Just a Picture

Now that his hair is short, I took another picture of the odd way he lays down.

Baby No More

Alex turned two today; I can't believe I no longer have a baby!  It feels like he turned into a walking, talking, independent little boy overnight.  He is such a character, and I think we are going to experience the 'terrible twos' for the very first time.  I love every bit of him!

We had a little party for him on Friday night with two young families with boys his age.  I decided to make cupcakes for the first time ever for his party.  I cannot remember ever in my life making cupcakes.  How odd.  Anyway, the first thing I learned is that there is a secret to using cupcake liners and I don't know it.  The second thing I learned is that it's a bad idea to underfill the afore-mentioned liners.  Thank heavens for my DeMarle muffin tray!  I baked the second half without the liners and they, of course, popped out perfectly round. 

Step two was to fill all the cupcakes, ugly and pretty alike, with vanilla pudding.  I made the pudding with less milk than called for so it was extra thick.     

Lastly, I decorated them.  Cookie Monster sounded so easy and he was.  All you do is cover the top with frosting, dip it in blue sprinkles, and add a cookie and eyes.  I couldn't figure out why they looked funny until after the party, though.  It turns out that Cookie Monster's eyes are close together.  Oops! 

We enjoyed the BEAUTIFUL weather for the party.  Alex obliged me by smiling for the camera.

The kids were focused on their cupcakes.  This is Ethan (who Alex bit twice during the party...sheesh).

Tyler; check out those blue eyes!

The cupcakes really were delicious.  I'm definitely a fan of the pudding filling.

Smile Alex!

He opened presents; the first was a water bottle from us.  It was Annie's and Logan's idea, and a very good one!  We use waterbottles a lot, and Alex didn't have one of his own.  He's been carrying it around with him since.

His friend Ethan gave him a Little People school bus which he would not let ANYONE touch.  We had to sneak it away from him just to get it out of the box.

Last, Tyler gave him a bubble machine.  All the other kids enjoyed that while Alex hung onto his bus.  Alex loves bubbles, though, and I have no doubt will enjoy this just as much.

Family Pictures

We had family pictures taken last month.  They came out a lot better than last year's; you can't even tell that Alex was being a major pill.  My only complaint is that the photographer didn't balance our red in our family shots.

Annie was an angel for the shoot.  She was more than happy to go first and smile.

This was the first year that Logan wasn't anxious about pictures.  I can't believe how grown up he looks!

You can tell Alex had been crying because his face is red in the next couple of pictures.

I wish I'd had red for Alex to wear now because he looks SO pale in these pictures.  Oh well.  It's always hard to coordinate outfits.

These are some of our many enhancements.  We actually purchased these first two and they are hanging on my wall.  I love them!

Kids Say

Logan to me, "You're a good forgetter.  You forget really well."

Annie, "My hair is getting bigger Logan!!"

Logan, "Water might infect my burps."

Annie, "I only don't like red and orange.  And when I'm four I will like orange.  When I'm five I will like red."

Alex looking at books, "ay, ee, oh, oo, ay, ee, ah..."  He mimics his siblings learning to read.

Logan, "I think my swallowing hole got bigger."

Logan told me one day that he'd broken his "finger ankle".  It turned out he was referring to his knuckle.

Logan, "Do you know anyone who has a birthday on August 32nd?"

Annie seriously, "I just want to be a girl when I'm a grown up.  And when I go to church I will eat treats with my big kids."

Annie's topic during family meeting, "I know the church is true.  And that we drink milk so much.  And I will feed my babies milk."

Logan, "I was struggling for breakfast...because I woke up so early."

Annie, "I'm only allergic to bad dogs and bad cats.  But I'm not allergic to good cats."

Logan, "This is too much for my small brain to process!!"

Annie, "Wiggle your belly button!"

Logan, "Hey!  I thought cheese was talented!"

A few weeks ago:  Logan, "I just said a prayer."  Me, "Why?"  Logan, "I asked Heavenly Father to send us a January baby."  Me, "I was hoping for a November baby, but a January baby would be good too."  Logan, "Oh, let me try again."...pause....Logan, "I said nevermind.  I prayed for a November baby."

Aside from a few words, Alex has been learning to talk in alphabetical order.  His first few words started with a's (though I forget what they were because he's mostly stopped using them), then he moved onto the b's: banana, ball, book, blankie, bite, etc...  Last week he started naming things that start with c: car, cup, cow, cookie, etc...  Then on Sunday he started saying, "Daa!"  If he continues in this manner I'm really going to be amazed.

50% Less Dog

I've been wanting to give Elway a haircut since we got him, but have been waiting for the weather to warm up.  His fur was getting dirty and matted so fast despite baths and brushing.  So we did it on Saturday night.  He looks like a different dog!  He really didn't like the haircut, so it's not extremely even, but he's staying a lot cleaner! 

Before: mop dog

This is probably not how you are supposed to groom a Maltese, but I don't care.  I think he's still cute!