Henry at 2 1/2

Henry Ryan... you are two and a half years old!

I have a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that my baby boy is two and a half.  I know I've said this time and time again but seriously, this is the best age. You are so much fun and have the goofiest personality.  You can be shy around people you don't know but around us and family, you are hilarious :)

At two and a half, you are all boy.  You're all about cars, trucks, playing in the dirt and being sweaty.  I can't even imagine what you will be like as a teenager.  You also want to be just like your daddy.  Whenever he is mowing the grass you have to get your lawn mower out. Whenever he is blowing the dirt, you have to get your blower out.  And when he is finished doing the yard, you have to place your lawn mower and blower right next to his.  While I wish you were more of a mamma's boy, it's pretty cute watching you follow in your Daddy's shadow.

At two and a half, you have no fear when it comes to the pool.  It's completely different than last summer and you are ready to swim.  You are kicking and even jumping off the side by yourself. As a mom, this is terrifying yet so exciting all at the same time.

At two and a half, you like to eat.  A lot.  I'm pretty sure mac n'cheese is your favorite and you would eat this every night if we let you.  You're also obsessed with donut holes.  You stayed with your grandparents recently and you ate 12 donut holes... It doesn't surprise me but don't expect to get that much when you're with us!

At two and a half, you are very chatty!  It is so fun to have conversations with you and I am surprised daily with the words and phrases you have picked up and are saying.  I can't say that I understand everything you say but it is close.  Most of your conversations revolve around cars (whether they are fast, red, a police car...) trucks (firetrucks, dump trucks, trucks with big tires...) and playing in the mulch.  You also love to watch the movie Cars and Airplanes and your favorite TV shows are Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Sheriff Callie.  You're always repeating phrases and know all the characters.

At two and a half, you are so full of life.  You have so much energy and are truly such a happy boy. Your smile is contagious as is your belly laugh.  You still do your "happy dance" whenever you are excited and it is awesome. You give the best hugs and sweet kisses.  You also love your little brother which makes me so happy.  I can't wait to see your friendship grow over the years.

Love you H Man!!

Big Brother Update

I've been meaning to write a big brother update for the past 6 weeks but honestly have not had the time or energy to sit down and write it.  Believe me, I'm taking pictures and capturing all the fun memories of life with a two year old but have simply not put anything on the blog.  I hate that I've been bad about keeping up with this as I love looking back and reading posts and seeing pictures but it's just been hard.  It is hard to keep up with the blog when I'm still getting up with Charlie during the night and not getting a good nights sleep.... Hard to keep up with the blog after working all day... Hard to keep up with the blog when I want to spend the few hours I have in the evening with my boys.... Hard to keep up with the blog when all I want to do after they finally go to sleep is lay on the couch....

With all that being said, we are managing.  And we are getting into a new routine. And the boys are thriving.  Henry is at such a fun age and that is what I want to remember.  I may not be able to write lengthy posts but for now I'm happy with posting pictures of our life with this sweet boy. I will remember the moments and memories and that is what matters most :)

 

Big Brother Update

Henry seems to be changing so much lately and really turning into a little boy.  He's two years and three months right now and at such a fun age.  While this is a fun age since he's talking so much more and showing expression, it's also an age full of meltdowns.  I think that just comes with the territory of being two...

He is big enough to climb the playground equipment and slide down all by himself.  This makes me nervous but of course he loves it!

Have I mentioned he loves to grill and eat hot dogs?? ;)  

He has found a new obsession lately which is the movie Cars.  We have a love/hate relationship with this movie.  It's great right now because it guarantees that he will sit there for two hours watching this which is awesome when you have a newborn and a husband that is studying for his last CPA test.  The bad part is that he wants to watch this movie ALL.THE.TIME.  He asks to watch this first thing when he wakes up and wants to watch at night before bed.  Which of course ends up in a meltdown when it doesn't go his way.  I do think we're going to limit his tv watching soon but for now we're still in survival mode with the baby...

He has even gotten his little brother to watch the movie with him :) 

Sleep has been another hot topic around our house.  Henry seems to go down easy for his naps at school but we've had issues with him taking a nap at home.  He definitely still needs a few hours of sleep during the day but tends to fight it with us.  Same goes for bedtime.  The other issue is that he has been waking up much earlier than normal.  He was sleeping till 7 (which is late for him) but has lately been waking up between 5 and 6 am.  We're hoping this is just a phase as we finally have Charlie sleeping well and now we're getting up with Henry.

Henry sure can be sweet in the mornings though.  He still loves to snuggle right when he wakes up and watch cartoons.  

One morning he insisted on Charlie sitting next to him to watch cartoons :)  

Henry had a valentine's party at school and he was so sweet.  He actually wouldn't let me put him down when I got there and we ended up sitting at our own table instead of with the rest of the kids. He was so excited I was there and kept telling everyone I was his Mama :)

Henry loves all types of trucks and cars.  He loves to play with them and is always pointing them out when we are driving.  He is always carrying matchbox cars with him and has to pick a certain truck each night to sleep in bed with him.  Have I mentioned how much he loves cars and trucks?? If you add in dirt he is even more happy :)

And lastly, I have to include another picture of him and Charlie.  He loves to be near his brother and is always asking where he is.  He really has done great with this transition and I know they are going to be best friends as they get older!

Master Griller

Henry got a grill for Christmas and it has been a big hit around our house.  It usually stays inside but if Ryan is ever grilling he wants to pull it outside and be right beside him.  Lately I've been starting to realize how much Henry watches us because he continues to surprise me with what he does lately that mimics us.  He clearly has been watching his Dad and Pops grill because he knows just what to do.

He still has a few things to learn because he put the "dot dogs" on before turning on the grill but we're working on it... :)

His other favorite thing to do lately is pull all the seasonings out of the pantry and pretend to sprinkle them on his food.  Thankfully he hasn't figured out how to open them but I'm sure that's only a matter of time...

Checking the temperature...

Next thing I know he is running inside and pulls a wooden spoon out of the drawer.  I think he is looking for something to place the meat on and this is the first thing he grabs :)

Carefully places his burger on the spoon...

Concentrating so hard...

And then it falls, he laughs, throws the rest of the dot dogs on the ground, grabs his car that was sitting in the sink and does his little happy dance.  Oh the life of a two year old.... gotta love it!

Big Brother Update

A lot of my posts recently have been centered around Charlie so it's only fair that I share an update on Henry.  It's hard to believe Henry is almost 26 months and boy is he acting like a two year old. He can be full of giggles one moment and having a major meltdown the next.  I know his world has completely changed these last few weeks which has a little something to do with it :)

For now I'll focus on the positives though... My mom put together a bag full of "busy bags" for Henry and we've been pulling these out quite a bit to keep him occupied.  This activity had him putting colored balls in buckets but he was more interested in throwing them and putting them in his mouth :)

I've said it before but this boy is all about his little brother.   We'll have to work on the fact that you only pet your dog on the head and not your little brother...

Henry is always in to something... The other day I caught him in the pantry trying to get formula down.  He doesn't care what it is but if he can reach it he will get it down.  He walks out of the pantry all the time with different seasonings that he likes to shake around.  I think it's time everything gets moved up another shelf...

He's really into cereal lately and is always asking for cheerios.  He wants to hold the spoon but prefers using his hands to eat.  Gotta love the bed head and no shirt for breakfast :)

Santa brought him some Pez in his stocking this year and he's obsessed.  He ran out so I think it's time Mimi stocked him up again... Also, the no pants/shirt is a theme around here lately :)

And lastly, a pic of Henry with his shark towel.  He loves this towel and always wants to look in the mirror when he's wearing it.  His vocabulary is also getting much better (finally!) and he's always repeating "shark" when he sees this.

I'll be sure to keep up with the big brother updates so he gets his fair share on the blog too!