Boy have you changed in the past few months! Your vocabulary has skyrocketed, your learning has blossomed, and your ornery-ness has exploded. You are SO SO ornery! If someone is sitting in a chair and they get up, it's like a little alarm goes off in you and you run as fast as you can over to that chair and yell, "my chair!!" then laugh hysterically at the person you stole from. You also know how to keep these teenagers in shape! While they are teaching you things I'm not proud of, they are also teaching you good things as well. The teens have to do chores and they have to ask to do everything (even going into another room). So you have started to ask to do your chore, have someone check your chore (you don't actually have a chore but sometimes we give you the broom or a rag to "help" clean), ask to watch TV, ask to take a shower, to go upstairs, to get a sweet snack.....plus you also help Mommy and Daddy keep these boys in check! If it's time for someone to take their medicine, you will run out and yell for [insert name here] to come take their meds. You are our little family teacher in training :)
EATING
-You seem to have digressed in the eating department. At least in the cleanliness department. You are SO gross! At dinner we have to stop giving you an open cup and go back to cups with a lid because you always put your food in your water then drink it up. It makes we want to gag just thinking and typing about it. ack.
-At least you have started to love eating food pouches so I can get you to eat pretty much any veggie as long as its in a food pouch
KNOWLEDGE
-You are a smart little boy. You learned all of the teenagers' names after only a couple days. You just love the guys. They love how you say their names too since it's not usually correct. Still cute though :)
-Your vocabulary has skyrocketed! You are saying more words and longer sentences and even your pronunciation has improved tremendously. The guys have noticed it too. Plus you don't ever really shut up :)
-You've also become quite demanding. You will say things like, "say it mommy!" when you are saying your (stupid) little phrases you picked up on from the guys
-Some things I wish you didn't learn from the guys: "Dang bro", "Whip Eh!!!" plus the entire song and dance, "What??" in a demanding and threatening tone, "got eem!"
-You are learning your colors, ABCs, and shapes really well and I'm hoping to continue working on them with you by doing other fun activities. Matching is also something you are very good at. Even if you don't know what the shape or letter is, you can match it correctly almost every time.
-Bargaining. You started to bargain with me...for example if you wanted a lollipop and I told you no, you will say, "just one. Just one mommy" and hold up your fingers attempting to show "one".
-I am so happy that you have started reading again. Grandma Kathy gave you a bunch of books that I had when I was a little girl and I can't wait to read them all with you. Right now you are very particular about which books you read, but of course, your Cars book is one of those favorites. Your others are Brown Bear Brown Bear, ABCs, Love You Forever, Llama Mama, Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes, and Franklin the Turtle. Some of these books have always been your favorites too
-The other day you did argue with me. When we saw a picture of mountains you insisted they were "Big Happos" (what you call rocks) and polar bears where "polar doggies"
OTHER
-You still love to growl and make funny faces. You are the king of dirty looks. I'm sure that will get you in trouble in your future....
-Car washes are one of your favorite things to talk about and play with, but when it comes to an actual car wash, it is still so terrifying for you. I really don't understand why you love to talk about them so much
-I don't know what kind of phase this is, but lately you have been so whiny!! You are so helpless and pitiful and the world is just about over. Every bump and bruise "needs an Olaf bandaid" and you are incapable of even picking up a blanket and repeatedly say in a whiny voice, "help please mommy!!" One one hand you are using your manners but on the other hand it is so whiny I just hate it!
FEVERS
After seeing the rheumatologist earlier this year, she prescribed a steroid to try at the onset of your fevers. Unfortunately we were going out of town to Lake Okoboji the day you woke up with your May fevers, so we got to spend our trip with you sick. You still enjoyed the beach for the most part though. Your next fevers were the day before my birthday. You sure do like getting fevers on special events! At least we weren't in the hospital this year on my birthday. But this time we were able to give you the steroid. We were so excited when your fever went away almost immediately!! You still complained about your head and belly hurting and you were more whiny than usual, but at least the fever was gone. Until Tuesday (three days later) when you woke up with a fever again :( I called your doctor and she said I could give you another dose of the steroid so I'm hoping that it will knock it out completely. At least for the next six weeks.
BROTHER
-Your brother is your all time most favorite person in the world. You have been great at playing with him and trying to teach him how to crawl lately! You love to tickle him and share with him and make sure he is involved in playing with you.
-On the other hand, sometimes when you are in a bad mood, all he has to do is look at you and you scream ,"nooo baby!!!"
-Tucker has many names thanks to you. He goes by Baby, Cookie, Cookie Dane, Cookie Dean, Tookie, and Tucker
FAMILY
-This month has been full of guests! First GigGi, Pimpa, and Amelia came to visit for a couple days.You were so excited! Especially to see Amelia. She is your favorite. You definitely missed them all and enjoyed having them around for a couple days. I know they enjoyed loving on you and your brother. A few days after they left your great aunt Sherry and great grandma Norma came to stay for a week. You didn't really know them since you last saw them when you were six months old, but you warmed up pretty quickly and fell in love. You had so much fun hanging out with them! In a couple months you get to see more of Mommy's side of the family when we go to California for Aunt Stephanie's wedding. Unfortunately I don't get hardly any pictures of you with the family :(
-My birthday was last weekend and Daddy surprised me by driving us to Iowa to visit our puppy (we will be getting a labradoodle in a few weeks when he is old enough to leave his mommy), then we kept on driving to Minneapolis!! Your daddy is so sweet and so caring. I absolutely loved my surrpise. We spent some time at the Mall of America (which is pretty awesome) then we went to Ikea! That is where Daddy and I had our first date. Except in Atlanta :) So not only is Ikea the best store ever, it has sentimental value toward Daddy and I. Your brother thinks cars are actually giant torture chambers but you actually weren't too bad. I let you play with my phone for part of the trip, which only let us realize we need to drastically cut down your screen time since you threw a huge fit when I took my phone back. I can't believe I am saying "we need to cut down your screen time" related to a TWO year old....
We have had such a fun past few months and you have grown in to such a wild and crazy little boy. You learn new things every day and you also do a great job at keep the teenagers accountable since you are a little parrot and repeat every little thing they say and do. So thanks for helping Mommy and Daddy with our jobs :)
My sweet first born son, I love you so much!
Grandma Norma and Aunt Sherry found a great deal for some pots at a consignment sale so I decided to do a photo shoot for Tucker. Then you wanted to get in the pot as well! Until you realized you were too big.... :)
Trenton is cooking cookies!! Get it???
Father's Day was also in June. This was the best I could get for you. If you look closely I had to bribe you to hold the D by placing the tablet behind the letter....shhh...don't judge
My friend Sarah, from college, coincidentally happened to be in the next town over. So we drove down to meet her!
Anything Tucker has you have to do too.
I fall in love with that face and smile and eyes every day!
Time to pick up our guys from the airport! You still ask about the airplane to this day
And this was my Mother's Day....you obviously wanted nothing to do with picture-taking
Daddy and Trenton on the carousel
Brother;y love :)
You had your first matchbox car race and got 3rd place! The beginning of the race you had some major meltdowns though because you didn't want to take turns
You also won at the one mile run we did! After this race you became an avid fan of running. Every time Mommy goes for a run, you always ask to run with me instead of riding in the stroller.
Such sweet brothers....
My little teenager
Playing games with Daddy with the guys
Silly silly boy!
The zoo is one of your favorite places
Tickle tickle baby!
When we went to Okoboji, you were sick again but still wanted to go on the boat. You ended up taking a nap instead
The guys were working out in the garden, and you wanted to help as well. My bit boy is gardening better than the teenagers already!
Mr. Smarty Pants reading Brown Brown Brown Bear
Sliding on the big slides with Pimpa!
This was Mommy's first attempt at face painting. Even though Daddy couldn't figure out what it was at first, I was pretty impressed by my dump truck :)
The zoo with Great Grandma Norma!
The zoo with Aunt Sherry as well!
You will probably hate me when you are older, but you were doing naked yoga....I thought this picture was funny. I'm sure it'll be one to show your future girlfriends. I'm sorry :)
There was this one time where you fell asleep in the car but kept throwing your head forward. So we decided to improv.
Tucker likes to look out the window so naturally you have to join in everything you do!
