Birthday fun!

Holy Moly was Connor's birthday a busy busy busy day! We tried to squeeze in as much fun as we possibly could! I'll let the pictures tell the story...

"Tomorrow's my birthday! Tomorrow's my birthday!!"




Rise & shine, birthday boy!!
I could just eat up his 'morning sleepy face'--he is so precious!


"Seriously Mom?! I'm hangin' with my buddies. What's with the camera this early?!"



Once he was up, it didn't take long before he spotted it...
His new basketball hoop!!!!!




"Shoot! Swoosh!"


After shooting some hoops, we were onto breakfast. Connor's Mickey pancake (which he mauled before I had the camera ready so I tried to put him back together for a picture...) was delicious! My growing boy requested three Mickey pancakes!


We got word that "Connor's got mail!" from Matt, so we had to go check it out! Connor (and I) got a huge kick out of his cat that sang "Happy Birthday!"


Connor liked it so much, we watched it a good 15 times!


My big boy!!!


We decided to go for a neighborhood drive in Connor's new car (hand-me-down from my wonderful neighbors). Connor thought it was fun to buzz by the garbage men collecting the neighbor's trash...Woo hoo!


We then parked his car & headed down to toss some rocks into the drain. Oh, the excitement!!!


Nana arrived & we were ready to head to story time at the library!
(This is Connor's face when I ask for a hug. He turns his cheek to mine, puckers his lips, and pulls me in close!)


Nana usually takes Connor to story times when I'm at work, so I was excited to tag along for the fun this time! The woman reading the story basically whispered, so the room of little ones (and my monster child) barely paid her any attention. It was more fun seeing the other kiddies wondering around! After story time, we loaded up on new DVDs and books to check out!


Then we were off to the only place "Where a kid can be a kid!"...Chuck E Cheese's!!
FYI to parents out there: Be sure to sign up your kiddie on Chuck E Cheese's website to receive coupons & the oh-so-nice 20 free token voucher on your child's birthday!
We enjoyed free rides and games :)

"Weeeeee"


After Chuck E's, we headed to our favorite playground hot spot of McDonald's for lunch & play time. No great photo op's at that time, so just use your imagination....we ate, Connor played, he pooped, we left! :)

After a looooooooooong nap, we packed up & headed over the Nana & Papa's for supper!
Before supper time, we got to squeeze in a neighborhood cruise on Papa's bike.



Parking our bikes in the garage led us to the planter full of rocks. The planter full of rocks led Connor down to the canal. The canal apparently screams for rocks when we're there and Connor MUST feed it! :) Connor heaved a good 20 rocks into the water, then we headed up to the house for supper. To our surprise, Connor had a fancy new ride waiting for him in the house...



"Nana...Papa...you're the best!"


Hugs for Connor's new horse :)


This picture is not flattering to either of us, but I had to include it. This is the best and only picture I have of Connor with his cake.

My face reads: "Oh dear Lord. Terrible two tantrums. Awesome."
Connor's face reads: "GIVE ME SOME CAKE NOW!!!!


The ever-so-bipolar-happy-kid once he received his cake.


I couldn't help, but snap this photo. New jammies. New toy. New age. Same great toosh!

It's good to be TWO!!!

HaPpY HaPpY HaPpY HaPpY

2nd

BiRtHdAy to my little munchkin!!!

Birthday week begins

Today's birthday week festivities included a trip to Target to get the rest of his birthday party outfit, to Chuck E Cheese (where Connor is still needing some practice on rolling the ski balls, instead of launching them/near denting the game!), and play time in the kiddie pool in the back yard. I also fixed up a yummy new treat of cheese raviolis with a new vodka cream sauce (orange spaghetti sauce instead of red). I was concerned about whether I was making the delicious lunch in the event that my picky eater takes one look at it & chooses not to eat it, but I accepted the challenge. I took the first bite & let out a huge "Mmmm!!" Once that was done, we had lots of giggles & Connor dove right into his tasty lunch.

I haven't posted a video in a while, so thought you might enjoy the goofy antics of my (almost) two year old!

Birthday week...

When Connor was a newborn, it seemed as if nursing and pumping consumed my life. I recall being up all night nursing my precious little babe who would only sleep for about 2 hour increments at a time. Every nursing session ended in a lovely poopy diaper—it still amazes me the pooping power this tiny little child could produce. So here I was, standing in the dark in my bedroom every night, trying to unbundle my little boy to change his diaper while desperately trying to keep him covered, so he wouldn’t get cold from the freezing winter air. For about the first month of Connor’s life, I would go to bed with two sets of pajamas set out for him and I. It was a given that every time the cold air would hit Connor’s tiny “wee” when changing his diaper, he would give both of us a lovely urine shower! This time in our lives taught me how to schedule my milk pumping, showering, meals, and daily chores completely around Connor’s schedule. I remember being excited if I got out of my pajamas and into regular clothes before the day was over! Parenthood was only beginning for me...

My calendar was a countdown from day one. I couldn’t wait until Connor was old enough to eat solid food (and give my poor “teets” a break!). Once we reached solid foods at about 4 months old, I was anxious to see Connor sit up on his own. When Connor was 6 months to the day, I will never forget the shock my Mom and I had when we plopped Connor on the floor of his bedroom & he sat on his own for a good 25 seconds!! I remember lots of cheering and immediately jotting down this oh-so-big milestone in Connor’s baby book! The world of sitting up in shopping carts, sitting on playmats, and sitting in his high chair was so thrilling to me! Once we mastered that, I couldn’t wait until Connor could crawl. It started with the ‘inch worm approach’ where Connor’s pudgy arms did all the work, but soon after his legs got the hang of it. The days of laying Connor on his play mat and knowing he wouldn’t go anywhere were officially over. Baby proofing the house was in full force! The coffee table was absent from my living room for many months to avoid bruises to Connor’s noggin’ (and my heart attacks to follow!). I’m pretty sure I took about 20 photos per day through this time period of his life, where he would grin from ear to ear if you even held up a camera in front of his face! I captured many precious, all gum, smiles at this time!

Once the crawling and pulling up consumed Connor’s life, we were on to standing and walking. I will never forget the look of pure pride on Connor’s face when he stood on his own & made those little feet go where he wanted. I was a nervous wreck watching him bobble all over the place, but it took barely a month & Connor was racing you around the house! Connor’s wardrobe expanded with the cutest kicks available for his monster feet at this time! This time in Connor’s life led us to a forward-facing carseat (oh happy day!), climbing playgrounds, tossing rocks into the water, and launching any object he could get his hands on!

Once fully mobile (and quite possibly the fastest child I’ve ever seen), I tried to get Connor more focused on being verbal. I flooded him with books, flashcards, songs, narrating every single thing in our day, and so on! Connor & Nana made trips to the library part of their weekly routine. The excitement when the word “duck” bounced off Connor’s tiny tongue was indescribable! Soon after, the word “that” overtook Connor’s entire vocabulary. Everything and everyone was (and still is) “that!” I know it’s only a matter of time before the sentences start flowing out!

So here I am, with only days until my little boy officially graduates from the world of “babyhood” and jumps into the land of “toddlerville.” The days of counting his age by months are coming to an end. In the past 24 months, I’ve been waiting for Connor to grow up faster and reach each new milestone. Now, I’m wishing I could go back to day 1, when Connor fit into those ever-so-tiny sleepers and would sleep his best while laying on my chest in his little tree frog position. Although I had a different visual of how Connor’s life would go, I can rest easy at night knowing that Connor is happy, healthy, and loved by so many. My heart smiles when Connor lights up at the sight of his Nana & Papa! The random baby bear hugs and open mouth kisses Connor gives to me will forever remind me of why I love being a Mom.

Connor has taught me how to plan for EVERY occasion. He has taught me the importance of having extra wipes, snacks, a change of clothes, and a confined space for him to run & play available at any given time. Connor has taught me how to muster up patience when I feel like I can’t take it anymore. He’s taught me how to run on ZERO sleep, the importance of nap time, and how to schedule everything around his schedule. He’s taught me how to quickly locate the closest restaurant with a playground, how to inspect everything for possible safety hazards or germs, and how to point out every American flag, fire hydrant, rock, airplane, bird, and duck where ever we are. Connor has taught me how to look at life through his little eyes and to enjoy the simple things in life! Connor has taught me how to love more than I ever thought I could.

Here’s to the little boy that stole my heart! May your birthday week be filled with more toys, sugar, ELMO, friends, family, and love than you'll know what to do with!

Happy (soon-to-be) 2 years to the little man that stole my heart!

Oh, Sweet Ronald...

A short drive to McDonald's to get out--pretty painless.

Purchasing two yogurt parfaits off the Dollar Menu--pretty healthy & cheap.

The joy on Connor's face when he spots his best buddy, Ronald--absolutely priceless.

After sharing lots of hugs, kisses, and cuddles with Ronald,
Connor had reached a new height of pure happiness.

Dear Nana,

There are not enough minutes in the day to thank you enough for all you do for me and my Mommy. You are the most self-less person I have ever met in my entire almost-two-years of life! You are always there for me! I love to "see the pony galloping-galloping" with you and there is no one else I'd rather chase around the kitchen after supper! You are the best play mate and by far the world's greatest Nana! I am one lucky little boy to have you :)

Lots of Love,
Connor

Connor's ALL EARS!

So...My plan for Connor to be a duck didn't go as well as I'd hoped. My Plan B of Mickey Mouse was such SUCCESS!! I am so glad Mickey's costume worked out better, because Connor looked adorable! Connor's best buddy, Kaylee, was Minnie Mouse, so it could not have been any more perfect! Our Halloween evening was quite a whirl-wind! It went a little like this...

The crew of about 11 people filled my house.
Connor was up fresh from a nap, but had no problem running around like a mad man after the kiddies.
We all slowly migrated to the kitchen to scarf pizza & feed the kids.
Connor yelled "Mmmm" after every bite to suck up all the attention in the room!
Cleaned kids off.
Suited them up in costumes.
Connor refused to keep "ears" on.
I was on photo duty, hostess duty, and Mom duty, so I was trying to keep my focus on what I needed to do to successfully get out the door for trick-or-treating.
We tried pinning Connor's hands down, so we could get photos of ears.
Phone photos were promised to Matt & Katie, so I was trying to get those done.
I decided I wanted Connor to have a "nose," so Nana/Papa helped wrangle Mr. Mickey while I quickly crafted one.
All Connor wanted to do was hug on Kaylee and chase Austin!
I quickly gathered candy bucket for Connor, an extra diaper, camera, house keys, and my sanity before moving everyone into the front yard for pictures.
Praise Kerri (Austin & Kaylee's mom) for being my right-hand-man with extra snacks/etc.
We headed door-to-door with the crew of family, kiddies in wagons, and cameras flashing the whole way.
We made it around the block successfully!
Once we were done trick-or-treating here, we loaded up & headed to Nana & Papa's for round two!
Connor was so stinkin adorable in his costume & I could not get enough of him!
He had a blast!
I did really well keeping him from having too much candy (a lollipop & bite of kitkat were only allowed).
I'm gonna keep him from 'candy' as much as possible :)

Enjoy the oodles of pictures!

*Sorry for the rambling...I had literally 26 minutes to compose this post, since I'm working in Connor's "Special Agent Oso" show window of 10:00am to 10:30am. :)

My Mickey!!


Hugs for Kaylee!


More love for Kaylee....(love her get out of my personal space look on her face)


One of many attempts to get a picture with the ears before they are ripped from his head!


More lovin' for Kaylee


More arm-pinning to keep ears on for picture!


And they're off...


The only shot I have of his cute little tail...


The kiddies!
*Mickey, Minnie, and Spider Monkey from Austin's fave show--"Ben Ten"


Connor giving hugs to Kaylee while Kaylee mauls her brother... :)


More hugs for his Minnie...she could careless!!


Off with those darn ears!!


Back up plan...ball cap & ears! As long as he didn't know they were on his head, he was fine!
(Its his Elmo hat...so he looked like Mickey from the front & Elmo from the back...haha!)


Wagon loading before we headed off to trick-or-treat!


Half way down the block & the kiddies were ready to get out of the wagon...
Two lollipops seemed to keep them seated & occupied!


Haha...love this picture!
Kaylee was excited that she had a Snickers bar in hand! This girl knows chocolate & got so excited when you mentioned the word "chocolate!" Kaylee is definitely ALL GIRL! :)


Trick-or-treating round two at Nana & Papa's house!


Off to see the neighbors...
they were hoping he'd stop by :)
Connor is adored by many!


"One neighbor wasn't home , so instead of candy we grabbed a few ROCKS!"

We had such a great night & Connor was wonderful!
Happy Halloween...now onto Birthday prep in a few weeks...
Ahhh!!