He is 2 already!

Can it really be true? Is our boy really two?
I can believe it in some ways but in other ways its shocking!

Playing in the mud water at Hawk's Hollow

Noah, you truly are a blessing to this family. You are such a loving wonderful boy and God has given us such a wonderful blessing. I love the way you love to make us laugh, dance, and play. You are a determined and energetic boy who loves to run, climb, march, and you don't stop aside from needing to eat or sleep. Very much still a mommy's boy you still prefer me to put you to bed at night and look to me when you're not feeling well or hurt. But boy do you LOVE when daddy comes home so you can rough house! And you can really tell when daddy has been away for a while because you become restless or start lashing out on Lauren!
The relationship you have with your sister is love/hate which is totally normal for siblings! You enjoy following her around, copying what she does, and playing with her (including dress up, dancing, and make believe). You really do look up to her. On the other side of things you get a huge kick out of taking something from Lauren and running away making her chase after you. And when she does something you don't like your first instinct is to smack her on the head or scream. Those moments when you both are sitting playing together, laughing, or hugging/snuggling each other makes my heart happy.

You eat a good variety of food though the amount you eat has decreased lately. You're definitely not as big a milk drinker as your sister was at this age but still take a sippy cup of it in the morning. The very first thing you look forward to eating in the morning are your gummy vitamins. Right afterwards you are ready for your breakfast! I have to say that I'm very proud of the variety of food both my kids eat.
You are still a great sleeper and hardly ever give us trouble putting you to bed. We've heard multiple times from nana and grammy how easy you are. For nighttime you sleep from about 7/7:30pm to 7am and for nap you still sleep 2-3 hours! Your bedtime routine consists of brushing teeth, diaper, jammies, books and then rocking/singing. Such an easy boy to put to bed.
As far as talking goes... you are meeting your milestones and progressing more and more. Though not speaking sentences yet you have started to combine words and definitely try new words every day. It's getting easier to communicate with you and I love how your face lights up when I understand something you say. One of the phrases we hear commonly from you is "oh boy". You call your sister "la la" which I think is adorable! Lately you've started to practice talking after putting you to bed at night.
You have also recently taken an interest in books (especially at bedtime), colors, counting, and shapes. Colors you get right most of the time are yellow, blue, and orange. You can count up to 3 (I've heard you count up to 5 once) consistently. Shapes are something you've recently taken an interest in and can pick out a circle and heart almost every time. Twinkle twinkle little star is a favorite song and it's so cute to hear you sing it! While we're in the car we watch a lot of baby signing time. It's something your sister still doesn't mind watching and helps her with her car sickness while you are learning something. You love the songs and have started singing them randomly during the day. I love watching you learn every day and it's amazing how much you have learned in such a short time!

Your birthday weekend was filled with activities. On Saturday we went to TWO Easter egg hunts! One traditional and one where the Easter bunny dropped eggs from a helicopter! The small church at the south end of our neighborhood put that one on and you loved watching the helicopter come in and take off again. After nap time we took you and Lauren over to Hawk's Hollow for some laid-back fun. You both enjoyed poking your sticks in the mud and rocky water and throwing rocks. Though it was a windy day you had a lot of fun.
On your birthday, Lauren joined mommy and daddy in singing happy birthday as we came into your room that morning. You especially loved the balloons we were carrying with us! We had a chocolate chip pancake breakfast, opened presents and went to church. After church we joined our whole family at nana and opa's house to celebrate with cake, ice cream, and presents. You had a blast playing with your sister and cousins. Such a fun day!

Blowing out the candles on your birthday pancake

Getting ready to blow out the candle!

Eating cake with your cousins!

Daddy and I kept having to remind ourselves that you were actually turning two today. The past 2 years have just flown by and we have just enjoyed you so much! I can't wait to see how God shapes you into the boy and man you are meant to be and look forward to getting to know you more. I love you Noah more than I can humanly comprehend!