2 next month

Lately it has become easier to respond to this question, "How old is he?", with "He will be 2 in January". Almost 2 just rolls off the tongue better than 23 months. It is a milestone really; from here on out Doodle will be "2" and eventually "2 and a half" rather than a quantity of months. It is another reminder that he is growing up. Way. Too. Fast.

To commemorate, this is Doodle's 23 months list:

1. You often refer to yourself as "Dayden" and sometimes "I".
2. Christmas is next week. You love ALL the decorations, especially "Tip-i-tees" (Christmas tress).
3. Santa is fun to talk about and look at from afar. You were not a fan of your encounter with the jolly ole' elf.
4. Overnight stays at grandparents' are becoming a monthly occurence. You love "PaPaw and Nana's" and "Mimi and Poppy"'s houses.
5. We are thinking about letting Papaw give you a puppy.
6. Thomas and Friends and Mickey Mouse are each watched almost daily.
7. You have started lining objects up in a single-file line. These objects become a "choo-choo".
8. You are obsessed with trains. And tractors.



9. Pretend play is beginning. You will lay your toys on their sides and say "night-night". Then you start snoring.
10. You torment Milo endlessly in any way you can and have also started to chase Jake around the house.
11. Jake scratched you on your face for only the second time ever. See above.
12. You suffer from nurse-maid elbow. Dr. Collins had to pop a ligament in your elbow back into place because it slides over a bone and becomes stuck. You did not use your arm for 2 whole days within a 5 day time frame.
13. You love for the fire in our fireplace to be lit. You say, "Daddy. Fire. Do it. Please."
14. You are a little parrot, repeating nearly everything you hear.
15. When Daddy comes home from work you become SO excited. You two scream and yell and laugh and run and tickle and hide and push trucks all over the house together.
16. Dancing to Christmas music has become a favorite activity. You ask for the music and proceed to dance: stomping, clapping, jumping.
17. You like for Daddy to make himself into a bridge so you can crawl under him. He also does this for you using the couch cushions.
18. Ready? Set. Go! You are beginning to like to race!
19. When trying to convince us you should watch Mickey or Thomas and you are not happy with no as a response, you proceed to ask to watch, "News?" Nice try.
20. You like to play hide-and-seek. You say, " Where are num?" and "There it is" using a higher pitched voice.
21. You can count to 2 and know the colors blue, green, and red consistently and orange, brown, and yellow inconsistently.
22. Kaleb, Kameron, and Roby are three of your favorite people. You love your cousins.
23. You are snuggly. You like to give kisses and hugs and say "Wuv You, _____". Please do not ever stop being that way.

Thank you Doodle for being the absolute best thing that has ever happened to us. You are such a blessing to us and we continue to thank God for you each and every day.

"Every good and perfect gift comes from above..."
James 1:17

DIY-Merry Christmas style

I needed a new something to hang on my door and had aspirations to make an ornament wreath. My frugality prevented that from happening because I am not one to pay full price for any Christmas decoration. (My sister and I, and our Mom and her sister have a tradition of shopping for half-priced Christmas items December 26th. A tradition I LOVE and a girl's day I look forward to beginning December 27th!) Several years ago I bought these cinnamon-scented pine cones and had not used them for anything. I had seen a couple pictures in magazines which inspired this idea. One afternoon during naptime, I got to work with the pinecones, some ribbon I had on-hand, and my handy-dandy hot glue gun. Voila!

I am in love with these beauties and the man who made them!

Friends of ours had these in their yard so I inquired where they came from.They're handmade; these particulars are handmade by my husband! Our friends shared the template with us, Daddy was super excited to delve slightly into woodworking, and I got busy painting. They are gorgeous lit up at night with the floodlight.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

22 months

1. Tractors and trains rule your life.

2. You refer to yourself as "Dayden".

3. When talking on the phone, you randomly say names of people we have seen, places we have been, or things you have seen during the day.

4. You love to "nuggle" with Mommy in the morning and Daddy in the evening.

5. We draw tractors and trains outside with chalk and in the bathtub with crayons.

6. You recently tried to ride Milo. He was not amused.

7. You have been taking 3 hour naps. Perhaps you are in the middle of a growth spurt.

8. Christmas music seems to calm you in the car. Too bad I cannot make it work at Kroger.

9. We continue to read multiple books a day.

10. You consistently put 3 words together in phrases and occasionally even 4: Mommy cook water hot.

11. "Na-nook" means yogurt. You eat it once a day.

12. Thomas the tank engine is your new obsession. Mickey Mouse waned for a while but is beginning to make a comeback.

13. Hide and seek is your favorite game: "Dayden hiding", "Mommy Daddy hide", as you throw blankets over our heads. 

14. You and Daddy go into your room and play in the dark. All I hear is you screaming and laughing. When Daddy opens the door you shout "NO!" and slam the door shut.

15. You had your first dentist visit with Dr. Kirby. You were not amused.

16. It is great fun, in your eyes, to stand on the arms of the furniture. It is not fun for Mommy.

17. You love playing with your cousins Kameron and Roby. After Halloween, when we were in the car you would say, "Roby's house?"

18. You grab Milo's tail and hang on. You lightly touch Jake's tail and say, "tickle, tickle".

19. When Mommy is cleaning you say, "Dayden keen, peas", translated 'Jayden clean, please'.

20. A favorite thing for you to do is run around in circles. When you fall down you say, "crash" or "wreck".

21. Everything is the color 'geen'.

22. Stickers are a great toy. And inexpensive too. Mommy vacuums them up all over the house and they are stuck all over the furniture. But, you're totally worth it!