Sierra's 2nd Birthday Bash

I'm 2 months behind, but here's the recap of how we celebrated Sierra's 2nd Birthday...

I first have to note that I had been telling Sierra for a couple of weeks that she was about to turn 2. I guess I never said 2 years old, but just kept saying "2". Well, once her birthday came, I asked her "how old are you now?!", fully expecting to hear her reply "2", like I had been coaching her...and very proudly she said "2 more minutes!". hahahahaha. I give her time warnings all the time - "5 more minutes before we have to leave, 2 more minutes", etc. So apparently in her mind, "2" meant 2 more minutes. I let it go for a couple of weeks becuase it was so hilarious. Now if you ask how old she is, she confidently replies "I 2 years old!" :)

on her actual birthday, a Saturday, we went with Papa, Lala, Uncle Matt, Auntie Meli, and cousin Peyton to a local food festival - complete with petting zoo and jumpy castles!

 she LOVED the miniature pigs and the bunnies

 and this is how she felt about the goats, ponies and donkey. for weeks afterwards, she kept saying "i don't like the goats. i scared. i like the bunnies and piggies!"

 it was SO hot that day. she could not get enough of the jumpy castle and was very brave (but so slow! can you see the line piling up behind her?) to climb the tall stairs all by herself! sadly she got a bad case of hives from exposure to some peanut butter but it did not stop her one bit - we didn't even know until on the way home. benadryl and a good nap cured it all  :)

A week later, we had friends over to our backyard for a Teddy Bear Picnic! It was surprisingly cool and pleasant that morning, with just a little misty drizzle. Lots of family and friends came to help celebrate and a great time was had by all!

 phew, it's tough being 2! relaxing with G.G. as the party was just getting started

 she has always loved playing with the boys

 showing them trains are for girls too

 there was swinging, balls, sand box and tent fun! check out the little Longhorns - there was a big game that afternoon

 i think the birthday girl was entertaining her Papa and Auntie

 getting the picnic started with teddy grahams, raisins and juice boxes

 story time with Lala! she definitely captivated her audience with a great reading of the Teddy Bears' Picnic

 getting ready to sing

 we told everyone to bring their favorite stuffed friend but ironically Sierra didn't want to bring Goo outside because he would get dirty! (this is what i usually tell her, but the ONE time it's not only ok, but it's planned for her to have Goo outside, she sticks to my rule! ha, go figure!)

 all partied out, and thinking "did they seriously just put that thing on my head?!"

 SOOO excited that it's her birthday

 she blew it out on the first try!

 indulging in those yummy cupcakes

 cupcakes are serious business

 these 3 were hilarious. they sat there, so close to one another, for a LONG time. everyone else finished, got up and played around them but they just stayed there ...and kept eating! i couldn't stop laughing, it was precious!

 an overview of the party - we didn't get all the kiddos captured in the pictures. for memory's sake, here's a list of the guests: Daddy, Mommy, Baby Reid, Capt's, G.G., Papa, Lala, Uncle Matt, Auntie Meli, cousin Peyton, Uncle Stu, Aunt Cat, John, Cannon & his Mommy, Isabella and Victoria & their Mommy/Daddy, Nate & baby Taylor and their Mommy, Luke & baby Lila and their Mommy/Daddy, Lilianna and her Mommy, Knox & baby Noah and their Mommy/Daddy, Liberty and her Mommy

the after party - a couple of bookworms raided the bookshelf - so sweet

It was a very special day for a very special little girl! I still can't believe she's 2!!!

in a toddler's mind

how i wish i could get into the mind of our 2 year old!!!

here are some of the funny things she's said recently - in the last day or so...

** i couldn't find a pair of scissors, so sierra says "it's ok mommy. don't cry. it's ok.", while patting my back. and no, i was not crying over the missing scissors.
** while "changing" Goo's diaper: "oh no! Goo going poo poo! Goo has big big poo poo. Ewwwie! Yuck!...oh no, poo poo coming out! I got poo poo on my hands. my hands are diiirty diiirty, I need to wash my hands! Oh no." (haha, i couldn't stop laughing! this exact scenario happened yesterday with reid!)

** "mommy, i need some help. i can't get this silly thing!", while trying to get a paper that was stuck at the bottom of a box. she has started calling many items "this little thing" or "that silly thing", even when she knows what it is, like her cup or a book. i guess "thing" must be a common part of our everyday vocab.

** "no dad! don't sing! iii sing it." and "no! mommy, daddy, stop talking. look at me! stop talking!" - yes, she's getting more bossy and sassy, if you can believe it  :)

** "baby reid!! no ma'am!! no, buddy, not for you! not for you, baby reid! you just a little baby. have to wait til big boy." - because reid had turned around to watch tv. yep, this is what i tell reid (minus the "no ma'am" part!)... and i get to hear it said again through my little parrot  :)

** "daddy go bye byyyye. to watch tv." - haha, as far as i know, he was going to a meeting...maybe she had some other intel!

** S: while walking down the stairs, "remember? sierra fall"
me: "oh no, you fell?"
S: "yeahhh, i fell"
me: "where did you fall?"
S: "down" (haha, of course! so literal)
me: "you fell down?"
S: with a sad voice and sad face "yeahh. at church. poor sierra. poor big sierra. poor big sister!"

** "mommy, you wanna go to sleep? go for it!" (i still have no idea where she got that?! i can't remember ever saying "go for it". so funny)

forward progress

Reid has officially figured out how to move himself forward! It's not technically crawling yet, but it will be any day now. I still can't believe it. He's very efficient at scooting backwards and getting around that way but now will do a combination of extended arms/extended legs (on his tip toes) and hands/knees crawling position and switching between the two, he can move himself forwards and get to the toy on the other side of the rug. Thankfully it's still very slow at this point!

Watch out, Sierra...it's a whole new ball game once he's on the move!

this week - almost crawling, Christmas, emphasis

I am so ridiculously far behind on posts, mostly because my computer won't work with blogger anymore -ugh. Anyway, here's just a quick overview of the past few days...

* Reid is almost crawling! I CANNOT believe it! It's way too early for that and he still seems like such a baby to me - how could he be almost crawling already?! I'm not ready for this. But apparently he is. For the past week, he's been getting up on all fours and then dropping down after a few seconds. Last night, he stayed up on all fours for awhile and just kept rocking back and forth, ending up lunging himself forward. Today he did it every time I put him down on the floor or in his crib. He must be anxious to keep up with his sister who literally runs circles around him all day!

* Friday evening we went out with my parents to see the big Christmas tree and Santa at the shopping area by their house. As soon as Sierra saw the tree, she got SOOOO excited and kept saying "YOOK (look)! Christmas! YAY!!" over and over. She stood at the bottom of the tree and just looked up, amazed at how big it was. Then she had fun looking at her reflection in all of the giant ornament balls, pointing out each color. Santa was on a break, so we waited a little bit (short line and free, by the way!). She was very excited to see Santa...until she actually saw Santa...and then wanted nothing to do with him. So I had to hold her in the pictures. She stopped crying when he gave her a candy cane, but still would not even touch him. We considered it a practice run since it was spontaneous and the kids were wearing a pink butterfly dress and a blue striped shirt - not quite the Christmas outfits that go in the typical Santa picture. So we'll try again later. Maybe she can be bribed, knowing there's a candy cane at the end of the deal...  :)

* We put up our Christmas tree at home last night and some other decorations and Sierra loves it all. I LOVE seeing the joy spread across her face every time she sees it. Priceless. She calls all of it "Christmas". She points to the tree and says "Yook! It's Christmas! Can I touch it?". She pointed to the lights outside our neighbors' house today and said "WoW! Yook, Mommy! It's Christmas!". So. Precious.

* Sierra is so expressive and has her own way of emphasizing certain things that she's excited about when she talks. Here are a few examples from the last couple of days:
"That's a PURPLE PURPLE balloon!"
"No, Mommy. We are NOT NOT NOT going home!"
"Goo going to sit RIGHT RIGHT there."

Reid is 5 months

I was late with the 3 month post, completely skipped his 4 month post, now I'm a week late with the 5 month... and half of his pictures have his big sister in them too...can you tell he's the 2nd child? poor little guy!

here it goes...i'll do the LONG series of photos first, and then the long recap at the bottom...

 all smiles

 getting better at sitting up

 "i will get you, puppy!"

 "daddy, you're funny"

 S: "this is myyyy Goo"

i love how much reid loves his sister. he is fascinated by her every move!

 S: "no Reid, no ma'am, do not touch"

 2 against 1, trying to get smiles

 sierra's thinking 'haha, your hair stands straight up!"

 ...so she helps him keep it down

 i LOVE this one...too bad kyle and i were casting all sorts of shadows on them

 "here his beyee button! i found it!"

 we've begun the teething process

"ok, are we done yet? i'm pooped"

(this post was drafted 2-3 weeks ago. Reid will be 6 months next week so I'll update again then)

It's been a full month and a half since the last post. Reid is getting more vocal, probably trying to talk over his chatterbox sister. He squeals ALL the time, in a very loud, happy, high-pitch tone. He hasn't really started with any consonant sounds yet, but when you talk to him with "mamama, dadada", etc. he just giggles and thinks it's hilarious. He likes to blow raspberries and make sounds with his lips. He is drooling like crazy (pediatrician confirmed this week that his gums are swollen and teeth are coming!) and puts everything in his mouth.

He is getting better at sitting up, but still tumbles over after not too long. His favorite place to be is in the exersaucer, which is also a jumper. He LOVES to jump/bounce. When you stand him up on his feet, he immediately bends his legs and then extends them - jumping over and over. He laughs the most when he's on his back. It's common for him to laugh when getting his diaper changed (unless he's really hungry!!) - sometimes he starts giggling as soon as I start to take his diaper off and sometimes as soon as the wipee touches him. And I'm talking real laughing - often deep belly laughing. It's precious. And he is so easy to get to smile. All you have to do is look at him and he flashes he big sweet smile - it really does light up his whole face. He is so happy and easy to please!

We've been trying rice cereal but he hasn't been such a fan yet. We're about to add veggie/fruit to the mix and I'm sure that will help.

We have been through some strange stages with sleep. He sure had us spoiled at 6 weeks, sleeping through the night! There were a couple weeks this last month that he was getting up 2-3 times at night to eat! It. Was. Exhausting. We upped the dose of his reflux meds and I took a few days to nurse him every 2.5 hours and that seemed to do the trick. Then he just woke up in the early morning hours (4am-5am), ate and went back to sleep until I woke him up around 8am. He was consistently asleep by 7pm at the latest, so definitely getting a full night. Naps also have been crazy. There was a stage of only taking 1 nap a day. Thankfully it was a long nap (2.5 - 3 hrs) and at the same time as Sierra's nap. I can't believe a 5 month old baby and a 2 year old toddler have the same nap schedule. But I guess it just worked. He also takes a fair share of cat naps in the car/carseat as we're out and about. I'm much more relaxed about naps with this second kiddo...and that is a very good thing. (just ask Kyle!)

Reid still adores his sister. She now loves to make him laugh and tries all the time, which he thinks is so fun. He still hasn't figured out what her crying/fits are all about - they make him laugh too. But his favorite is watching her walk up and down the stairs - this gets big belly laughs...oh, and touching her hair - he thinks that's pretty funny too! Sierra likes to put his bibs on, put toys in his mouth, pat his head, help feed him, wake him up, talk to him in the car, and she is quick to tell me when he spits up, drools or is "sad because he hungy/want to go night night".

Reid is a sweet sweet baby!

Sierra Speak

* "goodbyeeee, see you later morning" (she combines 'see you later' with 'see you in the morning')

* when she's pretend talking on the phone, she says "whatchyou talking about?" (i think this is because when i see her on the phone, i ask her 'who are you talking to? what are you talking about?', so then she asks that exact question.)

* some of her phone conversations:
- "heyow, yeah, whatchyou talking about? how are youuuu? ok, ok...ok, ok, ok, ok, i know, weawy? weawy? (really) ok ok ok okok...goodbyeeee. i yove you so so so so much. goodbyeeee" (makes me laugh...i guess that's what we sound like!)

* the other day she put her left foot in time out for kicking her right foot. this is how it went:
"no ma'am, no. time out." (talking to the left foot).
"i yove you so so so so much. i give (forgive) you." (said while hugging her left foot)

* she's gotten really good at retelling stories that happened in the past. two of her favorites right now are a trip we took to the zoo and a petting zoo experience - both last month...
- (shaking her head) "i non't like the goats! i like the bunnies. and i like the piggies. i non't like the goats! i non't like the horsies." (this is very accurate - she was not a fan of the bigger animals!!)
- (about the zoo) "i cry. i non't like the monkeys. i sad. i cry. monkeys are nice. i non't like the monkeys. i like the enenants (elephants). i feed the birdies. blue birdie fly away. i feed the green birdie. i non't want to touch snake. i like the fish." (again, totally accurate!)

Halloween

we had a really fun evening! poppa, lala, auntie meli, uncle matt and peyton came over for some pictures together and then we hit the neighborhood - along with some friends. we probably only knocked on 3 doors but walked a good ways, stopping to visit with all the other neighbors who were out and ended at a block party with jumpy castles. we should definitely get out with our neighbors more often! it was a beautiful cool night and sierra had a BLAST! i'm still debating whether or not to let her have any candy (i know, i'm a mean mom!) - she still has not had any to this day so she doesn't know what she's missing...i know she'll be addicted as soon as she tries a piece, so why not wait just a little longer  :)

a HUGE (blog) thank you to my mom, who put together/made all of sierra's costume!!! it was PRECIOUS!!!!!

ok, here are just some of the tons of pictures i took...

 look at that tail! it was amazing (and notice the pumpkins sierra painted on display)

 doing some kind of cat sound

 cats make lots of sounds

 our little green monster

 not sure why the ground was so captivating, but hard to get them all looking up

 admiring one another's costumes  :)

 the puppy wasn't too sure if the monster was a nice one...

 she loves her poppa and lala

 this was the first house we stopped at (we know them). this is what sierra said as she knocked, "knock knock! we here!"

 cute little kitty waiting patiently (though still had no idea what she was waiting for at this point)

 kitty suddenly got tired and sat in the middle of the street for a quick rest

 i love how she would hold her tail :)

 with friend, knox, who was dressed like a beach ball (his family was the 4 seasons - summer, fall, winter, spring...so cute and creative!). these two were up way past their bedtime but had so much fun!