Cute Me!

Last week when I was finishing getting Colton dressed for daycare, he put his hands on his chest and looked at me and said, "Cute!" I said, "Who is cute?" and he said, "Me!" Of course, he was right, he was adorable as usual. Guess we are on the way to helping him develop a good self esteem. :-)

WARNING: HAIR CUT ALERT! THE LONG LOCKS ARE GONE!

His hat says "Stud Muffin."

For some unknown reason he then posed like this, with his Stud Muffin hat on. :-)


Ahh, the collection defining a 2 year old boy on any given day.

Cuteness...

Playing outside in the rain...

Colton is telling me the "Be Cawful! Huhwee! Come here" because Justin was coming by on the lawn mower.

Male bonding in the rain...


Enjoying a homemade yogurt pop!

Yellowstone pictures are almost ready to be posted! Stay tuned!

"O-kay!" and other funny things

I love my Poppa! He is so fun to play with!



Waiting for Poppa to drive by on the lawn mower. "Where Poppa go?"


Just hanging out (check out the feet!)



There he is!!


That was so much fun!



First Trip to the Pool!
Colton could hardly stand the wait to get to the pool to "swem!" All week he said we were going to the pool to "swem" and weeks later, when I pick him up from daycare and ask what he did at school he says, "swem!" This pool had a younger kids area with a slide and at the bottom, if Colton was sitting down, the water would be up to his neck. So when he went down the slide for the first time on his own and ended up going under the water for a minute, I was worried he would be upset. No, Fearless child choked out some water and said, "More!" and more and more and more. I got a real work out carrying him up and down the stairs to the little slide and he loved it! They also had a lazy river and he like going around in that, especially when the water falls over one area and where the bubble jets come out. He wanted to try to walk in the shallow water but the water was over his waist and he was walking like Frankenstein and falling over. But he would just get back up and keep trying. After an hour his teeth were chattering so we headed out, and hauled a crying child to be dried off. Can't believe the pools all close at Labor Day, this is Georgia not Montana. It is still HOT in September!


Can't hardly wait!



SO much fun!!







Nana L finally got him to stop crying by talking about all the fun things he did.


SO tired on the way home in his wacky duck outfit. (Grandpoppa Y thought he was trying to be a Navy seal or something!)



Two days later he got to swim with all his cousins and extended Y family at cousin Katy Grace's birthday pool party. So he had a BLAST and fearless child saw his cousins jumping in from the pool side, so he had to do it too. Over and over and over and over and not always checking to make sure someone was there to catch him! He also wanted me to let go of him so he could "swem" on his own.

Yea on the potty!! Colton is doing GREAT at home and at daycare using the bathroom. And we are loving the easy washing of the cloth diapers at this stage.



"Helping" Mummy put away the dishes. Actually, he usually pulls all the stuff out of the island cabinets and then puts it all back pretty well.


Sleeping crazy (see Mickey Mouse's legs sticking out from behind?)


Hmm, wonder where he gets that?


Colton loves to hide!



Here I am!



Funny things Colton says:

• "all gong"
  



• "give that back" - sometimes this is a demand, sometimes he wants you to give back something that he never actually had but wants now.




• "get that mummy" -whatever he wants you to get! "Get that phone!" whenever one ring nearby, at home, at the grocery store, etc.

• "ant some" or "ant some of that" -usually whatever Poppa is eating, Colton 'wants some.'

• "watch poppa, watch!" -loves to show off new skills!






• "cawful" (careful) -usually said in the parking lot if there is a car, so somewhere you said that recently, like in the yard by a hole or something.

• "tank you/welcome" -this is all run into one word. He was doing so well saying "tank you" and then apparently noticed that we responded with "You're welcome" and thinks he needs to say that also."

• "get ME" -said when hiding or when he wants someone to get him out of the bath (so the other parent can take a shower. no we are not leaving him alone in the tub!)

• "cut that" -maybe it is too big, maybe not, maybe he just wants to get you to interact. It is funny when he says it about soft things like yogurt or rice.

• "home!" -SO sweet when we pull into the driveway at the house.

• "go that way" -said in the car, grocery store, outside. He has a plan and wants you to follow it. Sometimes he wants you to "go back" somewhere or "turn around" for some unknown reason!

• "Mummy home!" -last week I came home from a late work night and he was yelling this when I walked in, then ran over, put his hands on my face, grinned and said, "Mummy home!" (heart melting cute)

• "went bye bye" or "all gong"- said when someone leaves, or something is not there anymore (like the train at Stone Mountain) or a deer in the yard or something that wasn't there to begin with like a dog in the yard, but is still not there. "Train went bye bye."

• "teeckle" (tickle) -loves to say this when he is tickling you, when you are tickling him, when he is trying to tickle a stranger walking by at the grocery store...:-)

• "O-Kay"-usually said in agreement and said drawn out like this, sometimes it is a normal okay. Sometimes it is said as an answer to a question or just in agreement with your statement.Sometimes it is an unexpected response, since he was saying, "Yeah" all the time.

• Recently we went through the car wash, which Colton thought was totally hilarious, and he cracked up the entire time. When we were pulling out he said, "Fun!" which was too cute!

• Last week when Nana L was about to go home after babysitting and Justin came out of the bedroom after getting cleaned up after work, Colton yelled, "Go back, Poppa! Go Back!" and was waving his arm to tell Justin to go back to our bedroom. Guess he was having fun!

We have been having more issues in the mornings at daycare. He is happy to get ready to go, happy when we go inside, but when we start to leave, it is a mad house. He starts screaming "no mummy no!" and blocking the door or opening to run away and crying. He is fine when we pick him up and they say he has had a great day so he is probably fine, but it is still heartbreaking.


Look for a post at the end of September from Yellowstone!! whoo hoo!

How can Colton be 2 YEARS OLD already?!

Time certainly does fly by! It seems like barely a minute ago he was a tiny little guy who barely fit in the car seat coming home from the hospital! I just got a printed book from Blog2Print from the first year of his blog and even though it doesn't seem like 2 years have past, he has changed so much!

2 year check up stats: 28.5 lbs, 33.5 inches tall. 50th percentile for weight and 30th for height. Seems like he can eat like the best of them but doesn't seem to get much bigger!

Birthday

I wish I could have uploaded this entire video where you can see his hair/eyebrows almost catch on fire because someone held the cupcake and candles too close to his face, but alas, it was too big of a file. This part is just plain cute!

I'm pretty sure there is something else in that bag...

For Colton's second birthday, we bought him his own vacuum and broom/dust broom set. He LOVED it! He has had a love/fear relationship with the vacuum forever, will drop anything to run to see the vacuum whenever someone is using one, but usually doesn't want to get too close. He also doesn't think we do a very good job when we sweep and tries to take over. So we decided to let him take care of those tasks himself. :-)

It sings but it also makes real vacuum noises!


Like Papa L. knows how to use one of those himself!

The slicked back hair is so cute! Only last for a minute in the humidity and then those curls come out!


Enjoying the birthday cupcake! At one point there was a small, Charlie Chaplin mustache, but he licked it off too soon to get a picture.

We took Colton to Yellow River Game Ranch for his birthday. It was hot, we were super sweaty and gross and Colton had a WONDERFUL time!! We went at the end of the day so it actually wasn't as hot as it could have been and there was a lot of shade. Most people were leaving when we got there, so we basically had the place to ourselves which was fun. Colton fed some deer and the squirels and played in the dirt and enjoyed being a little boy. He was dressed appropriately for a birthday outing as you can see:

Watching the deer cross the path ahead:


Did you see that?


Feeding the bunnies


Pointing out to them where the peanut landed so they wouldn't miss it. It's right there! He did this a lot! He also says, "right there" a lot also. Colton, where is the whatever? "Right there!" (White dare is actually what it sounds like)



For 2-3 months before he turned 2, we taught Colton to say he was 2 when asked how old he was and he tries to show you with his fingers, though holding the other fingers down is very complicated so it doesn't work much. Now that he is two, however, and has been working on counting if you ask him how old he is he says "treee" (three). Not yet!!

Most recent fun with a non-toy: The laundry basket.


He has always enjoyed playing in/on the basket, especially if there are clothes in there to toss out. Now, however, he has found the joy of hiding under the basket, including crawling around the house in his own turtle shell. He can play in the basket for an hour or so and have the best time! Talking to himself, giggling, peeking out at us, it is just a good time all around.

Yep, he is taking a nap on the couch UNDER the basket.

June Blackberry picking

We had a good batch of blackberries in our backyard by the creek this year and Colton and I loved to pick and enjoy them. Unfortunately, no matter how quickly we picked and left, the poor child would be covered in mosquito bites. He enherited that lovely trait from me. He constantly has scrapes, bruises, bites all over and we don't even know where they came from, but if he is outside for a minute, something is going to happen. :-)

Here are pictures from one of our last picking trips, started out like this, chowing down:


And ended like this, with Colton's socks and shoes being ripped off and thrown on the ground after being covered with ants that, of course, bit Colton several times.


Open the shed door and Colton makes a beeline to the tractor and demands, "Ride!"


And Poppa agrees. Then Mummy has to pry a screaming child off Poppa's lap so he can actually mow the yard.


Checking out the bugs in the yard.


Trying to get him to hold still for a picture and the crazy face he made for me.


Colton has skills:
In June we went to dinner at PF Changs. Colton wanted the chopsticks and we figured he would enjoy playing with them as a distraction and he did. When we gave him some rice and chicken and his spoon, he proceeded to pick up the chopsticks and use them to eat his rice and his chicken!! He really just used them to scoop up the food and not pick it up, but COME ON!! We haven't used chopsticks around him and didn't even use them that night. The people at the table next to us were amazed and kept laughing and shaking their heads in amazement!




Father's day hike up Stone Mountain


For those of you who are familiar with the hike, this day we took him to the top of the hill with the hand rails, with him walking most of the way, which is WAY further than we usually ever get with him!

"Hot" date we had in July hiking up Stone Mountain (sweaty hotties on the way down)

This area is pretty steep, but not as bad as this neat photo makes it seem. That is Justin waving up there.

Colton loves his horsey towl from Auntie "Rah-Rah." Requests the "hat" be put on when we get him out of the bathtub.


He LOVES doing anything in the laundry basket.


Fearless Boy:

Colton does not understand or care that there are 'age appropriate' toys and playground items. If he can get on it OR if another child is playing on it, he will try to figure it out. One playground we went to has a rock climbing wall that is about 3 feet taller than me and Colton will climb right up it, using the hand and foot holds. I only let him climb to where I can reach and he is very annoyed when I pull him down. Doesn't help when older children are climbing up it to the top.

Not only walking up the slide, but taking a moment to free stand and point out something to me.







I promise I was closer than it appears, and I knew he would likely fall and he did NOT get hurt, but stubborn child wouldn't let go or let me get him off.


Whee! LOVE this face!


Child opened door, climbed inside and pretended to drive.


Fuzzy picture because he couldn't stand still for me but I adore this outfit and the little boy sandles.


Cutie cousin Katy Grace!


We went to Katy Grace's dance recital in June (which was adorable!! and I forgot my camera!) and Colton though it was awesome. Katy Grace was super cute and her little routines were great! I was worried Colton might not be interested in sitting still in our laps through all the performances but he thought it was a good time. After each dance the lights would go out briefly and everyone would be quiet and Colton would yell out, "And more?" Or he would clap and say, "Yea!" in the quiet, which was super cute. He also really enjoyed clapping with the rest of the audience, as if that was a show in itself. He loved chasing around his cousins too. He is still working on pronouncing everyone's names, though he has cousin Charlotte's name down pretty well!!

Adorable

I adore when Colton wants to hold your hand. We were walking up the driveway to get the mail yesterday and he put his hand out (with two fingers only as he was holding onto a cracker too) and says, "han." Adorable! He enjoys walking between Justin and I and holding both of our hands (well, one of our fingers).


This week Justin taught Colton how to say "I love you" or "I dove do." He emphazies the YOU of the statement, which is even cuter! "I dove DO!" I was so excited when he came into the kitchen to tell me, that I scooped him up and kissed him. He then thought that saying that would get me to chase him and hug/kiss him, so he then proceeded to say it over and and over, running back and forth into the kitchen to get me to chase him. Was worth it though, so cute!

Bedtime routine:

Dinner around 6:30 pm, play a bit, brush teeth (with or without whining), read books, drink water, try potty, bed (rub back, cover him up, cover up 'me mouse' and 'moo moo cow' (his stuffed animals). Several months ago the routine went very well and smooth. Now he tries to do summersaults on the couch while we read books and doesn't pay attention to the books unless you tell him you will put the book away and he can go to bed without stories, then he says, No, read book (or read that book). Driving me a little batty to battle with him over reading books! When I put him into his crib at night for bed, we have a short to not so short battle over what can I do to keep from going to sleep? "Back!"-as in, rub my back please and later, "more back!" if I stop and tell him "nighty night." Then "cover" and then "cover Me Mouse" or "cover Moo Moo Cow" or "Where Me Mouse go?" Then, "Where water go?" "Water peas!" But the BEST 'get-out-of-going-to-sleep' technique he uses that always works is, "Poo poo!" I know we just tried the bathroom before bed, and maybe he already peed. BUT when you are potty training and the child says they have to go to the bathroom, it is really hard to tell them no, even if you don't believe them. :-) He KNOWS that will work, and it does, and usually he still pees again and rarely actual does the task he claimed to need to do, but we cheer and go back and start the other techniques again, including the same potty claim but that doesn't work the second time ("more poo!"). Haha! Can be a little exhausting and often involves tears and yelling, "Where Mummy go?!" or "Poppa?!" but usually doesn't last too long and he is normally in bed and on the way to dream land by 8:30-8:45 pm, though sometimes it is around 9 pm, which unfortunately means he may be up at 6 or 6:30 am. :-P And "Me Mouse Clubhouse" is NOT on that early.

I always check on Colton before I go to bed. One night in July I had just checked on him and was going to bed when something made me decide to go check on him again, and this is what I found.



It is not so much that he doesn't fit in the crib anymore, but rather that he moves around so much I worry about where he will end up when we take the side off and make it a toddler bed. Seems like the barriers of the crib help him stay in one area. I'm afraid we'll find him asleep in the closet or something. :-)

Happy Second Birthday Colton!! Hope you are all well if anyone is still reading this since I never update timely.

Can't wait til the weather cools down for fall! We can't wait for our annual trip to Yellowstone and hope the weather is cooler than last year when Justin could have worn shorts the whole time!

Have post pending with Colton's first trip to the pool coming up soon!