Like Father, like sons : Insight into a Cheez It obsession

Michael is obsessed with cheese crackers. He could go through an entire box of them in a couple of days. Apparently, this has "rubbed" off on to the boys.

While I was getting dinner ready and the boys were rummaging for snacks, Michael brought out a box of Cheez It and Jackson took it from Michael and proceeded to "sit." Connor was in hysterics as he is such a follower and couldn't handle the idea that Jackson had something that he didn't.



Luckily, we keep a well-stocked snack cabinet and we had another box....



no more tears....

finally, our 2 year olds are eating pizza

The boys probably hadn't had pizza since the day of their first birthday when we had a small family party and it wasn't for a lack of trying. We would try to give it to them and they had no interest that is until they were handed the entire slice of pizza to eat on their own. I guess the idea of having small pieces and not enjoying it like everybody else was a problem. Connor was fine with it being broken into pieces but Jackson handles it like he's been doing it for years.



such concentration.





all smiles.

i gotta Choo Choo tracks

The boys received a ton of GeoTrax items for their birthday and Christmas and Jackson is slightly obsessed. He walks around the house saying "I gotta choo choo" ALL.DAY.LONG. I was so excited to pick up this for the boys and look forward to hours upon hours of playing with them but the "I gotta choo choo" and "I gotta choo choo tracks" on repeat throughout the day can be exhausting.

The beginning part of the video is him letting me know that he sees a chicken plate on t.v. We watch PBS in the mornings and some days, I don't change the channel until the boys go to bed and the chicken plate was from Antique Roadshow.

Keeping busy at Tiny Town

To beat the winter cold, which has been mild, I thought it was about time to resume our weekly mall trips and chick fil a lunch dates. I haven't been as proactive when it came time to taking the boys out because of the extra items that colder weather requires and it is often times difficult to maneuver to and from the car to get them anywhere so the mall has been a welcomed treat for ALL of us.

And, I finally discovered where the Tiny Town was in Towson Town Center. I knew that it was on the 1st floor but didn't realize that it had a door, which makes it even more of a win-win for me as I don't have to worry about either of the boys walking away.





Jackson was thoroughly enjoying himself and pointing out the bus, truck and car and we were working on colors and shapes while riding the elevators to get to Tiny Town. It only takes 3 to get there if you don't use the Nordstrom elevator (read sarcasm of how chopped up Towson Town Center really is).

Gentle with his books

Connor's obsession with books has yet to slow down and we hope that it never does. We have been noticing how gentle he is with them and how he may be ready for paper books. As of late, Michael has been giving him his beloved "Cat" in the morning and there have been no page tears or rips. I was so proud of him at a party that we were at on Saturday that I opted to give him "One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish." He was doing well and then came a tear. I'm not happy that the book tore but am overjoyed that he's not completely ready for the paper books, as in still a toddler although learning more and more every day.

A full crib with penguin and Ella Fonts too

In case you were checking, penguin, ella fonts x 2 and his pillow are present every night. And now, when Michael or I ask Connor if he's ready for night night, we ask him if he wants to see his penguin and Connor always looks up and says ella font. Of course, Connor, Ella font times 2.

And, the next morning:

He doesn't bring home the bacon BUT, he does fry his goldfish up in a pan

The boys were enjoying some pre-dinner goldfish and had strict instruction to keep them in a snack cup that wasn't lidded. We had some Uh Ohs/spills and there was some fighting over cups and the number of golfish remaining in their cups. After heading in to the basement with the cups, which is generally a no no for me, but I have been letting them try to show me that they are big boys, Jackson proceeded to dump all of Connor's goldfish into his cup and head up the stairs. I told him that if he continued to walk away that he was going to be sent to time out. He didn't look back and when I finally caught up with him -- this is what I found :



How do you punish that much creativity? I certainly can not.

2 Year Well Visit

The boys had their 2 year well-visit with Dr. Ken today.

Dr. Ken was very happy with the boys' developmentally and was actually able to administer a check-up on Jackson despite his staunch protests. He was very excited about the curtain and the drawers but not too happy about getting his lungs and chest checked.

Dr. Ken even used his Donald Duck impersonations and checked Michael but realized the best thing for mister independent was to hand him the stethoscope.





Jackson's weight never locked in on the scale but the nurse went with 27 lbs 2 1/2 ounces and he measured 37 inches. I was in TOTAL shock when Michael and Jackson returned from the scale and that 27 lbs was not even in our radar.



Connor was much easier to please and was a willing scale participant as there was a Cat picture for him to stare at. He weighed in at 27 lbs 10 1/2 ounces and he measured 36 inches. His weight was shocking in comparison to Jackson but we have noticed him thinning out and his pants are starting to fall off (gasp). I guess he really has been more active than in the past.

2 Words : Steakie Seasoning

Jackson's spice cabinet obsession has yet to stop although we are trying to keep the spice cabinet door shut as it has led to more of a dumping of spices than a game of "what is it."

However, he is still very much so into the Montreal Steak seasoning. He runs around the house screaming Steakie Seasoning. If you see it, it is nothing short of AMAZING (and yes it deserves all caps).

Train Garden at Kenilworth {Third time is a charm}

After the boys' first Music Together class, Michael suggested lunch and we opted for Kenilworth. The boys had been to see the choo choos two other times and Connor was not very interested. He would wander off into the stores. No, that was not a miswrite. Connor made his way into South Moon Under and other stores instead of watching the trains. Today, he was very interested and was pointing things out that I told him to look for :) It helps that some of the items that I was pointing out were his beloved Cat, the Ginch, Mickey Mouse and animals. But, it was better than making a beeline into the stores.

Walking around as if they are toddlers (or something).



Showing his daddy how he knew to press the buttons.



Connor enjoying the trains and not running into the stores.



Excuse me lady. They put this train set up for me.