Happy Birthday Nicholas James!

Happy Birthday Nicholas!

My (last) baby has turned two. We moved the high chair to storage and made the switch to 2% milk. We packed all your 18 month clothes in boxes and gave you another haircut which made you look like a little man. You no longer drool or cry when we put you down for naps. You have favorites and things you refuse to do. We laugh when you make silly faces and you love the attention. We let you wander around the house without fear of you getting hurt. You eat all the food that your big sister does and sometimes clean her plate when she is done. You play on your tablet and cuddle your favorite blanket when tired. I am not sure when all these things happened but you are no longer a baby.

Two years old.

Nicky, you are all boy. You love basketball and baseball and football and really any type of ball. You love to wrestle with your brother and play fight with your dad. You love the color blue and could win a chicken nugget eating contest. You think farts and burps are funny (thanks Nick). You could play cars all day. Revving their engines around the couches and up the walls. You love shoes. You LOVE shoes. I have never met a child that was such a shoe fascination. I actually hide your shoes from you so you don't end up wearing them 24/7. Nicky, you are silly and joyful and wonderful.

Nicky, you are also a handful. You love to run and jump and test the limits of gravity. You never hold still and therefore you have had numerous injuries. Can we give mom a break please? Do we have to jump down every step? Can we sit on our butt a little more so we don't fall off the chair, taking dinner with us on the way down? As a matter of fact, can we sit on the chair at all so we aren't always perched on the table? You eat the crayons you color with and occasionally draw on couches and walls and yourself. You act up in church and just want to say hello to every pew. You would love nothing more than to play outside 24/7 even if its snowing and I have yet to get you dressed for the day. Not a care in the world.

Nicky, you are so sweet. Your crooked smile brights up my day and your stoic looks always let me know that you are taking in the environment. You like when I snuggle up to your neck and give you kisses, always letting out a quiet giggle. You like when I sing you a song before bed, but only one, before I cover you up with the blanket Nona made you. You like to put your fingers in the crochet holes and pull it close to your face in comfort. You love your daddy so much. You like to 'brush' your beard in the morning with him and snuggle on his lap watching cartoons in the afternoon.

Nicky, you do things your own way, in your own time. You may not talk much but it is getting there. You say 'yea' a lot which helps out a little when deciding on if you want milk or juice for breakfast. Forgive me when I lose my patience with you and sorry I probably only took a million pictures of you when I took two million of your sister at this age.

Nicky, you are so loved. You make our family marvelous and keep your dad and I on our toes. We would not trade a single moment - even the moments I am cleaning the wall of crayon or dragging you out of church like a rag doll - for any other moment in the world. You are beautiful and smart and funny. I thank God for you daily.

Happy birthday Nicholas James Jr. I hope today was as wonderful for you as it was for me!

Marlee Turns Two

Pink Birthday Girl Pancakes!

Two years old!

Marlee Josephine.

My baby is now two years old.

A sweet, sassy, funny, beautiful two year old. 

The smile and willpower of my older sister, the sassiness and determination of my younger sister, and the silliness and joy of my baby sister. 

The beautiful hair of my mother and the laughter of my father. 

The love of life from my husband. 

The reason I wake up and smile every morning.

Stubborn and dramatic and emotional.

I love everything about you. 

I have watched you grow and learn. 

I know your likes; chocolate, chalk, babies, cartoons, binkie, milk, blocks, crayons, beans, pancakes, wrestling, peanut butter, dress up, tea parties, hide and seek, dancing, baths, music, and anything tiny. 

And I know your dislikes; ants, hair brushing, flies, dirty hands, vegetables, and loud noises.

You never cease to amaze me and some days I can't take my eyes off you. 

I don't want to miss a moment. 

I look forward to this next year of your life and continuing to watch you blossom into a little girl. You forever keep me on my toes and I would not have it any other way. 

Happy Birthday Marlee! 

Bring on the terrible twos. 

Party Sunday

Sunday we celebrated Nicholas getting Baptized and Marlee turning two! 

Even though she doesn't technically turn two until Thursday. 

We were blessed to have family and friends around us as Nick was blessed by Father Joe at church. It was a beautiful day and he looked so handsome in his baptism outfit. He did so good with the water and oil. Not a peep from him! He was restless as always but that is to be expected from my little squirmy boy. Marlee on the other hand was over church before it even began. She hung in there though with the help of family keeping her distracted. 

Ceremony

Distracting Marlee

Godparents, Father Joe, and Us

Family

After mass, we took the party back to our house and celebrated with cake and cookies. 

And coffee. Lots of coffee.

Marlee stole the show from here on out. We ate cake, opened gifts, and then played the night away. 

Oh and boy did we play.

We managed to open every single toy, one by one. And test them all out in one night. It was amazing. Marlee loved it and so did I. She was just tickled with joy. It was like Christmas in July.

We had a tea party.

And we played with her new easel which is actually a giant MagnaDoodle so no messes!

Genius invention.

We played with stickers. Lots of stickers. 

Then we moved on to dress up. She was flying like a fairy here.

And drinking some cold drinks.

Then doing some cooking.

While adding to our costumes. She is a doctor chef princess here. 

Then we did some more tea party fun. Nick got in on the fun. Nice princess headband hubby.

Pause for a little snack!

It tasted like plastic. 

Time for a break so we could feed the baby and be sassy. 

Then we moved on to the blocks. She loves to stack stuff and knock it down of course. 

Nicky was thrilled with all the toys too! Yay! More stuff to chew and drool on.

Today we woke up and started all over again. We started with painting on the Sophia easel, dressed as a princess. 

She decided Nicky needed an outfit too. He wanted to be a fairy.

Marlee thought this was hilarious. 

I thought he looked pretty darn cute. 

So far my house is a disaster and the kids are both down for a nap by noon. It was such a wonderful Sunday that I hate for it all to end. Luckily we have a ton to play with to keep us entertained for a long time!

Congrats Nicky on your big day. You are truly a blessing and we are blessed to be able to share you with God and family. 

Marlee Jo, I hope you had a great birthday. Your smile brightens my day and I have to say that you make me smile everyday. There is nothing greater in the world.