Jason is two!

Our big boy turned two this month!  We started off the big day with presents!  Jason got lots of Mickey Mouse paraphernalia, toys, books, and one of those toddler play tents.  The tent is amazing and I wish they made an adult version, because there are days when I would crawl into one with a case of wine and not come out until bedtime.  But I digress!

Jason and Daddy in the tent.

For breakfast, we made Jason French toast, a sliced banana, and a cup of chocolate milk. Parenting at its finest.

Sugar, with a side of sugar, and a glass of sugar.

After Jason's nap, we decided it would be nice to take the boys out to lunch.  I hope they both had a great time, because we will not be doing that again until they're in their twenties.  We took them to Red Robin, because it is one step up from Chuck E Cheese as far as atmosphere is concerned, so we figured we'd just blend in with the rest of the chaos. 

I managed to get pictures of the only five seconds of lunch that Jason was not yelling or dumping bowls of orange slices on Dave's lap.  Also, Thomas was doing this really charming imitation of Jason's screams that sounded like this:  "haaaaaWOOOOOOOO!!!"  We were easily the loudest and shriek-iest family there.  We ate as fast as possible, left our waitress an enormous tip, and ran the hell out of there, with orange slices squishing under our feet.

I did not plan a party for Jason this year, but we did have cake.  

No, I did not make it myself.  I hope he's not scarred for life.

On the same day that Jason turned two, Thomas turned four months old!

Self-soothing.

There really has never been a sweeter baby than Thomas.  All he wants to do is look around at his family and smile.   He loves to flip himself from back to stomach.  He laughs when we tickle his belly.  Even when he cries, it's sweet.  It's like he's saying "Mommy, when you get a minute, I need a small snack, if it's not too much trouble.  I'm sorry to bug you, I know you're busy. I'll stop crying now!"  He's just a joy.

Note the string of drool.  I think he's teething because he's been marginally more cranky and clingy the past few days.

This month, we can start Thomas on cereal!  And we bought Jason a little seat for the potty, so we can start training him soon! 

Holiday Time!

Is it bad that I can't even remember Thanksgiving?  I think that means I need to start drinking more coffee, or stop drinking so much alcohol (just kidding, Mom! Haha!).

So I assume we had a nice Thanksgiving, but who knows? In my defense, I went back to work the Tuesday after, so I was a little bit distracted. It was nice being home with the boys, but I really, really missed working and being around other adults.

Pretty sure this was taken on Thanksgiving.

This was not taken on Thanksgiving, but it's a great picture.

We got our Christmas shopping done early, but waited to get our tree until the week before Christmas.  When we finally brought it home and put it up, Jason was so scared of it that he lay on the floor and cried after seeing it for the first time.  Aren't the holidays magical?  Fortunately, the pure terror wore off after a day or so, although he maintained a healthy fear of the tree that prevented him from messing with our ornaments too much.  So it all worked out.

Before we knew it, the big day arrived!

Tender and mild.

We did our usual fish dinner at the Ceonzo house for Christmas Eve.  My little gourmet made me the proudest mommy ever when he gorged himself on fistfuls of snails.

Down the hatch!  

My coworker gave me the cutest little Santa booties for Thomas, and he looked so adorable that I wanted to bite his cheeks off.

Nothing better than a hungry, squishy muffin baby.  

Opening gifts on Christmas morning!  Jason was nice enough to open all the gifts for Thomas as well.  He's such a good brother.

Composing.

Opening gifts at the Klepeis house while standing in a laundry basket.  (?)

Although Thomas can't sit up by himself and open presents, he managed to roll over by himself for the very first time!  He's been trying to do it for a while, so I was sitting right next to him with my phone ready to capture the moment.

Before.

After!

Fall

We have been very busy the past month or so!

Fall.

We took a few trips to Baird Park with the boys while the weather was still relatively warm.  Dave and Jason would hang out on the playground while I took Thomas for walks in his stroller.

We also took the boys the the Trevor Zoo!  For those who don't know, Trevor Zoo is located at Millbrook School.  It's the country's only zoo that's located at a high school, and the students are responsible for maintaining it.  It's not just lame little pet store animals either, there are monkeys, lemurs, emus, and lots more.

"Oh my gosh!  I'm at the zoo! And I hate my hat! And I dropped my pacifier!  AAAHHH!"

 Jason loved the froggies!

 Thomas didn't really get much out of the zoo.  But he didn't poop his pants or throw up on himself, so we're calling it a great success!

Jason loved this turkey! It kept pecking at a pumpkin, and it made Jason giggle each time.

This guy was a jerk.

Thomas had his two-month appointment last week.  He's 12 pounds 12 ounces and 22.5 inches long.  He's in the 60th percentile for weight, the 20th for height, and the 98th for head circumference!  He's our chunky little bobblehead, and he tends to carry most of his weight in his cheeks.  The doctor also commented on how strong he is!

Our smiley boy  This was right before he got a thigh full of immunity.

 The day after his vaccines, Thomas slept pretty much all day and was very clingy.

Jason loves his little brother!  He helped Thomas feel better after his shots.

I love this cheeky little picture!

I bet you all want to see pictures of the boys in their Halloween costumes!  Well that sucks, because there are none.  We got Jason the cutest little owl costume, and he wouldn't go near it.  We also got Thomas a little froggy hat, and he cried whenever I put it on him.

 

About to lose it.

As it turns out, the fact that the boys hated their costumes didn't even matter.  Our plans to see my coworker's band play at Barton Orchard fell through when it rained all afternoon.  We stayed home and handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters (all three we got).  Happy Halloween to one and all.

Getting ready for Thanksgiving!  Jason had a big piece of Pop Pop's pumpkin pie for dessert this week.  He's also started to love salad and soups, of all things.  He will eat a whole plate full of fruit, vegetables, and beans, but he's extremely picky about protein.

Sitting in his toy box.

Thomas has learned how to deal with tummy time.  

Go Giants!

 

It's been a month!

We've already been home with our two monkeys for a whole month!

After I took this picture, I realized that Thomas is wearing the same onesie that Jason wore in his one-month photo! I did a little side-by-side comparison.

 Thomas definitely fills this onesie out better than Jason did!  And the pants Jason was wearing are already too tight on Thomas.

There are other differences as well.  Jason liked to cry and cry and cry.  Thomas rarely cries at all, he just makes little groaning noises if he needs something.  Jason never, ever spit up, and it's pretty much Thomas's favorite past time.  Jason could take or leave cuddling, and Thomas will snuggle right up on people and fall asleep whenever he can.

Jason has gotten really attached to Thomas.  Sometimes he's a little over-enthusiastic and clumsy, so we have to keep a close eye on him whenever Thomas is around.

Best buds.  Check out the giant yogurt stain on Jason's shirt in that second picture, it totally looks like Thomas is puking on him.

Thomas had his first adventure yesterday!  We went to Vanderbilt mansion to expose him to some culture.  He liked it so much that he crapped right through his diaper and needed to change into his emergency pants.

Babci's blanket!

I think he was literally crapping his pants as this was taken, and check out the puke on my shoulder.

Look at this nice book Chad made for Thomas! It listed some of the treasures of this world that Thomas has to look forward to, complete with handy illustrations for reference!  Tacos and crayfish (shown here) were definite highlights for Thomas.

And here is Jason Doodlebug, strutting around in the winter hat Babci made him last year.