Are you two?

We kept on with the birthday parties this week so we could officially celebrate Anderson turning two! If you ask him though it might be questionable.

"Anderson, are you two?"

"No. Two."

He is a chatterbox and everything he says ends in a high note like he is asking a question. He loves counting to ten and his favorite joke right now is to say "Golf?" at the end of everything. He tells Lucas there is a tree and an owl on his wall and then follows with "Golf?" When Lucas tells him No, there isn't golf on the wall!" he laughs and says "Funny?"

For his birthday I thought we should try something new that takes advantage of summer fun. Eagle Island State Park is close, has water, picnic tables and doesn't involve cleaning my house.

We started off with the letter of the day "A". Pancakes must be the way I express my love for my children.

 

Heading to find the perfect spot at the park. The grandparent troops part 1.



Part 2

We scored a lovely shaded area and settled down to party.

Sister was just as excited to help us celebrate.

Lucas had to work late and met us there. When he comes home from work the kids yell "Daddy, daddy, daddy!" Same thing goes at the park too.

After a swim a boy gets tired and needs a beverage break.

Still at it with his buddy.

Sweet yummy little boy.

So you want me to blow on these hot things you always want me to stay away from?

Mmmm. Cake.

Plate licking is always acceptable at your own party.

He reminded me of a person dressed up like a hobo with a fake beard.

Thank goodness Eliza was there to help Anderson open his presents. In case you forgot, she is 5 now. Don't worry. She will remind you in about 10 minutes. 



Much like his father, he felt the need to mow the lawn. Immediately.



Oh golf!

Best looking hat I have ever seen.

Grandma Pam helping him set his tee.

He moves the club so quickly you can hardly see it.

Once we got home it was time to give Anderson our family gifts. Lucas brought in his new balance bike and he immediately said "bike, bike!" The seat was up too high so Lucas went into the garage to get a tool to lower it. Anderson thought that would take too long and decided to get his trusty stool to help himself up to the bike!

Very curious to watch the tools work.

He loves it!

Happy 2nd birthday to our little guy who always makes us laugh and brings such joy to our family.

"We have a little dude!"

 

This is how our journey started with Anderson one year ago today:

The second after he was born all I could say over and over again was:

"We have a little dude now!"

I was in love with him the instant we met.

Everyday I think of what we went through to bring him here safely.

 He represents the choices in life that are almost taken away from us, the things we have to work hard for to keep and all the happiness that is possible.

Today we celebrate all of the anticipation...

Joy... 

Delight...

Fun... 

Satisfaction...

Wild times... 

and completeness

Anderson has brought to our family.

It's a lot of work but life is soooo worth it buddy.

 Cheers to many more happy and healthy years to come!

Getting to know you

  

Hello there. My name is Anderson and I am almost 9 months old (almost as much time outside the womb as inside.). I am a pretty sweet and happy little guy.

My mom is having fun dressing me up. At this point I let her do whatever she wants and I do it with a smile. I don't even know how to talk back or complain yet.

My worst feature is the constant drool all over my face. All day. Every day. It takes my cuteness down a notch but then again my cute rating is really high.

I am a boy and I push, kick, pull and pinch harder than my sister ever did as a baby. However, I like to scream and screech like a little girl. Sometimes I get so excited all I can do is let out a high pitched scream and curl my hands up into tight fists.

One of my favorite toys is a cheap rattle my parents got out of a first aid kit. I get pretty excited when I see it.

I like tags. Well, really I love tags. Searching, looking at, touching, tasting and organizing them.

Thankfully I just started sleeping through the night. It was a tough 8 and 1/2 months for my mom. Thank goodness she loves me so much. She is always kissing my soft skin and pinching my cheeks.

I think it helps to know I will only be so little for such a small time.