Two Years

Patrick has grown from a sweet baby to an inquisitive toddler in no time at all. Overall, he an easy-going kid. Of course he has the occasional tantrum, but is usually quickly distracted. He has adapted well to school, and is comfortable in crowds, although he does tend to clam up around strangers. He's pretty independent, but comes back to check in with one of us often. He tends to be very enthusiastic (we often hear "oooo-ooooo" when he sees something new or interesting), and although he went though a brief "no" phase, his favorite word these days is "yesss." The boy doesn't like to share, and is going through an unfortunate "no kisses!" phase, but is otherwise loving, quick to grab a hand or snuggle in a lap. It'll be interesting to see how his personality develops even further...

Patrick is not a morning person. Our biggest struggles these days involve getting him dressed and out the door in the morning. Like his parents, he'd rather sleep in and lounge around in jammies all day. At night, he is the master of the stall tactics, requesting book after book. Sometimes he'll ask for the potty to stall even further. After lights-out, he insists on an elaborate ritual of kisses, noses, head-butts, and hugs, both for himself and Babick (his blankie).

Eager to learn, Patrick recognizes all the letters and numbers, can sing the ABC song (minus E and MNO), and count to twelve, or sometimes twenty (the teens are hit or miss). He knows his shapes and colors, and wants to know the name for everything. He speaks the occasional full sentence, but mostly uses phrases.

He's obsessed with Curious George (books and television show), and also loves Thomas, Maisy, Sesame Street, and Signing Time. He still loves books; his current favorite is Harold and the Purple Crayon. His favorite song is "Kosty Snowman" (Frosty). Quite the sports fan, he enjoys playing with footballs, his baseball bat and glove, soccer balls... and pink pom-pons.

We've had a wonderful two years watching our little boy grow, and look forward to cherishing every new development.

Christmas Cookies

Snowstorm

A foot of snow on Friday and another storm predicted for Sunday kept us home from Maine.

Making Wrapping Paper

No heat and limited power today due to the ice storm, so no baking as planned. A perfect day for painting projects...

Christmas Tree Farm

What a great age for Christmas! Patrick can't get over the fact that we have an actual tree in the house. "Oooo-oooo, tree... in house!!" every time he enters the dining room...

Trip to Denver

Pictures coming soon...