We have a slew of family birthdays in the middle of winter and then in the middle of summer. In the winter, we have one December, soon to be four Januarys, and 2 Februarys. In the summer, we have two Junes, two Julys, and two Augusts. And then there's Ross... the April singlet. But it's okay babe, somebody's bound to have a spring baby at some point! :) We celebrated Gabe's 2nd birthday in June, but with the craziness of summer activities, we just did a small get together. My friend Hannah was living with us at the time, so she joined us along with our dear friends Devri and Ruben and their girls, Bria and Camri. My favorite birthday cake is the Rainbow Chip, so until Gabe is old enough to tell me otherwise, we always celebrate with Rainbow Chip:) And honestly, who doesn't love Rainbow Chip??? It's even fun to say! RAINBOW CHIP! Okay, anyway....
Gabe struggled to make a "2" at first, but he's got it down now.
This kid gives the BEST smooches! He has the juiciest lips and I love it when he shares kisses with me.
Blowing out the candles. He was focusing so hard, he's even gripping the counter with his toes!
Gabe and Bria are bff's. She was either telling him a secret or trying to tickle him, I don't know which.
They love sitting together and reading books. She's like a little mommy to him, and he just lets her do her thang. I love their cute toes in this picture.
Even though he's almost 2 1/2, here are some fun things that I want to remember about Gabe at this age:
- He speaks really well for his age, and I think it's because he's so observant. He's always mimicking what he hears and he's never afraid to say new words. For example, new phrases he's learned from watching The Lion King include "Oh, not Zazu!", "Slimy yet satisfying!", "Pinned ya again", "Hakuna Matata", and "A wee mawe, a wee mawe" (continued by singing).
- He sings the BYU Cougar fight song ALL DAY LONG. This boy was born to be a Cougar. He loves to throw his football, he'll tackle Daddy, and he would wear his BYU shirt every day if he could.
- When he first learned/understood that there was a baby in mommy's tummy, he refused to call him Baby Max. For months it was Peppayoni. I have absolutely no idea where he got Peppayoni from, but I'm just glad he'll now call him Max.
- Like his daddy, Gabe is a gentle giant. He loves to rough house and jump off of things he shouldn't and he tends to just shake things off when he gets hurt, but he is such a cuddle bug! He'll come up to me, raise his arms in the air, and say "Mommy, I wanna hold you." How the heck can I say no to that?! He wraps his arms around me and gives the sweetest kisses. If he thinks I have a "boo-boo," he'll kiss it and tell me I need a band-aid. He loves looking at my ever-growing belly, and he noticed my stretch marks for the first time the other day. He gasped and said "mommy, scratches!" and then kissed my belly. He absolutely melts my heart.
- And while he melts my heart, he also drives me crazy. This kid can destroy in 90 seconds what it takes me an hour to clean. My house is never clean for long, because if Gabe can mess it up, he will.
-He builds nests by stripping the couch of its pillows and blankets, and will grab just about anything else he can get his hands on and throw it in his nest. He'll then strip down to his diaper (thankfully he leaves that on), and hunker down under all the pillows and blankets and just lay there. Weirdo.
- He has no interest in potty training (grrrrr...)
- He'll stand on anything that could act as a platform and then conduct himself while he sings. Twinkle Twinkle and the Cougar Fight Song are his favorites at the moment.
- He loves holding babies. When Bria and Camri come over, he likes to hold Camri and will sing "I Love You Forever". He then kisses her head (once again, melting my heart).
I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast. I'm so glad that he's still a mama's boy and will cuddle me whenever I ask. We love Gabe so much. What a blessing it is to be his mommy...
*T
