Two and a Half Years Old!

It's hard to believe that Zed and Alice are 2.5 years old--it doesn't seem like it was that long ago that they were born. On the other hand, they seem to grow and learn more every single day, and sometimes it blows my mind that a little 2 year old can do and say the things they do and say.

At their check up this past week, Zed was 35.9 tall (50th percentile) and weighed 30.8 lbs (63rd); Alice was 35.4 inches tall (50th) and weighed 24.4 lbs (7th). The doctor was quite impressed that Alice had grown THREE inches in six months and that she'd hit the 50th percentile for height.


At two and a half Zed:

• loves to do things "all by my own self"--he gets dressed on his own and even tries to do a belt all by himself (he still needs a little help but he's determined to try it on his own every single time) 
• loves to color--he'll color for hours sometimes, and if Alice isn't coloring her pages, he volunteers to help 
• doesn't like to listen--he definitely has a mischievous streak and even once responded, "Listening is hard!" when Adam asked him if he was listening
• likes doing puzzles; that's another activity he'll do for long stretches of time and he's getting really good at doing even more complex puzzles 
• likes to make noises all day long--and ask "What's that noise?" or point out "I making noises!" to ensure that we notice 
• likes to make pancakes and waffles--he asks on nearly a daily basis to make "pampcakes and waffles"

At two and a half Alice:

• likes to repeat everything we say; she is very good at giving detailed explanations of things (if you be naughty, you go to time out and Mommy be sad and Daddy be sad and...and..and...)  and gives reports on what happened each day
• loves to read books and go to story time at the library 
• likes to sing and make up songs 
• likes to snuggle--she is an early riser and comes to snuggle with Adam every morning when she gets up 
•  likes to push her stuffed dog around the house in a stroller or shopping cart
• likes to hoard things--she loads up her purse and stroller with everything she can possibly fit in there!

We are working on potty training (kind of) and it's exhausting (for me at least). Alice and Zed like weekly visits to the library, like it when their friends Henry or Ella come over, and like playing with their cousins (although they are disappointed that Perry and Kylie are in school and therefore aren't around to play as much). They are learning to say their prayers and listen when we read scriptures. They like to sing "I Love to See the Temple" and "The Wise Man and the Foolish Man." They like to give hugs and kisses--to us and to each other. They are super, terrific, wonderful kids, and we love them so much!

Two Years Old!

Zed and Alice turned two in May, which is just crazy to think about.

At two, Alice:

• has brown eyes and brown hair
• it still on the small side--she was 32.3 inches tall and 22.2 pounds at her two-year check up
• loves to sing--she will sing songs around the house and she makes up songs of her own and she frequently requests songs from Mommy, with her favorites being "The Wheels on the Bus" and "I Love to See the Temple"
• knows her colors and loves to find things that match--a pink chair matches her pink shirt, and so on. While she mostly matches with colors, she will occasionally match other things; for example, a picture of a dog in a book matches her stuffed dog
• likes to "go walking"--she loads up her doll stroller with as much stuff as it can possibly hold and then walks from one end of the house to the other, and sometimes she recruits Zed, too; she tells him to get the toy shopping cart so he can "go walking"
• loves to eat noodles and cheese--but she is particular on the color; if we give her white cheese and she wants "orange cheese" instead, she will be sure to correct us
• talks and talks and talks and talks--and if I tell her I need "peace and quiet for a few minutes," she is quick to tell me, "No peace, no quiet."
• likes to go to the park and "swing up high" and go to the library and play in the swimming pool
• likes to give BIG kisses; she grab our faces in both hands and pull us in for a big kisses

At two, Zed:

• has hazel eyes and blonde hair that is getting darker
• is average in size--he was 34.5 inches tall and weighed in at 27.8 pounds at his two-year check up
• likes to climb on things and roughhouse
• likes green; he knows other colors as well, but he seems to get the most excited about green things
• does not like it when we stop at red lights or stop signs; when we do stop, he urges us to "Go, go" and when we tell him the light is red, he likes to tease us and insist that it's green
• likes his routines; for example, on Sundays, we usually share a pew with our friends the Waltons, and if they aren't there, or if they just haven't arrived yet, Zed will say "Ella" and "Audrey" over and over and over again, asking where they are
• likes to dance and thinks it's fun to turn on the radio all by himself and start dancing
• likes to yell! He just yells for fun sometimes, over and over
• likes to splash in the swimming pool and go to the library
• gives super awesome bear hugs

Both Alice and Zed continue to keep us laughing and shaking our heads at their antics. Adam and I ask ourselves on a regular basis, "Where do they learn these things?!" We love seeing how sweet they are with each other--like if one of them gets hurt, quite often the other will come over to offer a hug or a kiss. Of course they have their moments when they fight over toys or who gets to sit in which car seat or whatever, but usually they are pretty nice to each other. I guess I'm probably biased, but I think they're the cutest kids ever :)