WEA at 23 Months

Twenty-three months!!!!! One month short of two years old......how did this happen?!  I'm starting to feel more anxious than I did when Walker was 11 months.  Turning one never feels as dramatic as turning two.  I mean really what's the difference between 11 months and thirteen months?  Not much....they're still babies/toddlers.  But something about turning two changes things.  It's like all of a sudden the baby days are long gone.  No more do you tell their age in months.  Soon he'll just be two years old until he's three years old.  Sigh......a baby no more.  Well I've still got one month to go and believe me I'm going to relish this last month and soak up every bit of it!  Thirty days and counting.....

Walker's 23 month milestones/achievements/random tidbits:
~his vocabulary is really expanding rapidly.  It seems that everyday he is trying to say a new word.  Today it was "sool" (school).  Other words include "bus", "star", "soos (shoes), "socks", "pup pup (puppy)", "Lilly", "sisser (sister)", "poo", "coooooold (stressing the cold since we've had some frigid days already)", "tank yoooo (thank you)"
~he can point out all facial features and most body parts
~still majorly obsessed with trains.  I finally found a plush Thomas for him to sleep with because his little ones are wooden and he would wake up whenever he rolled over onto one.  So he sleeps with his jumbo train for every nap and at bedtime.  He's even added a gigantic pup pup as another bed partner and all of these additions are starting to make his crib feel a little cramped but he won't part with them.
~he's becoming even more picky with eating.  Pretty much only things that he can squeeze into his mouth.  So applesauce, yogurt, fruit/veggie purees.....oh, and his daily Cliff bar.  He's also discovered chocolate milk so it's become a struggle to get him to drink plain, white milk.
~he can now tell me whenever he has a dirty diaper but that doesn't mean he wants to be changed.  He'll keep telling you that he has "poo" but he'll run away if you try to change his diaper.
~he attempts to put on his socks and shoes
~we're still struggling with him biting, pinching, and hair pulling.  Time outs don't seem to work because if I just mention time out, he will go sit himself in the corner and stay there until he is told to get up.  He will follow time out with a hug to whomever he wronged but he's back to doing the bad behavior within about 2 minutes.  It's a work in progress for sure.
~I LOVE that he says "tank yoooooo" all the time and almost always at the correct time.
~he regularly takes a 2 hour nap and sleeps about 10.5 hours at night.  Given the chance he'll even take a 3 hour nap but that normally means he'll sleep less at night.
~he is now tall enough and strong enough to open the fridge and retrieve his cup of milk.  This is a happy achievement----opening the freezer is not.  I often find him walking around eating frozen waffles and sometimes eating an ice cream cone.
~he still loves to be held and cuddled and he freely gives kisses.  And despite all their fighting, he really does love Savannah.  Every morning he will meet her at the bottom of the stairs with his arms outstretched yelling "sisser!".  It totally warms my heart!

his favorite toy---these teeny tiny trains

playing in the leaves

sitting in a real "dig dig" (digger)

my sweet boy after trick-or-treating

his almost daily "pop pop"

enjoying S's birthday cake

another day another "pop pop"

all he wanted to play with were the "tucks"

So now I'm off to enjoy my last baby month.  To breath in those last whiffs of babyness, to kiss those squishy soft cheeks, to snuggle a little longer, and to try to really soak up these last baby moments.  Oh how I'm going to miss these days.

Savannah turns FIVE!!!!

Our sweet and sassy Savannah turned five years old on Saturday, November 8th.  I can't believe it......one whole hand! When I look at her now I see an actual full-blown kid.  She's not a baby, she's not a toddler....she's a little kid.  She's capable of getting herself ready in the mornings, she can play by herself unsupervised, and she can carry on an actual conversation with an adult.  And at times it seems that she's five going on fifteen.

All About 5 Year-Old Savannah

1. Favorite color: pink
2. Favorite song: Let It Go
3. Favorite toy: bike, Doc Mobile, and dolls
4. Favorite food: spaghetti and meatballs
5. Favorite drink: water
6. Best friend/s: Kirby, Jane, Caroline, Amelia
7. Favorite game: Mouse Trap
8. Favorite book: Turkey Trouble
9. Favorite place to visit: Grams and Grandaddy's house
10. Favorite place to eat out: Chick-fil-A
11. What do you want to be when you grow up: a princess
12. Favorite holiday: Christmas
13. Favorite dress up costume: Elsa
14. Favorite movie: Frozen
15. Favorite tv show: Sophia the First

she's a big fan of taking selfies

fun times at camp

always in dress up clothes

another selfie

first time on a go-cart

in her school birthday crown

I can't get over how much she has grown this past year.  There really is a big difference between four and five years old.  It seems like she went from a big toddler to a little kid.  The most obvious advancement has been her speech.  You would never know that she spent a year doing speech therapy.  She speaks clearly and she talks constantly.  Her teachers even say she is quite the chatterbox.  She's very friendly and she opens up quickly to strangers.  So quickly in fact that within a couple of minutes they know her whole life story as told by Savannah.  She's polite and follows directions any time that she isn't at home.  I constantly hear what a joy she is to be around.  I'm convinced that she tries so hard to be good outside of the home that by the time she comes home she can no longer suppress her devilish side.  So we see the stubborn, bossy, whiney, unhelpful, ungrateful, oftentimes bratty kid a little too often.  I'm constantly trying new ways to diffuse and/or divert these meltdowns.  It's definitely a work in progress for all of us but hopefully we won't still be dealing with this issue next year.  Besides, all kids have a naughty side, right?!    

Other than that occasional devilish side Savannah really is a super, sweet little girl.  She's loving, caring, happy, smart, funny, and talented.  She only wears dresses but she'll get down and dirty playing with the boys any day.  She's the best of both worlds and we couldn't be more proud of her.  

Happy 5th birthday, sweet girl!!!  We love you more than you'll ever know!!!       

In loving memory.......

My sweet baby chihuahua passed away on Saturday, October 18.  Maxwell was ten and a half years old.  Not old by little dog standards but older than I really ever thought he would live to be.  He was born July 21, 2004 and was the runt of the litter.  He never got bigger than two pounds but his feisty personality made up for his lack of size.  He was never one to shy away from a bigger dog but he preferred to stay hidden and away from the action.  Prior to Savannah, he was my baby and was often found sitting in my lap.  Unfortunately by the time Walker arrived I rarely had the room or the time  to devote to him like I once did.  His last few months were spent hiding from Walker, who liked him a little too much.  Max was delicate and couldn't stand up to Walker's over eager attacks.  I imagine he's now running freely and laying out in the bright sunshine up in doggie heaven.

Our pets really are members of our family and we all loved this little guy.  I miss him daily but I try to take comfort in knowing that he's in a better place now.  Until we meet again little man.....    

Savannah's Frozen Celebration

We celebrated our sweet Savannah's birthday this past Sunday, November 2nd.  She decided months ago that she wanted a Frozen party and every since then she's been telling me that it has to be bigger, sparklier, and fancier than last year.  Lord help us when she's a bride!!  

So I've been planning, collecting, crafting, and buying since July.  Seriously, as much as I love throwing these parties I'm somewhat looking forward to the day when she says that she wants a party at Frankie's Fun Park.  Anyhoo, eighteen invitations were mailed out and seventeen little girls showed up at 2:00 ready to party.  I couldn't have asked for a better afternoon and seeing my sassy little girl so very happy makes all those months of planning worthwhile.       

S ready to greet her guests 

this way to the party zone

cake, cupcakes, cookies, popcorn, pretzels, candy, and juice

Thanks snow much for coming! love, Savannah

S with her special guests, Anna and Elsa

listening to Elsa read a story

playing Anna-Says

making a snowman picture frame

face painting by Elsa

such a fun group of girls

piñata time--S busted it open on her second turn

even Walker got in a few swings

so happy Michael and Grams were here to celebrate, too

time for presents

Such a special day celebrating our soon-to-be five year old!  At the end of the day Savannah said it "was the best day EVER!!".  And just a few minutes after that she started planning her party for next year :)