Side Tracked

So tonight we were driving to our local wholesale club store and Liam starts counting. Ian is my witness that Liam said exactly this:

One, Two, Three, Two, Toes, Silky.

Yes, he got sidetracked with two of his favorite things... toes and silkies. The thing is, his toes were not exposed and there was no silky blanky in hand.

We laughed quite a bit and I am still giggling about it.

The phrases

I forgot to mention in Liam's birthday letter some of the phrases he uses on a daily basis.

When he is looking for something like his "silkie", "binky" or a toy we've misplaced, he finds it and says "der-it-iz", a.k.a. "there it is."

When I'm praising him with a "you did it" he usually responds with a "I did it!" It is so precious and sweet each and every time! I love that he is proud of himself for simple tasks that I've asked him to do.

I also forgot to mention the way he pronounces words that end in A-I-R, E-A-R or A-R. He calls his hair, her. His chair, cher and his ear, er. Cracks me up how he pronounces things.

He has gotten smarter over night. It's like the age of two made it official for him to start growing up way faster than a mama can handle. Ian and I were laughing on Friday because only one day after turning two, our son asked us "why" four times! He has NEVER asked us why. Not once until the day after he turned two! How hilariously ironic can it get?

Sears Photos Saturday

I was able to get a few effects to make these even cuter at the studio... these are just raw images. I can't wait to get my free 10 x 13 of this one on the wall:



How do you get a two year old to smile naturally and not by asking him to say cheese?
Here is the cheezer grin:



And here are the non-amused shots that are still cute.

The footage

Here is Liam's reaction to the birthday present from Daddy and my parents.

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Happy Birthday, Liam! You're Two!

Dear Son,

I have so much to say to you today. It's been another outstanding month where you've blown us away with your intelligence and wit!

This morning we took video of you opening the door to your playroom where you found your birthday presents. You saw all the goodies with wide eyes and put your hands up saying "Tah-dah!" You immediately went for the balloons with excitement... and that hot rod pedal car [that Dad was so excited for you to see] got secondary attention. Certainly a typical reaction for people your age. Just goes to show a few dollars spent on balloons is all anyone needed to make a special day for you.

You did take a major interest in your new car later in the morning. You were climbing on the hood and sliding off of it too. You pushed it around and sat in it a bit. It was sweet when we got home from work, you took Daddy into the playroom, climbed into your car and then pointed for Daddy to sit next to you. Yep, you left Daddy a whole 2 inches of the seat, so he sat on the floor beside you instead. Then later this evening, when your friends came over for birthday cake... you were so darling pushing Jacob in the pedal car as he steered all silly. 5-year-old Jacob made it look like a breeze to pedal pedal pedal. I was proud of you for sharing your new toy with him and having fun with taking turns.

Another cute thing you did this evening before our guests came over... you went in the playroom and pointed to a big balloon and then to the little one. You held the little one and and said "baby." I taught you awhile back that big things are the mommy and the smaller version of the same thing is the baby. It cracked me up that you remembered that! Melted my heart too.

This past month or so, you've been pointing to your ear when you hear something specific. It generally happens if you hear a truck or train outside, an aircraft overhead or a cat meowing in the other room. You'll point to your ear or cup your ear and say truck, train, airplane or kitty. You light up with recognition. We love how observant you are, even when you are in the middle of something else, you'll notice the sounds outside of your element. It's amazing to us because we don't notice the birds chirping like you do. It's just another way we can enjoy the world through not just your eyes, but your ears.

You are putting two words together more and more often now. It's a big surprise each time you do it. I gave you a drink of my ice water the other day and after a big gulp, you said "cold wahder." I was so thrilled with you! You'll also say "seeyalayer" when we are saying good-bye to people. Oh, and you say thank you for everything! I love that high pitched voice when there is gratitude in your heart. Even for the simplest things that even adults don't say thank you for. You also tack on "your welcome" to your thank you's now and then. Cracks us up.

I love you because you are so innocent and strive to do good. You want to do anything that makes us smile. I love you because you are so smart and so funny. You'll go to far lengths to make us laugh and impress us with your knowledge. I love you because you're mine and I get to spend every day with you. It's a privilege to be your parent, protector, teacher and playmate. You are more special than I can ever describe. It's fantastic to me that, as your mother, I can see all your potential, your worth. I hope that I can start your path out so you are headed in the right direction... when you are out of my sight... out of my care... and out in the world alone. I pray that your instincts to do good now will carry with you forever.

I love you, Liam. Happy Birthday, you talented little man!

Love,
Mom

Click HERE to see all the birthday photos.

The past 2 years

I'll post his birthday letter later on. Enjoy this in the meantime.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Liam's Birthday Party

We had Liam's birthday party at Jump On It today. It was a great success! All of our little guests and their parents had a great time! Most of Liam's little friends were around age 2 and our former neighbors, Erik and Dylan, are a little older, 6 and almost 4. It was so fun to spend the morning partying with everyone!

Liam didn't stop hopping until it was time for cake and singing. He was absolutely adorable as we all sang to him... he knew he was the focus at that point. He was mezmerized by the 2 blazing candles on his ice cream cone cupcake. I helped him blow out the first candle then he blew out the other one. We all cheered for him! He was insistant on licking the frosting off of the candles. Cute kiddo!

None of the kids wanted to leave, including Liam. But Liam fell asleep about a minute after we got in the car and he slept a few hours... completely worn out!

You can see all the photos HERE.

We are excited about his real birthday this coming Thursday. My mom and Ian bought him a Hot Rod pedal car, so I am going to stage it Thursday morning (with tons of balloons in his play room for him to find). I can't wait to get his reaction on video!

2 year well visit

Liam went to his 2 year well visit about a week early today. I had a dr. appointment this morning so I took the day off of work and scheduled Liam for an afternoon appointment. I've been looking forward to the day off and it ended up being a pretty good day. I needed a day where I could leave work alone and focus on Liam and myself.

My full physical went smoothly and Liam's did too! We are supposedly models of health. Yay!

Liam weighed in at 27 lbs and that surprised me. This past week I would swear he's at least 30 lbs! Maybe I am getting weak.

I was extremely proud of him during his exam and even more so when he got his Hep A shot. He cried because he was being held down, not because it really hurt him. As he was finishing up his whimpers, I said thank you to the nurse and to my surprise Liam thanked her too! What a sweet little guy! After that, he noticed the "sticker" on his leg and got pretty excited. As you can imagine, he really fought me putting his pants back on.

Here is a photo of him groovin' on the exam table. He thought it was a trampoline.

After Liam's dr. appt, we went to visit Daddy at his workplace, then we all headed to PumpkinLand together. It was fun to get a few more photos with the fall back drop. Liam loved seeing all the animals and climbing on all the pumpkins.

A great day!

Grand Gourds

Well, this was the second Saturday of October and both Saturdays have included rain. all. day. We've been wanting to go to a local farm to pick out gourds and get good photos. Next week is Liam's party, so we wouldn't get another Saturday before Halloween to take him. Sooo...

We weathered the rain and took Liam to a great place that has a greenhouse full of gourds of all kinds (great prices too). He got mud and dirt all over him within 5 minutes of our arrival. So much for crispy clean photos.

Liam was so cute selecting his 5 cent miniature gourds. Ian got white and red pumpkins and I got a big and wonderful green one! You'll see if you click HERE all the great stuff we got for under $9.

Before we left the farm, we got some applesauce donuts and a pumpkin chocolate chip cookie! Liam loved eating all the sprinkles off the donut.

We had to laugh as Liam loaded and unloaded his gourds over and over again. He did the same thing once we got home. I can still picture him going to the back of the car, grabbing one tiny gourd, then struggling to climb the 2 steps to our porch, place his "punkun" on the far end of the porch, then start the process over. He took quite awhile to get them all arranged in the corner of our porch too. It was so funny! "Punkuns" are his new favorite friends.

Click here to see Liam just a year ago.
We need to take him back to PumpkinLand.

We drove around the county running other errands today and enjoyed our family time together. It's been a nice day. We even got naps! All 3 of us!

Tonight I caramelized some apples a friend gave me earlier in the week. I then made cobbler out of them. I just got it out of the oven, so I'm pushing the post button so we can eat cobbler and watch SNL the rest of the evening.

You may not think it's funny, but I do!

Liam just passed some gas and said, "Ewwww, Fahrt!"

Cracks me up!

Molars, Snot and Cuteness

Another week gone

This is Liam on Friday morning intensely working on his coloring. He colors ALL. THE. TIME! As you can see, he's made it a portable activity. He hangs out at the dining room table making scribbles and circles in his coloring books too. He usually talks to himself or sings to himself as he works. Cracks me up.

Saturday morning we picked up our new friends Kara and Joslyn (16 months) and took them to PERC with us. It was fun for both me and Liam to be with them as we spent our time at the library. There was a fall festival going on that we had no idea about until we came up the stairs from PERC. The kids got to draw pictures and then they danced to a bluegrass band playing there. It was so darling! They are both such good little toddler dancers! We hope to do more fun things with them on a regular basis!

Sunday Liam and I went to sacrament meeting. There was a lag in the testimony meeting so we headed up to the stand, and then 2 other people had the same thought at the same time. We ended up sitting on the front pew while I waited for my turn. Shari (Liam's sitter) and all her kids were on the second row - and all of them were delighted to see Liam. Liam went to sit with Shari for a minute and when she let him come back to me I couldn't help but notice she had tucked in his dress shirt. I giggled as Liam strutted over to my arms. He was so sweet and seemed so happy to be coming back to me then he gave me a big cuddle!

While I was bearing my testimony, I got all teary and Liam became pretty concerned and studied my face. It was very sweet. I could tell he was worried so I wrapped up and we went back to our pew. I have to say Liam was very well behaved the whole meeting... we even got there on time. Amazing.

We left right after sacrament meeting because our friends, DJ and Anissa, were in town and they were going to spend the afternoon/evening with us. We were grateful they made time to spend the day with us. We had such a wonderful Sunday with them. The twins, Addison and Ethan, were a complete joy! They are very mild little babies. I was so excited to finally meet them in person! Each time I would pick one of them up they would melt right into me. The cuddliest little kids EVER! I thoroughly enjoyed holding babies a whole year younger than Liam.

Liam seemed to have a little crush on Addison. He would dote on her and be very careful with her, even share with her. Ethan wasn't so lucky. That poor little guy was picked on by our bully boy. We had to intervene a few times. Ethan was living it up when Liam finally took a nap. Free reign over all the toys!!!

Monday evening Liam melted my heart when I picked him up from Shari's. He ran to the door all excited saying "mama mama" over and over! That is the nicest greeting I have gotten from him in a LONG time! He is usually way too busy to greet me or even consider going home when I get there.

And tonight we had a fit throwing Liam begging to go outside. So Daddy suggested we go to the P-A-R-K and ride in the T-R-U-C-K. (Yep, Daddy initiated the spelling movement as our baby isn't oblivious to what we say anymore.) We had a fun time with Liam in the truck and at the park. I got a few good shots of my handsome men. See all park photos HERE.

I don't know what we are going to do when it gets REALLY cold. It's been pretty chilly the past few evenings and Liam always wants to go outside. I need to ask Shari to let him go outside with the big kids in the afternoons.

Liam's speech gets better by the day. Everything he says is so darling and funny. He is saying helicopter better and, "I did it" and anything else he feels like copying. I was looking for Daddy last night and kept saying, "where are you?" and Liam would copy exactly every time. I had to laugh of course.

Look who found Daddy's old camera...
he put that thing around his neck like he was an old pro!

I love this Mug!

Liam is 23 months!

Dear Son,

What a month! It flew faster than the past two combined.

You are soaring with your speech the past few weeks! It's such a cool thing to watch each day. I love that you repeat, repeat, repeat. You attempt words and succeed. You've been saying airplane when you hear one in the sky, you continue to say bless you each time we sneeze, you say a few shapes such as circle, square and star, you say bath as we walk by the bathroom, you say potty when you see the toilet, you say dah-ee constantly because you always want Daddy's attention (even when he isn't home), you say dance whenever you hear a good beat (and then bob your cute head), you beg for the binky, the blanky, the nilk, pretzel, cracker and going outside. We crack up every time Daddy says, "Holler" and you echo, "Hollah." Tonight you said Uncle Drew and boy was he happy to finally hear that! The Grandmas like hearing your, "Hi Grar" too! We are still working on clear versions of your elephant, alligator and helicopter... your attempts are hilarious though!

You are a brute with your rough-housing! You are big on body slamming Daddy, jumping off the couch, falling straight on your belly from an elevated surface, kid, you'll do just about anything physically harmful to get a rise out of your audience - a true boy through and through! We are proud that you have a high pain tolerance, but we worry about some of your tricks too.

You are very meticulous! You inspect your toe jam to no end. This quirk has become more evident in the past month or so. We are grossed out by it, but laugh at you anyway. The intense look on your face as you inspect, well, it's one of a kind. I have yet to get it on camera, but I do have one photo of your mitts full of toes (as I caught you in the act in the car last month).

You are a brilliant little boy, Liam! We just love your jokes and jibber jabber. You have been known to elbow whomever is nearby as you jabber a little phrase and then start laughing like you were bringing up an old inside joke! Smart people have the best sense of humor, that is what I say. Daddy is brilliant and he's one of the funniest people I know! It's so rewarding for both of us to see ourselves in you. You are a treasure in our home. We can't get enough of you, even through the tantrums, we are grateful to be your team of parental units. It's a sweet thing to share a roof with you, my darling boy!

Love you always,

Mom

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Ups and Downs

It's been a week of ups and downs. Liam has still been sick... until about Thursday morning. He actually woke cheerful, and not at 4am like the previous mornings because of an upset tummy resulting in a diaper change, resulting in a child that thinks it's time to start the day.

Thursday and Friday he was more himself... so much so, that we didn't recognize him without the whining. It was so nice to welcome our son back! He is such a sweet kid and has been through a lot the last couple weeks. His manners are back and his appetite is back. I am so grateful.

Here are some highlights from this past week:

We got a package from Grandma BJ on Tuesday. She sent a big pair of Darth Vador snow boots that she found at a garage sale, among other things. Later when I told Liam he needed to put his shoes on so we could go for a ride in Dad's truck, I found this backward bootlegger.

Wednesday night Ian was working on getting our fencing pressure-washed. Liam steered clear of the big loud machine when it was on, but didn't mind the mist it provided even from a distance. Here are some photos of him taking some breaks with Dad. I don't have a photo of Liam holding tight to his hat when the wind would blow. He gets so upset if his hat comes off. Makes me laugh as I reassure him that it's alright. I then make sure to velcro the clasp so it doesn't take flight again.

Here is Liam Thursday morning playing nicely while Mommy worked. Play dough has turned out to be such a great toy in the mornings. I sit at the table with my work and Liam sits close by doing his "work" too. I am close enough to see when bits fall on the floor and very handy to him if he needs my help.

Friday Liam recognized the color orange for the first time, pointing to the object and saying "ornch." I gave him hi-fives and squeezes to no end I was so proud of him!

Also on Friday, Liam was served breakfast as we listened to some country music and he started groovin' at the table as he ate. His head was tilted to the side and was bobbing so cute.

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I have noticed this past week that Liam has mastered somersaults to a fine accuracy.

Ian reported today that Liam said three consecutive words, "come with me." He wanted Ian to go and see his P.E.R.C. toy he was playing with in the other room. We couldn't get him to do it as clearly again, but he's saying so many 2-word phrases lately and it's just so fun to be a witness of his growth!

And I have to share, because I am so proud, that I got Liam's fall wardrobe (including a halloween costume) all for $20 today at the thrift store.

Oh, and I forgot to mention that at some point during the week, I got home from work and handed Liam to Ian. Liam got mad as I walked away saying I needed to use the potty and I'd be right back. He kept saying "potty" over and over. Daddy reassured him by saying that Ma Ma can't go potty in her pants like Liam can. I laughed from afar, you know, in the bathroom.

I don't learn

I tend to say things out loud such as "things are back to normal" or "he's sleeping through the night" and the next day, yep you guessed it, things revert back.

So we had a nice day today. We went to P.E.R.C. to pick out some new toys for the week, stopped by the craft store for a couple things and came home so Liam could take a nap.

Liam only napped for an hour and a half. He woke up sad and needed tons of cuddles.

We headed to the Utah State Fair as planned.

Liam zoned out in the car, eyes open, drool flowin'... we wondered if he fell asleep with his eyes open. It was weird.

Liam loved being in his stroller as he met all the goats, Cookie Monster, cows, pigs, bunnies, birds and fish. Well, he didn't mind being held by Daddy a few times so they could go pet the cows and see the other animals a little more closely. When we put him in his stroller again, he just watched all the interesting people as we browsed all the booths and food choices.

We got Liam corn on the cob to keep him happy while we decided on what to get for ourselves. I got a Philly Cheese Steak sandwich and Ian got a brat. Liam started stealing bites of Dad's brat. After about 5 satisfying bites something made him choke a bit and it triggered his gag reflex. With a small audience, Liam barfed. Barfed again... and then one more time.

Ian and I sat there stunned for a couple seconds. I didn't know how he we were going to even start cleaning up a yucky baby and an even yuckier stroller. Thank goodness he had a full-coverage bib on at the time. The just-in-case outfit didn't need to be used. I took that sleeved bib off and only had his leg to clean off. The bib made a bridge all the way to the middle of his foot rest. No shoes to clean. Very good.

After using all the baby wipes on the stroller tray, foot rest and the root beer [Ian spilt in the cup holder], we were good to go get our funnel cake and head home. I apologized to our small audience for the show.

We laughed as we walked along. My funnel cake was covered in powdered sugar. I was walking into the wind. I was a white mess from head to knee. We just kept on walking as I chowed down.

We got home and hung out in the yard for awhile. Liam helped me sweep up some grass from mowing the lawn last night. Ian got the truck started so it could run for awhile. Liam immediately got in the truck and started honking the horn. He loves that truck! I got a few good photos of him sitting in it.

Then Ian decided to run to H0me Dep0t and get me some bark to put in a formerly weeded area of the yard. I was excited to have a cleaner look in that area. Liam didn't want Daddy to leave without him, but sitting in the front seat with him for a minute sufficed and I got a cute grin on camera there too.

Liam ate a couple crackers and his rice milk before bed. I do hope he feels better tomorrow. I worry when he has no appetite, but I can't blame him. Poor guy.

You can see the photos of the day HERE.

Back to normal, whatever that is

Liam has been recovering from Monday's madness all week, but today he seemed somewhat normal. He actually ate food and played with his toys. Amazing. Along with that normalcy, he is whining a lot and throwing hearty fits too. This weird week has really thrown his manners off. Let the retraining begin!

In other news, we put Liam's hook-on high chair away. He now eats like this:

The Flu

Liam woke yesterday morning at 4:30am vomiting.

From then on out until 1pm he was vomiting about twice an hour.

It was a learning experience.

After we changed him a few times, we ran out of jammies... and sheets... and wised up.

I started cuddling him in our bed between episodes.

When the warning cry came, a towel was ready to catch the mess.

Towels are much more plentiful... and absorbent.

The cuddling went from 6am to about 11am.

I loved every part of it.

Cuddling my baby and being there for him like that was very special to me.

Obviously I can handle vomit without getting ill myself.

The afternoon and evening had a few more small episodes. One included an attempt to cuddle with Daddy, but he vomited on him instead. It took a lot of will power for Ian not to throw up too.

Liam threw up one last time at 1am this morning. It was such a [gross and wet] grand finally to the whole experience. I had to completely bathe him in the night and switch out the sheets once again [including the bumper pads this time]. I can still hear him whimpering as I cleaned him up and then made him sit on the floor with my silky unmentionables since his silky blankies were soiled. Thank goodness for silky unmentionables... we went through a lot of those too the past little while. (He has a major fixation on all things silky in the house including my silk robe and an old skirt, slip and the above mentioned.)

He drank lots of pedialyte and rice milk today. We attempted chicken and stars at 11am and he held that down. We tried that again for dinner and he did well. He later ate half a bread stick. I think his belly is still upset, but no action has taken place since 1am this morning-- thank goodness!

He woke an hour after I put him to bed tonight and he couldn't be settled down. I thought maybe it had to do with the fact Ian is out of town tonight. I always wonder if one of our absences bothers him when it comes to his bed time routine. Like he knows if one of us isn't here as he sleeps. I gave in after trying to calm him down for few minutes (which usually works with a binky back in place, a silky something and a kiss on the head). He ended up coming downstairs and cuddled sweetly as we watched 13 going on 30.

I have to report that when we talked to Ian on the phone tonight, Liam said "night night" very clearly and then said "love YOO" really cute and pointed to the phone who was Daddy. Melted my heart as I am sure it did Daddy's too.

Liam this last week

I took a few token photos this last week of Liam being his regular funny self!

Wednesday night Ian was in charge of the joint youth activity gathering canned goods for the food bank and blankets for the homeless shelter in SLC. Thursday morning Liam found the canned goods and put himself to work. He was so proud of himself stacking all those cans!

That same morning he had his regular 2 egg breakfast. Here he is blowing on the hot eggs before he makes them disappear in 2 minutes flat. He only took one bite of the kiwi, but it was worth trying... he has become such a picky eater.

Thursday night Liam was very excited to "help" me roll pennies. He concentrated like this for a good 45 minutes. He asked for help when his penny roll would collapse, but then he'd collect-and-dump over and over again.

Friday night Liam "helped" Dad work on the truck. Liam loves that truck. Ian got a great deal on a 1975 Ford F250 and has been working on it to get it in condition to register and haul his boat. This past week we've taken a drive around the block as a family (secured by old fashioned lap belts). Liam just smiles, chats with us and says "WEEE" when Ian hits the gas. It's been a fun family activity each evening before we put Liam to bed. (Ian says this will be Liam's truck when he is of age.)

Saturday Liam colored a lot! I found some crayons from when Ian and I were dating... and some old coloring books! Liam liked coloring over all the stuff that Ian and I had colored together when we'd watch movies and hang out. Ian fained hurt feelings that his beautiful crayoned pages were scribbled upon. Ha ha!

That night Matt and D stopped by one last time before leaving town to go back to California. Kaden and Liam had a good time copying each other and playing around before taking one last bath together. After the bath, they ran around bare-bummed. It was so cute and we got a few awesome shots of those toddler cheeks. It was a fun ending to an otherwise mundane Saturday.

We've been busy

We've had house guests since Friday. It was fun to be with friends this past weekend.

Kelley, my close friend since we were 14 years old, was here with her adorable 7 month old, Chloe. Catching up with Kelley and seeing how much Liam loved her was so wonderful!

Matt and D came to see us late Saturday and left this morning. Kaden and Liam played pretty well together. We were very impressed with how brotherly they are with one another.

Here are all the photos - Click HERE and HERE! We went to Jump On It again and had a blast! Liam got excited seeing these photos tonight. He said, "jump, jump, jump" when he saw himself jumping.