Starting to feel better?

This morning I thought Charlotte was starting to feel better, but by the afternoon she couldn't lift her head from the pillow on the couch. She even passed up corned beef and cabbage dinner which is one of her favorites. AJ, on the other hand, gobbled it up but wanted to know "where is the corn?"

This little guys loves to explore in the backyard and today we had 60 degree plus temps. He's always showing me some tiny little thing he's found.

Or pointing out boo-boos on his fingers. His face is always dirty so don't judge me as a negligent mom. I wipe him up one million times a day.

Can you tell whose sick and whose well?

Walking off the job...she's done being my photography subject today.

Stomach bug - Week #2

First it was AJ, who puked all night long on Ash Wednesday. We may not be eating cod fillets again for a long time. He was finally done with this nasty little bug by Sunday evening. I'll spare you the gorey details but it was one of the most disgusting weeks of my life thus far. Poor Charlotte woke up feeling blah on Monday morning but no symptoms. I kept her home from school. She started running a low fever later that day and didn't eat much. She stayed home from school again Tuesday but still no sign of a stomach bug. By yesterday afternoon she seemed back to normal and was eating again. This morning, however, she woke up with diarrhea and vomiting. Lovely. It's been a long day for her but she's handling it well. Looks like no school for her this week.

AJ is back to being a pesky little brother. He's not complaining about all the extra TV time as Charlotte groans on the couch.

Outdoor time

We skipped naps today so the kids could enjoy the nice sunny weather. It's still a bit chilly but warm enough to skip wearing jackets! Waaahoo!

It looks like he's crying but he's actually happy. AJ enjoyed how the yogurt was sticking to the roof of his mouth.

AJ can always here a fire engire siren from miles away. Today, the fire engine was actually coming to our street. It stopped at our neighbor's house across the street. We're not sure what happened but something to do with their 89 year old grandmother. We're praying she is okay especially since they didn't take her for a ride in the ambulance.

Charlotte and AJ watching the fire truck and ambulance in awe. They were eventually invited to sit in the firetruck which made their day. Sadly, my camera was across the street when that happened :(

Spring has sprung in our front flower beds. I'm excited to see what will bloom since this is our first spring in our new house.

The day after

The morning after AJ's birthday party, Memme helped him put together his first Lego set which was a gift from Uncle Brian. It's been a big hit with both kids.
And then he had to jump up in down in Memme's lap a few times!

Can't forget about Charlotte.

They both love their Memme dearly!

AJ's 2nd Birthday - Part 2

The following weekend, we had a big family gathering on Saturday to celebrate AJ's birthday in grand fashion. I made a big batch of lasagna for dinner, we sang happy birthday to AJ two more times, and opened tons of presents. It was so much fun to have all his favorite people there and it was the biggest crowd we've had for dinner at our new house. We hung out in the kitchen almost the entire time, of course!

So happy that everyone is singing to him!

Getting ready to blow out his candle again! This time we had chocolate cake and ice cream.

My flash missed the actual money shot of the candle going out but he did it! He then requested that we sing again...and so we sang Happy Birthday one more time for our sweet 2 year old.

Emma and Charlotte were excellent helpers with present opening. AJ was pretty patient with them too. They were just as excited about all his new trains as he was.

I still can't believe my baby boy is 2!

A few things I want to remember about him at this stage:

He loves to sing at all hours of the day. When I put him in his crib at night, he usually sings one or two songs by himself before going to sleep. It's so cute to hear him belt it out and mix up a few words.

He's a very sympathetic sweet boy. He's always concerned when he hears a baby crying. He'll ask me at random times if I'm happy or sad. When Charlotte gets a boo-boo, he wants to make sure she's okay. He tells his stuffed animals and dolls to not be scared and "it's okay".

He can count from 1 to 12. He can sing his ABC's with no problem and he's already learning letter sounds. He learns the title of a book after reading it just one time and has several nursery rhymes memorized like "Rub-a-dub-dub" and "Wee Willie Winkie". He's always worried about Humpty Dumpty falling! He finishes the sentences in Goodnight Moon. He's at the stage where it's hard to turn a page while reading a book because he has so many questions about EVERYTHING!

He still loves all cars, trucks, trains, and anything with wheels! He points everything out as we're driving. One day in the car he said, "Oh no mommy, that car is going backwards!" It was just because we were passing the car. He tells me to go when the light is green and to stop on red. And, of course, he tells me his music choice before I can even think about listening to something of my choosing.

He's still a big snuggler and I'm hoping that will last for a while. Charlotte still loves her snuggle times but I know that boys can be different. He's not completely weaned from nursing but down to just one time a day at naptime. If he naps in the car, then no "milk" that day. He still turns his nose up at cow's milk which is fine. He gets plenty of calcium in his diet from other sources.

We love you, AJ!

AJ's 2nd Birthday - Part 1

We celebrated AJ's big number TWO on Valentine's Day with a red velvet heart cake, cream cheese frosting, and red hots. Yum. I love their grubby little hands in this one. I had to hold on too so they wouldn't pull it off the counter. AJ could hardly wait for cake.

But first, we had his favorite dinner - mac n' cheese and green beans. This kid loves to eat! This was evident after his weigh-in at his 2 year check up last week. He weighs 33lbs, people! Yowzers. Charlotte didn't even reach 30lbs until she was 3! I think she's currently about 36lbs at 4.5 years. He still has rolls in his arms and thighs. I love it!

Blowing out his candle like a champ!

This was the next morning (sorry, it's hard to post pictures in sequence on Blogger as many of you know). How funny is his yogurt goatee and mean face to boot?

Shoveling in his cake and then asking for more, please. This is his usual technique. He scoops up food with his spoon or fork and then uses the other hand to make sure it ALL gets in his mouth.

Disney Princesses on Ice with Daddy

Dave took Charlotte to see Disney on Ice - Princesses on Friday night at the Verizon Center. Charlotte was BEYOND excited. I drove her into DC and dropped her off at Dave's office building all dressed in her snow white costume. She was all smiles and giddy. She got to see his office, go to dinner with Daddy and then walk to the show. I think it was one of the best nights of her life thus far! She was passed out in the car when they got home at 10:30pm but woke up to tell me all about it, especially her tinkerbell mug which had a snowcone inside. Apparently the snow cone cost more than the tickets!!! Oh the things Daddy does for his little girl. What a fun father daughter date that she'll remember for years to come.