2.5 Years Old!

Matthew:
- Weighs 25lb 13oz and is 2 ft 11.5" tall
- Comfortably wears size 18-24 month / 2T clothes and is moving into size 6 shoes
- Since Kayla has been potty trained, I dropped Matthew back down to a size 3 diaper (I only moved him up to a 4 with Kayla so that I wouldn't have to bother having two different sizes with me...but he's got such a small butt (definitely from Jon!) that he nicely fits into a size 3, which is cheaper than the size 4s)
- Still LOVES the vacuum.
- Is using 3-4 word phrases
     "Nope live there more" = We don't live there any more.
     "Want gum now"
- Often puts the letter 'a' in front of words...particularly if the word begins with an 's'
     "Aseep" = Asleep
     "Asoors" = Upstairs
- 'F's are pronounced like an 's'...which then gets the letter 'a' in front of it because it begins with an 's' now!
     "Asast" = Fast
- Every time the sun begins to set we have the exact same conversation:
    "Sun go way, very dark, go aseep now" = Sun going away, it's very dark, go to sleep now
- Since Matthew has started talking more, he and Kayla actually have conversations with each other.  It's the cutest thing ever.  I love just listening to them.
- Has learned how to blow bubbles in his milk
- Likes to race against Kayla to see who can finish eating first.
- Is the WORST when it comes to nap time (at home).  If he would only lay still in bed for 5 minutes he would fall asleep...but he won't.
- Likes to keep Kayla happy.  For example, if she's crying over a toy Matthew has that she wants, Matthew will often give it up to her willingly, without being told to.
- Will grab my hand and spit his food into it if he doesn't like it.
- Calls all flies, bees.
- Has learned the following about streetlights:
     "Deen means DOOOO!" = Green means GOOOO!
     "Red means ASOP!" = Red means STOP!
     "Osh hand, nope coss rood!" = Orange hand, don't cross road!
- Is still the first to get out of bed in the morning...and then he comes to my room to lay with me (not with Jon)
- Has really started scratching/pinching Kayla in the last couple of weeks when he's angry.
- Always calls Kayla, "Da".  I have no idea where he got that from.
- Over the past month and a half has really gotten the hang of using his balance bike.  He actually sits on the seats and uses his feet to propel himself forward, in a gliding motion.  He has beat Kayla hands-down in mastering this.

Kayla:
- Weighs 27lb 11oz and is 3ft 0.75" tall
- Is quickly growing out of her 2T clothes and into 3T and wears size 7 shoes
- "I'm tired of walking, Mom" - she says this if she's tired from crying, or just plain old tired.  She doesn't even have to be walking when she says it.
- "I want to check the toys out" - as she sees that I'm on facebook.  She knows I love my swap groups and loves to look at all of the toy postings.
- "My cheeks are red" - as she runs circles around our kitchen island.
- Likes to race against Matthew to see who can finish eating first.  During lunch on Sept 10th she was the last one done, to which she dismally said, "I beat no one".
- If Matthew is holding something she wants to hold, she says "I have nothing in my hands" while showing me her empty hands.
- Knows that only she (and not Matthew) is allowed to flush the toilet after she's used it...but occasionally she'll let Matthew close the lid.
- Likes to help Matthew with things he can't do.  For example, she'll be the first to run and find his 'baby' (doll) or the first to try and grab a toy for him.
- Waits for Matthew to wake up in the morning before getting out of bed (although he's usually the first one awake)
- Will sometimes complain about her tummy hurting...which means either a) she's hungry, or b) she has to do poo.  Usually it's the latter.
- Still calls Matthew "Ma" 90% of the time.  The other 10% she calls him "Ma-Yew".
- Often will try to take items from Matthew without asking (what toddler doesn't?), or whines if she wants it.  If I'm present then I make her ask Matthew nicely for it, which she does, and then she always reports his response back to me, "Ma said yes" or "Ma said no".  It's so cute.
- Always chooses a crazy number of hair elastics to put in her hair when I'm doing it (like 20 or so).  I have to pretend to put them all in or she'll get mad.
- Will not hold my hand if I'm holding something else in it...she won't even hold a couple fingers.  She has to hold my entire hand.

Our Routine:
7:30am Wake Up / Breakfast
9:00-10:00am Snack
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Nap
2:30pm Woken Up from Nap / Snack at some point
5:30pm Dinner
6:30pm Either we go to our "Big Park" (the park at the nearby elementary school...it requires one-on-one supervision as there are a lot of climbing structures that I'm not comfortable with Matthew and Kayla doing unsupervised...so we only go there when Jon can accompany us) or we go to my parents'.  We usually do one the one evening, and the other the next.
8:00pm Bed Time.  They go to bed without a peep.  No lie.  I NEVER have to get mad at them at night.  They sleep with their door about halfway open, without only a faint nightlight in the hallway on.  I'm usually the one to get them into their pajamas, but then I kiss/hug them goodnight, and Jon takes over from there.  He brushes their teeth, reads them a book, and then has a whole 'bear hug' routine he goes through with them.  They absolutely love it.  I need to videotape it one time.  If they are not listening during the story he just threatens to not give them a bear hug and they smarten right up.  We transitioned into Jon taking over bed time when we moved into this house, just so that they wouldn't be too dependent on me putting them to bed when Baby Struik arrives.  It also gives me a little extra time to clean up toys etc, without cutting into my 'me' time (because Jon doesn't do toy clean up).