Nathan Turns Two!

Last Saturday was Nathan's 2nd birthday.  Hard to believe he is two already!   We love him so much and it is so fun watching him learn new things every day.  2 really is a fun age.  He loves to learn new words and put them together.  His latest new word he is proud of is "monitor".  He drags the syllables out "mon-i-tor".  He started saying this because we put a new monitor camera in his room as well as one in the baby's room.  His old one didn't work more often then it did so it was time to get a new, and better, one.  Just tonight before bed he was saying, "Daddy hammer monitor" and "Daddy hammer clock".  Matt of course put both of these things up on the wall using his hammer.  He also is LOVING colors lately.  He tells us what colors we are wearing, and he is wearing and the colors of things around us.  He also is especially intrigued by the letter "A" and points it out to us when he sees it!  And he is obsessed with trucks, jeeps, cars and all things machine as most little boys are!

At his two year appointment the doctor said that all four of his two year molars are indeed in!  No more teeth until 5!  Woo-hoo! And we had no shots, just a flu nasal mist...so piece of cake!  He weighed in at 31 lbs and was 36 inches tall.  He was in the mid to high 80th percentile for both height and weight so the doctor was pleased with his BMI.  There wasn't really a lot to discuss this appointment which was nice since we've had the cranial molding helmet and his surgery to remove the lump on his neck to discuss in the past 2 years!  Which reminds me, Hanger Prosthetics called and wanted me to speak as a parent advocate to doctors, nurses and therapists at a conference in June about the cranial molding helmet.  What an amazing opportunity that would have been!  Unfortunately, the dates were the 20th in Denver and the 21st in Colorado Springs...the day of and the day before our baby boy is due!  Somehow I didn't feel they should count on me!

By the way, there are A LOT of video links throughout this post.  If you looked at this earlier on Sunday, you might have missed some of them.  Matt just added a bunch more to the SkyDrive...it's after midnight out here.  So if you are seeing this post on Labor Day or later, you shouldn't miss anything!  Here is a link to the whole month of August videos.  There is a really cute one of him in mommy's heels too!

Our original plan was to stay over night in Denver with Nathan for his birthday, visit the Children's museum and just have some good family fun! But my recent back pain problems from my pregnancy kept us home and we spent most of Saturday just hanging out.  In the morning we let him open his first gifts.

These were mailed out from Pappy & Grandma.

Daddy helping him.


And Eagles shirt!  Matt is loving that he has started saying Eagles now :)


He really likes his Elmo card.  Check out the video.

And a Curious George memory game!


Birthday Boy.


After playing with the memory game Matt brought him a gift from his Papa & Nana!


A doctor's kit!  Very timely as his 2 year appointment was the day before.  Here's a video of him opening it up.

And $ for his college fund that he will appreciate very much later in life :)  Thanks, Papa & Nana!

Checking daddy's ears.


Daddy checking his blood pressure.


He really likes this one.


Checking his frog! And another video.


A jeep from mommy & daddy


Putting his cup carefully on the tray on the coffee table :)


He LOVED this Jeep.  Another video. Unfortunately, it isn't really made for a 2 year old.  We think it was more for someone to display and the wheel is already broken off much to his dismay :(


After he and daddy ran a few errands, they came back and I heard him coming up the stairs to see me as I was doing my hair.  I turned around to find this!

And a giggling little boy :)

He was telling me "Target".  I thought his daddy must have bought it for him while he was out.  Come to find out, it was sitting at our front door in a box because his Uncle Mark & Aunt Rosie sent it out!  I think he was confused because we often do get Target boxes on our front steps!  Look, it even has a backpack for extra water!

Thanks Uncle Mark & Aunt Rosie and cousin Drew!  Check out the video here.


Loving daddy lifting him up to the mirror in our bathroom in this video. So cute!!!

Later that day, after his nap, we gave him his final gift.  He got a new trike from Daddy & Mommy and Pappy & Grandma!

See him getting it in this video!  It's kind of a long one.  I got carried away this day!

We expected him to need to grow into it a little but he did try to pedal anyway.  I think his legs need to be a little longer!






Giving his monkey (whom he affectionately refers to as "Eee Eee" a ride.


Riding behind his monkey.




He figured out how to turn the handle bars all of the way around and push it from the front.

He really did seem to enjoy it!  We had to move it to the basement though as he kept running into our walls and table and couches!

That night we went for dinner at Fargo's Pizza (sorry the website is currently under construction) to celebrate Nathan AND his Aunt Cole's birthday that was the following Wednesday! Daddy putting Nathan's shoes on to go.  He insisted on bringing his Jeep in the car.


On our way!


The front of Fargo's.


I tried the birthday hats again this year.  Still not a hit.  Nathan said they "hurt"!  Oh well.


Nicole turned 26!

Check out her "Birthday Girl" sash :)  She wore it proudly.

Kyle, Jen, Jamin & Landin all came to help us celebrate!  Kyle LOVES Fargo's.  Here he is with his two boys.


Nathan coloring his birthday card from Nicole.


Isn't it cute & creative?  She traced pictures of the two of them!
 

The boys enjoying being on Kyle's lap :)




Oh my goodness.  Jen made a birthday cake again this year.  Isn't it adorable?


Nathan touched the icing and then got this look of disgust on his face.  My reaction looks a little bit overboard, but I guess I thought it was funny!


Picture of the cake before I cut it.


Jen is so talented.  She amazes me.  The puppy was so cute.  Nathan is still talking about it!


Daddy & Nathan chowing down.


Jen's cakes don't only look good, they taste amazing.


Our view from our seat in Fargo's.


I was holding Landin and Nathan was patting him saying "Niiice".  He always does this after he is not being gentle enough and we tell him to be nice.  It was really cute because he was laying his head on Landin's belly too.  And then he was touching his hands and saying "baby's hands" and the same with his feet.  He was intrigued!  Good practice run :)


Kyle & Matt took the boys to the arcade and Nathan came back with a Philadelphia Eagles sticker! Seriously.  I asked Matt how much money he spent trying to win the Eagles one and can you believe they got it on the first try? :)

On the way out.  Nicole gave Nathan a green and orange balloon and Jamin & Nathan were going crazy with them.  They both love balloons.




Of course, Nathan decided to try sitting on the orange one and it popped!  We didn't know how it popped until later at home he told us he sat on it! ha ha.  It was his first experience with a popped balloon and it surprisingly, didn't seem to bother him.


The boys learning to share since there was only one balloon left.


Family shot before leaving!