28 Months Old

Gosh I don't even know where to begin with this.  Be ready for random thoughts!

Matthew:
- Weighs 25lb 5oz and is 34.75" tall.
- Has really started to talk lately.  He's definitely stringing a few words together at a time, so before long, he'll be caught up to Kayla.  His most commonly used words/expressions are:
"Yo Yo" - means "Carry me".  I think he says it like this because Kayla always used to say "carry you" instead of "carry me".
"Yook Mom" - means "Look, Mom"
"Dophine" - means "Vacuum"
"Big One"
"Yawn More" - means "Lawn Mower"
"Seep" - means "Sleep"
"Yacey" - means "Lacey"
"Han" - means "Hand"
"Yord bess dis food, Mamen" - means "Lord bless this food, Amen"
"Mom hup" - means "Mom help"
"Bue" - means "blue"
"Osh" - means "orange"
"Geen" - means "green"
"Right Dair" - means "Right There"
"Over Dair" - means "Over There"
"Da" - means "Kayla"
- Is super obsessed with the vacuum cleaner.  I've finally started telling him that the vacuum cleaner has to have a nap or he'll vacuum all day long (I'm dead serious).
- Is super easy going, but is also super stubborn.  He will only listen to you/obey you if it's in his best interest or he's being bribed.
- Loves lawn mowers.  He knows that "Grandpa" and "Great-Grandpa" keep theirs in their small garages, and mentions it every time he's at either house.
- Loves fruit...especially strawberries and blue berries.
- Loves black ju jubes.  If you tell him he can have three, he'll choose three black ones.  My Mom loves it because she used to throw the black ones out because no one would eat them.
- Has become super interested in Lacey.  He has learned how to walk her, and Lacey knows to control herself.  He loves giving her hugs and laying on the ground beside her to pet her.  She would let Matthew do anything to her.
- Loves the swing.
- Is full of expression
- Still smiles with his eyes.
- I often call him "handsome" or "my little boy"
- Loves getting bear hugs from Jon.  He knows that as soon as he says "I love you, Dad", Jon will give him a big bear hug.
- Will often refuse to drink his milk.  So so so frustrating.  He sits there until it's gone though...
- Can recognize and name the colours blue, orange, green, black.
- Prefers to cut paper than to colour.  He's actually quite good with scissors!  He knows exactly where to put his fingers and makes snips all around his paper.
- LOVES swimming.  He'll never agree to come out - he always says, "not yet."  He starts out being very hesitant and cautious, but within the first five minutes he's like a fish.
- LOVES plugging in cords to laptops and to the wall.
- LOVES playing with any small tool, such as a screw driver.  He'll walk around the house fixing everything.
- Can put on his own crocs (not necessarily on the correct feet though).
- I gave him his first piece of gum a few weeks ago, and he has become really good at chewing (and not swallowing) it!  He made his piece last today for well over an hour, and then spit it out into my hand so he could have a snack.

Kayla:
- Weighs 27lb 2oz and is 36" tall.
- Is now stringing about six words together.  She's quite clear, and it never ceases to amaze me what expressions she comes up with.
- Has hit the terrible twos.  She will have huge meltdowns if she doesn't get her way.
- Has a super good bladder.  It's good...but frustrating at the same time.  Potty training is going really well.  She's great at telling me when she has to poo...but doesn't tell me when she has to pee.  I can read her cues if I'm watching her...but if I'm not and don't think to put her on the potty on a regular basis (every couple hours or so) then she's bound to have an accident.  She went to church a week and a half ago in her big girl underwear, and now sleeps in big girl underwear all the time.
- Doesn't really like Jon at the moment.  She won't listen to him and won't do anything he tells her to...she just starts crying and says "Mom".
- Loves choosing which hair clips/ponies to wear.
- Prefers to colour than to cut paper.  She's really starting to 'see' pictures in her colouring book and colour each picture.  To put the lid on a marker, she puts it on, and then bangs it down on the table - she totally got that from my Mom.
- LOVES swimming.  She likes to just float around with her puddle jumpers, and has mastered the back float (with puddle jumpers).
- Can pull her own pants and underwear down and pull them up, and can also put on her own crocs/sandals (not necessarily on the correct feet though).
- If Matthew is carrying/holding something and she isn't, but wants to, she'll look at her hands and say "nuffing" (nothing).
- "Needs" to wrestle/roughhouse at some point in the day with someone.  I usually try to send her to Jon or Candice to get this out of her system.  I'm just not that good at it.
- Loves to be a mother to Matthew and help him when he needs help.  He was crying upstairs the other day because I wouldn't help him brush his teeth, and I heard her say to him "No cry, Ma (Matthew).  I read you book."  And then she came down, grabbed a book, and brought it to him.  He threw it down, and so she said, "I get you toy."  She came down, grabbed a toy he likes, and brought it up to him.  So cute.
- I gave her her first piece of gum a few weeks ago, and she still hasn't mastered the art of not swallowing it.  She only manages to keep it for about five minutes before she ends up swallowing it.
- Can count to ten