TWO YEARS.

I cannot believe it has been two whole years

since we welcomed this sweet baby boy into our family.

My, how the time flies when you're having fun!

(or chasing a toddler :))

It was such a joy to celebrate our little man today.

I think he enjoyed all the special attention -

and his little party hat. :)

 At little man's well-check today,
he weighed in at 32 pounds and measured exactly 3 feet tall!
Still around the 90th percentilte for his stats,
which our pediatrician (and many others) predicts
make him a good candidate for linebacker in the future.

Max is still a good eater, though he definitely has his favorites.
He is pretty good about trying new things,
though it usually ends with a hilarious face of disgust
and a "Don't like it."

Sleeping is about the same - about 10 hours at night and a 1.5-2 hour nap.
He still takes a while to fall asleep (sometimes an hour!),
but I think Clay and I have learned our constant reminders
to go to sleep were just keeping him awake. :(
So we're not playing that game anymore and
he seems to be settling down more quickly.

Little man can take off his own socks and shoes -

and unfortunately sometimes his pants/ diaper.
He's also discovered that his shirts are now hanging
on the bottom rack of the closet, so he likes to go in there
and suggest outfits - usually the long-sleeved shirts!
He also likes to pick out his own socks when getting dressed,
which can be interesting since he has some
colorful striped ones that are often selected. :)

Max talks SOOOO much!
He can count to 10 and recognizes most colors.
The ABC song is mostly understandable,
and he will point out when he sees "lellers" somewhere (like on a sign).

A few new phrases:
"I need it" when he wants something.
"Two minutes" when he wants to keep doing something
(ie: "Color two minutes" after I just told him it's time to clean up)
"Mommy sing one song" when he's trying to stall at bedtime
(and I must admit, it usually works)
"See you la-ler" when one of us leaves or when he's going outside
"Go famer maket" - All. the. time. Seriously, this kid loves the farmer's market!

Max loves to color, and often asks for his "kay-ons and color book."
(It's funny because he mostly likes to scribble with a black or brown
crayon on the back cover of the coloring book. He doesn't care much
about the pictures - unless there's a bike.)

He is demonstrating a little mischievous streak,
which I honestly don't know what to do with.
One morning I woke to hear Max saying, "Outside, outside."
I thought that was a little weird - until I looked on the video monitor
and saw that he had pulled open the little screen
next to the window unit right by his bed and was sticking his hand outside!

He likes to "change" his baby doll's diaper,
which mostly means he strips the doll naked and then pulls
all of his diapers out of the changing table. Ha!

Cars are still one of his favorite things to play with.
He also LOVES the new train set he got for his birthday!

Despite the heat, little man loves to play outside -
especially now that he has a new "baket-bah" goal and tee ball stand!
He's also discovered the fun of chalk
(apparently his Cozy Coupe needed some racing stripes).
Climbing trees, watering the plants, and playing in the sandbox
are also popular requests.
 I am hoping for a mild summer so that I can stand
to be outside as much as Max wants to play!

  Oh, the personality in this one. ;)

It was been quite the ride these past two years
as this little bundle has taught us what it means to be parents.
We are so grateful for the smiles and the snuggles,
the snot and the screams (yes, even those),
and all the silliness that Maxwell James has brought into our lives.
Our hearts are full of more love than we ever thought possible,
and we can't wait to see what God has in store for this little man!