Bigfoot turns 2!

My firtborn, you are 2! It's so hard to believe how fast time has flown by. We adore you! We love everything about you! You are so many bits of wonderful and we couldn't be more grateful for your presence in our life.

I'm going to list some things that you are up to these days mixed in with pictures of your birthday fun. It may be a bit of a discombobulated post, but this is just how we are going to do today.

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Pop-eye smiles. Yes, dear. You are still sporting that lovely pop-eye smile and we love it!

You give the absolute best hugs! And kisses!! And nose-kisses!!! You are so affectionate and we are so spoiled by it!

Our little family celebrating 2 years of our precious, adventurous, and loving Bigfoot!

You love your Dada so very much! And he, you! I love seeing you two play together. Makes my heart happy.

And you adore your little brother. You have been the absolute best big brother ever! You give hugs, and kisses, teach him how things work and share your toys with him. You have stopped taking swats at him (very short lived and rare), which is good, but you have always been sweet and thoughtful. Your relationship with him has been such a blessing to me to watch. I can't wait to see how you both continue to grow in your brotherly love.

He was so excited! He loved having his grandparents, aunt, and uncles all to himself for his birthday!

You love running! Jumping! Flying! All things Sports! Being outside, playing, climbing, falling, balancing and all things rambunctiously boy!

You have a thing for sticks. It's what you do. We go outside and you find sticks. You collect them, walk around with them, pile them up, play drums with them, and so much more. Sticks are your favorite toy, hands down!

Mama made an oatmeal stacked cookie cake with frosting. Yum!

You are counting! Up to this point you have counted from 1 up to 11. Way to go little one!

You are also singing! You sing the ABC's, song to Super Why, Hail Mary, Allelluia, and whatever your little musical heart desires.

You are great at identifying letters. You can identify most all of them if shown. You are very intrigued with your letters which is fun.

You are also getting better at signing the alphabet. So far you have O, S, M, A, F, P, Q, L, and C.

My fruit-loving sweetheart ate half of his piece then went on his way never asking for more.

You love story time. Reading has always been fun for you, and it continues to be. Often times I will find you quiet in your room "reading" through a familiar book. It's so sweet.

You have a curious spirit that is adventure seeking. You love trying to climb (now that you are more coordinated) and get into spaces that seem challenging.

But, he definitely had his share of these watermelon cakes I found on Pinterest. This was the sweetest watermelon we have had in a very long time. 

Your laughter is infectious and you share it daily. Of all the many gifts you share with us, this one is a definite favorite of mine.

You are still a wonderful eater. I do credit this to BLW. You eat your veggies and random things we put in front of you during meal time. You are getting better as the days go by with your spoon and fork. You love all fruit. I don't think you've had a fruit you didn't like. All in all, your doing a great job in the nutrition area, love.

Enjoying his watermelon.

You are talking so much! You love carrying on conversations with others, yourself, and family. I love hearing your attempts. As the days pass, more and more words enter your vocabulary. It's so exciting to see you learning everyday.

You handled the transition to big brother swimmingly. I was so very impressed with you. You never seemed jealous, even though Mama was tending to your little brother so much more than you were used to. You were very gracious and still are. You try to help out if you ever hear him crying. I think this just speaks volumes to your beautiful nature.

Little brother had a blast too! Lots of snuggles and arms to be held in over the weekend. Here he is with Nana.

Grandparents are your favorite! You love them so much and they, you! You also adore your Uncles, Aunt, and Rebekah. I love seeing how you love them and how they love you. We are so blessed!

You also love your friends! You ask for your friends often; specifically, Daniel, Gianna and Theresa, Ben, baby Mark, Max, and Jack. It's so sweet. When I tell you we are going to go see friends, you light up!

Uncle Aaron and Rebekah bought a pinata! So much fun. You weren't sure what to think of it, but enjoyed batting at it with the help of your Uncle Godfather.

You are still sporting about an hour and a half to -on good days- three hour naps. Without them you tend to be all over the place. We sing a Hail Mary and I put you in your bed where you drift off.

You love being tickled and are quite the tickle monster yourself. The laughter that comes from tickles are amazing!

Yaya had to reign you in a few times, since you kept trying to run off. You love running. Pretty sure it's one of your favorites.

You say your prayers every night with Dada. It's so sweet. You are very good at saying prayers. You pray for all of our family and whatever your heart desires every night. Your prayers are precious.

You are a great traveler, still! To this day you have never arched your back while we try to put you in your car seat. You always go easily and ready. You don't fuss much, if at all, while traveling. I can see this now, because your brother is the exact opposite. Maybe on our next trip, you should spend some time prepping him on how to travel well. Dada and Mama would much appreciate that.

Uncle Aaron and Rebekah love you tons, sweet boy!

You like playing Mass. You go and grab a cross-like object or book or bible or something and will walk around the house singing Allelluia. You've been doing this for a long while now.

You are wonderful in Mass. You are normally so well behaved. We bring your Church books and you look for Jesus. The only times you act up a little is if you didn't nap/sleep well.

Papa Wooley and Nonna had a great time at your birthday.

You are very coordinated. You can swing a bat like a someone in t-ball, you can kick a soccer ball like you're four, and you have quite the throwing arm!

Up until recently, you have definitely been left-hand dominate - eating, throwing, batting, grabbing, balance, etc. However, I'm not sure if that's starting to change. I've noticed you using your right hand a little more.

Papa Ram loves your kisses!

You like a good challenge. Even when you get a bit frustrated, you like to try. When you accomplish things, your face just lights up with pride. And, when you struggle, you sometimes get angry, sometimes ask for help, and more often then not, encourage yourself by saying Almost.

Lily and you have a blast together. You like petting her, snuggling her, taking "naps" alongside her, chasing her, and making her chase you. It's pretty sweet.

You love bath time! You love water. You love being in the pool and swimming and splashing.

Papa and Aunt Hailey love you and your goofiness.

You have some awesome dance moves! You love dancing!! I'll turn on some music and there is no stopping you. You even seek out music to start dancing when you feel like moving. I love it!

You are tech-savvy just like your Dada. You can work an iPhone like non-other to put on PBS or Diego. You are also great with your Leapfrog and an iPad.

Shows: You fell hard for Curious George and he continues to be a favorite. Soon followed was Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. Super Why was next. Then you happened upon Sesame Street and Brother Francis. Your most recent show to enjoy is Diego.

I love this picture! You and Aunt Hailey love each other so much!

You are tall! At your 2-year check up you were in the 95th percentile for height - 37.5 inches and weighed in at 30 lbs. Needless to say, but your feet are still big, my dear Bigfoot. You are your father's son. Being at that appointment made me realize that I will be a shrub among tall trees. Between your height, your brother's, and your Dada's, I will always be looking up.

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Joseph, you are kind and sweet. You are loving. You are so funny and silly. You seek adventure. You love Jesus. You want to know the world. You want to explore. You love your family. You are smart and you are gentle. You pick up on things real quick and you have quite the memory. You are amazing. You are beautiful. You are precious. and...

All tuckered out. It's been awhile since your sweet self has fallen asleep on us.  We took it as a sign that we did a good job for your birthday. We absolutely treasure you!

i love you with all the love that I possibly can. Thank you for a wonderful two years, my little Junebug. I'm so excited to continue to get to know you and the wonderful boy that you are. May God always hold you. May He bless you abundantly with His Joy, Love, and Peaceful Presence. 

ugga mugga, my little love.