Potty Progress

So we made a little progress on the potty front today. After an accident on the living room floor the other morning and the trauma that went with it, Nathan has decided that he can tolerate sitting on the potty and reading books for a few minutes longer than he previously could. So long today in fact that he pooped in the potty...after flushing that down he said that he wanted to go again, so I got him another handful of books and sure enough a few minutes later he peed. We all made a BIG deal out of it and handed him 2 jelly beans for 2 successful potty adventures (bribery is the only trick I've got here). So it looks like we are slowly on our way. Small steps, right?

Butterfly Exhibit at the Wild Animal Park

Went to the Wild Animal Park to see the Butterfly Exhibit. The line was really long, mostly due to the fact that the park was the most crowded I've ever seen. It was worth it though, there were tons of butterflies that would land on you. Nathan had a good time and I got to stop by Stone brewery on the way home. Score!

Easter Fun

We spent Easter afternoon at Bill and Becky's house. The kids went on an Easter egg hunt. Everyone, especially Jared, took extra care to make sure Nathan got plenty of eggs, but he surprised us all by being able to locate some of the harder ones on his own. Then the kids followed the clues left by the Easter Bunny to find the baskets he had hidden. Nathan got some very cool things from the Easter Bunny including his new favorite book Green and Ham, a coloring book, some candy, a new Thomas and Friends that came with an Engine that the bunny scored of Amazon for 7.50, which is unheard of and some new Thomas big boy underwear, which after Nathan tried on for about 5 seconds he promptly said to put his diaper on. He is totally aware of when he is going to the bathroom, but he just cannot get himself to be ok on the potty. Oh well, he is still young. Anyway, Easter is fun when you are two

Fresno Fun

For spring break Nathan and I traveled to Fresno to visit my side of the family. When we got there Aunt Vivian came over for a visit. She and Nathan spent the afternoon putting puzzles together. We then went to visit my grandparents for dinner. On Wednesday we spent the day with my brothers kids. We went to Roeding Park to play at Storyland and Playland. Nathan rode a train, paddled in the paddle boats, drove the race cars and rode on the merry-go-round. He also enjoyed running around Storyland with his cousins listening to all of the old fairytales. After dinner we colored Easter eggs. This morning before heading home we went to Oso De Oro park near grandma and grandpa's house to play on the very cool playgrounds and feed the ducks. It was a quick trip, but everyone enjoyed spending time with Nathan.


Coloring Eggs with the cousins



Race car driver



Riding the ladybugs with Annemarie



Making pankcakes with grandma

Adventures of a 2-year old

It seems like since Nathan turned two he is developing a very funny sense of humor. Tonight after his bath he started strumming on Brian's guitar and making up a song about going to school everyday. It was so funny, but of course by the time the camera came out it was over. Nathan loves people and will talk to anyone who walks by. It's funny because since he doesn't know these people he will often yell out things like, "Hi man in the red shirt." or make some random comments to people passing by. He is also starting to express his feelings and emotions using words. He will tell us to stop doing something if he doesn't like it, can voice his frustration or annoyance, as well as when he is happy. He makes us laugh almost on an hourly basis. Nathan's new best friend seems to be our dog Milo. He wants Milo all the time. Tonight he even asked in Milo could sleep in his crib with him. Nathan also seems to be developing quite the imagination these days. We often build tents out of chairs and blankets and he pretends he is camping, or he crawls through the tunnel with a flashlight pretending to be a construction worker. After his two year appointment, he came home and got out his dr. kit and started taking Brian's temperature and blood pressure. Speaking of his two year appointment, Nathan continues to be growing at a good rate. He remains between the 50th and 75th percentiles for both height and weight. He has hit all of the milestones that he should and more. Nathan is also cutting his final set of baby teeth, the two year molars. He is drooling like made and chewing his fingers. I got a finger back there the other day and sure enough the top ones have cut the surface...its a double edge sword. Teething has been by far the hardest part of parenting so in that sense it is good, but it is also the last sign of babyhood. Overall, so far, despite the occasion "I'm 2 and I can do what I want tantrum", being two is awesome.

Where's Daddy Going?

The Celebration Continues

We had a little birthday party for Nathan yesterday at a local park. It was a nice day filled with bubbles, Thomas cupcakes, soccer and football, tricycle riding and balloons. What more does a 2-year old need. The only downside is Brian woke up feeling less than bad and wasn't able to join in the party fun. Nathan has spent the rest of the weekend playing with all of his new toys, books and puzzles. We have run out of room in our little condo, but he seems none the wiser. It was truly a fun day and watching him play with his buddies and cousins makes it all worthwhile.


Bubbles


Jared helping open gifts


Friends and Cupcakes


Blowing Out the Candles


Thomas Cupcakes