainy, cool 2nd day of summer. :)
  • Enjoys singing songs! And knows lots of them from church, CDs, and Christian radio. "Vertigo" by U2 and "Blessed Be Your Name" by Matt Redman are current faves.
  • Jay had caught Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease 2-1/2 weeks prior to this check-up, but was healing up nicely from it and was healthy again.
  • Received the Kinrix immunization in his upper left arm at the end of the well-check appointment (which contained IPV - inactivated poliovirus, and DTaP - Diphtheria-Tetanus-acellular Pertussis).
WE SURE LOVE YOU, JAY!! XXX OOO

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Jay & David's Birthdays 2012

Friday Night Bike Ride, June 1, 2012
Saturday, June 2, 2012 - Jay's 4th Birthday
4 Cheese Bagel Bites, Fruit, and Devil's Food Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
(Jay's requests)
Jay's lunch party here at home was followed by a pool party for friend Kezia celebrating her 5th birthday. How nice, convenient, and lots of fun!





We came home after the pool party, ate dinner (dinosaur chicken nuggets for the birthday boy), then opened birthday gifts from Aunt Traci, Uncle Keith, Cousins Sam and Sydney.





Suffice it to say, it was a VERY fun weekend!
(Special thanks for the birthday gifts family!!)

Monday, June 4, 2012

Cannon Beach Celebration!

Over Memorial Day weekend we joined a portion of Matt's family at our favorite vacation spot - Cannon Beach Christian Conference Center. Normally we spend a week in August there, but this year with baby girl due, a week in August wasn't going to work for us. We opted to attend the weekend conference.

The only meal "on our own" over the special three-day weekend was Saturday lunch (all other meals were provided) so it was fun to plan a "Cars" themed family birthday party to celebrate the May/June/July family birthdays - Uncle Mike, Jay, Cousin Alex, David, and Cousin Josh.
Here are pictures of the 4 cousins playing together with Alex and Josh's "Cars" collection prior to lunch. How perfect - in the "theme" already!

Lunch - pizza from Pizza a' Fetta
Fruit, Chips, and Salad Fixin's

"Cars" themed plates
Some of the birthday boys enjoying their pizza lunch!
(Clockwise: David, Josh, and Alex)
Present time!





Ice cream cake for dessert



Opening gifts from Mommy and Daddy after nap time
Playing with the new birthday toys!
(We thought it was funny that David liked playing with his feet and legs under the end of the bed.)
Our weekend there ended on a bit of an abrupt down note. Mommy/me/Mindy came down with the signs/symptoms of Hand, Foot, and Mouth disease. (Jay had it early that week and I probably caught it when I was comforting him Tuesday night.) In order to not give greater exposure to family, we hightailed it out of there Sunday morning driving straight back home. (Our initial plan attend the conference through Monday afternoon, spend Monday night in Oregon at Matt's parents, driving back home Tuesday morning to avoid the holiday traffic.) Praise the Lord - neither Matt or David caught it. We continue to pray that Jay and I didn't spread it to any others.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Mother's Day & First Ferry Ride

On Mother's Day, May 13th, we delivered a meal to friends in the Everett area (celebrating with them the addition of a newborn boy). It was a beautiful day, so we made it into a fun afternoon, taking the boys to Silver Lake which had a great big play area.


The following Saturday, May 19th, we visited friends who have recently moved to Fox Island (just outside Tacoma near Gig Harbor) and then visited family in Port Orchard. We caught the 1:45 ferry (an hour long ride) from Bremerton to Seattle -- the boys' first-ever ferry ride. They LOVED it! It was such an enjoyable day.