Happy 2nd Birthday Babies!

Pictures:
* 2nd Birthday cakes! L-R: Jack, Brooke, Ryan
* Celebrating with their big bro!




Ryan (aka RyRy, Jimmy)











Weight: 25.7 lbs (31st percentile)
Height: 36" (80th percentile)
Head: 19.4" (66th percentile)

16 teeth - one chipped :-)

* Still the strongest and the biggest. He's definitely not afraid to knock anyone down!

* Poor Ry Ry is so clumsy! I swear he's fallen and hit his head, knee, eye, etc so many times! We recently made his first trip to Urgent Care as he slipped and hit his eye on the corner of the kitchen table (no stitches needed!).

* He still loves his paci at night/nap. He has to take it out of his mouth and leave it in his bed before he can get out of his crib.

* He is talking so much more lately. He tends to leave off the first letter of every word when talking (it's actually very cute!). I think I'm going to miss it when he starts saying the words properly.

* Ryan loves to play catch and could do it for hours if he could find someone to participate for that long!
* I had to buy Ryan his own baby stroller (blue one!) because he loved Brooke's and I had enough of the fighting with his sister over just one. Now everyone fights over the two! But it's so cute to watch him and Brooke walk through the house saying "bye bye! Going to Papa/Grandma/Great Grandma's house! I'm home! Had a good day!". And giggling the whole time.

* Ryan is still the best eater and gives Kyle a run for his money when trying to finish their dinner. The only thing that we've found he doesn't like are pickles!

* Ryan seems to be the recipient of a lot of biting these days (mostly from Jack!). These two tend to fight the most...I'm sure a preview of what's to come!

Brooke (aka Brookie Cookie, Sissy)

Weight: 25.1 lbs (27th percentile)

Height: 33.5" (36th percentile)

Head: 19.6" (95th percentile)

12 teeth (one split at the top - crazy, but true! I need a picture of it)

* Our little drama queen, Miss Brooke has taken on the female role with a vengeance. She loves to direct the boys what to do (or not to do!), make sure everyone is ok, etc.

* Brooke loves her baby dolls. She now has to take them to bed with her, puts them in her cradle and changes their clothes. Periodically she'll share them with the boys, but she gets to decide which one they get!

- For her birthday, my dad re-finished the cradle he made me when I was little and my mom made a little quilt and bed for it. She loves it and it's such a sweet memory/gift.

* Brooke is the most talkative of all. You can definitely understand her and she's talking in full sentences, singing, working on her ABC's and counting. It's so sweet to hear her singing when she doesn't know you're listening.

- One of my favorite things that she says is "apple biter" aka Apple Cider :-)

* She is the gentlest of the group and loves to give kisses!

* Brooke is a great eater too. She will eat pretty much everything, especially if it has ketchup on it. One of her new favorites is pickles!

Jack (aka Jackie, Jackaroo)

Weight: 24.6 lbs (11th percentile)

Height: 34.25" (39th percentile)

Head: 18.6" (14th percentile)

16 teeth

* Jack is very excitable. His regular voice is always loud and when he gets excited, it kicks up a notch. He is loud. LOUD. We're working on talking with his inside voice. You can't help but smile when you witness his excitement.

* He is the instigator. If someone has something, you can count on Jack to want it to and hunt them down. With a big grin on his face because he knows he's going to cause trouble.

* The most outgoing of the kids. He is our official greeter when we go places, always saying hi to anyone and everyone :-)

* Jack loves to play with cars, trucks and the toy bus. He'll push the cars all around the house and is very content to play by himself.

* In the eating department, Jack is the slowest, pickiest eater there is. I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree ;-) Every day, at some meal, he'll say, "no like, mommy" and push it aside or conveniently drop it on the floor for Macey.

What everyone is doing...

* They are all great sleepers still. We now go to bed about 7:30 pm and Ed sings to them. They'll usually talk a little (or a lot, depends on the night) but they sleep until 7:30 - 8 am. Jack is usually the last one down (or just the loudest!) and the last one awake. Just last week, Brooke is asking for a drink of water when I put them to bed. She's learning to procrastinate already :-)

* All have learned to take off their coats and shoes when we come home and put them by their cubbies.

* All still love to brush their teeth! You'll tell them it's time to brush teeth and they all run into the bathroom.

* Everyone eats well with their fork and spoon. We need to learn to drink out of a cup without a lid...dreading this!

* They all love to play with their kitchen. They will serve each other (and us!) food.

* When they don't like something (or are afraid of it) they say no like in a low, sad voice. Lately, none of them have liked the Halloween blow up things or anyone dressed up as a witch for Halloween :-)

* We are Target lovers. When I tell them that we're going to Target, they'll ask, "see Ms. Rita?" Funny when your kids know the Target cashier by name :-)

* They all adore their big brother. It's fun to watch them all develop a sweet relationship with him and each other.

Life has become so much "easier". I now feel very comfortable taking them all with me places, as long we have the choo choo wagon or a shopping cart. They will all hold hands with Kyle and I while walking and listen well. Key lesson: always be prepared with drinks and a snack at all times!

Love, love, love them all. They say time flies when you're having fun. We're living proof of that!