Terrificly Two!

This post is going to start out with our new 2 year old star, little B! Last Thursday was the big guy's birthday and it was a blast. He was SO excited about it all day long--lots of "happy birthday!", "cake, cake!" and "2!" talk all day long. He also decided to pull a fast one--he didn't nap at all on his birthday. Yikes--not the day to forego the nap. It was highly unusual for him (obviously, since it was the first time; his sister--now that wouldn't have been unusual!)and I just didn't know what to do about it (since I took the day off of work to spend it with him). Funny. That night we had the grandparents over for dinner and cake...and a tad of jealous sister...but all in all in was a great night. Somehow, little B managed staying awake until 8:30pm, when he basically collapsed into bed. It's hard to believe our "little" guy is already 2, but then again it almost seems like he's 3 (because he's so big). I really love seeing his personality come out with each day--he's definitely our little charmer, comedian and sweet boy (like when I fell down the stairs and he was full of hugs for me). I wouldn't have expected the hugs in the early days of his life, when he was NOT into cuddling at all. We kind of think now that he was so big as a baby that it took a while for him to feel comfortable in his own skin. That's the theory for now anyway!

We've had lots of other fun over the past couple of weeks. Some of our other highlights included:
--a great playdate with my friend Jacqueline and her family--husband, Darrin, and children Carly and Cole. Man, we are so blessed that our children are so close in age! Kdee and Carly went off and played the whole night with barely a peep (we're lucky they surfaced for pizza!);little B and Cole had fun circling around each other, playing here and there with similar toys--basically taking each other in. Jac and I had a super time catching up and I always love our conversations--insightful, humorous and "real". What I know for sure? I really enjoy our friendship and wish we lived just a tad bit closer (UWRF is calling you, Jac!). Darrin also kept me laughing through the night with his sharp and smart wit, and I also got a care tune up courtesy of him. Seriously, how many people do you visit that they give you a space in your heated garage (it was -8 outside), put air in your almost flat tires, fill your windshield washer fluid...oh I could go on. It rocked!

--While I was at the playdate, ribB had fun out with his friend, Brian. Fun for these two now comes in the form of Gander Mountain and a plate full of hot wings. It doesn't get much better than that!

--We had a post-Christmas get together with our Uncle Bart/Aunt Donna and cousins Ana & Cassie. It was our first time together in a couple of months (a long time for us!) and it was so good to catch up and enjoy each other's company...all with Prince in the background. Oh, I might have been the only one proclaiming my enjoyment of the Superbowl half time show, but don't let them all fool you. They secretly adore Prince and like to razz me for the fun of it. I would also like to point out that Prince performed a Foo Fighter song (Best of You)...so, it was 2 bests in one for me. I'm always scared when another performer takes on a favorite song of mine (ala Clay Aiken doing "When Doves Cry" Ick!), but Prince did the song really well and obviously, it was a huge compliment to my fave band, the Foo.

--We basically didn't work last week. Ok, we kind of did, but there was some serious lack of school going on. On Monday, school was closed due to the cold. Then on Tuesday, Kdee developed a fever at school and was home for the next couple of days. Note to parents of kids yet to start school: Anything over 100 degrees is reason to go home. Your child must go home IMMEDIATELY (don't even ask to come in an hour--it's NOW!) and they can't go back for a full 24 hours after being temped as a fever. What? Temped at 10:30am Tuesday and you want to return the student at 9am the next day? Ha! No way! It will be after 10:30 the next day. NO EXCEPTIONS! HA!

--ribB and his dad got to do some bow shopping on Friday, as part of his dad's Christmas gift. They shopped (and shot numerous bows) for hours at A-1 Archery (awesome store for archery) and he came away with a great new bow package. They definitely had fun boy time! (Later we (our family and ribB's parents) all regrouped for dinner out together...the kids love the Asian food!)

--my good friend, Angie, and I got together for dinner and some gal time. It had been awhile since we had a chance to hang out and it was so good to catch up. It was cold out, so we enjoyed lots of faves while hanging out on her couch, watching TV...kind of like our fun times back in college...lots of fun!

--I joined Kdee and her class on an excited field trip to the local State Park...to look at, well, it turned out to be a lot of "scat" or, in common terms, animal poop. I really enjoyed hanging out with Kdee and getting to know her classmates/teacher more. The only downer was that I don't think the Park was well prepared for this school visit and some of the older volunteers seemed a bit confused about what their role was in the event. Despite that, the kids still had fun and even though it was quite cold out, we still had fun being outside (especially when the huge herd of deer was running near us!).

--our friends Brian, Katie and their son Michael came over for breakfast on Saturday morning, to celebrate little B's birthday (they're his Godparents). It was such a great way to start the day and it was fun watching the two boys play together. Kdee was a bit bored by the adult conversation and toddler play, so after awhile she went to play in her room...what a big girl. We always appreciate our time with them.

--We made it through 2 year pictures! It's always a bit of a circus but in the end, we got some great photos to choose from. (I was also thankful that little B did his usual (awesome) smile instead of his new squinty eye smile. Truth be told, I think he's mimicking (or mocking?) my squinty, small eyes when he does this new smile...hmmm...

--I went to my first Bible Study with my friend Susan. I've been long wanting to do a study, but I honestly felt a bit shy to go it alone. I didn't know what to expect--would I have to recite scripture (and as a Lutheran, that'd be pretty fancy) or do a special handshake? It turns out, this group of women were very welcoming with different levels of Faith and Bible knowledge. I loved the perspective and chance to learn and grown my Faith more. Very cool!

I've got LOTS of pictures, so I know I'm going to need a couple of posts to include them all. Pics will include little B's birthday (him attacking the spiderman balloon like only a boy can do, eating cake), the field trip, the playdates (including how children apply lip gloss)...whew! You name it, it's going to be here!