PLAYING:
Anna is really into the girly stuff these days: princess, ballerina, etc. She loves dressing up in her Cinderella princess dress (she doesn't even know who that is) and in other fancy dresses. She twirls and asks us to watch. Sometimes she can get Caleb to dress up too :). We are planning to get Caleb some boy dress up clothes for his birthday - hopefully he will like them as much as he likes the dresses!!
Caleb is into boxes, pots, pans, containers, cars, etc. He likes pushing around boxes or anything else moveable! He also likes knocking things down and crashing into things (this usually bothers his sister).
They also love making tents from blankets and chairs or stools or the couch or whatever they come up with. They pretend to sleep in there and sometimes take A LOT of toys in there.
They are happiest when playing outside. Caleb rides the Plasma Car and Anna rides her red radio tricycle. Our driveway goes downhill, and they get some serious speed. Sometimes they take some pretty nasty falls! They love helping water the trees (we planted a lot this fall) or pick up sticks in the yard. Digging, looking for bugs, making "soup" or playing in the leaves (above pic) are a few of their favorite outdoor activities.
EATING:
Anna is such a good eater. She has outgrown her allergies except for the nut one. She can have almonds, cashews, and hazelnuts. Her favorite foods are raspberries, noodles, chicken, and steamed carrots. For breakfast, she loves oatmeal and pancakes!
Caleb is more picky, but he is getting better! He WILL NOT eat beans and he has quite the gag reflex. For example, tonight at Chick-Fil-A he gagged on an orange. He is just a funny little guy when it comes to food. We have a lot of food battles with him - he wins some, we win some ;).
BABYSITTERS
We have two main babysitters. One is a girl I taught when she was in high school and then later mentored through a campus ministry. The kids love her. Our other babysitter is the daughter of a family friend. She is also great! When the babysitter comes, the kids usually get to watch a video and eat popcorn or have fruit snacks. This is becoming a fun tradition.
TOYS/MOVIES
The kids love their trains they got as a Christmas present. I build the track and Anna likes to make it go "up" (we do this by building bridges). However, Caleb likes to knock it down. It is his joy in life to knock things down. Lego houses, regular blocks, train tracks, books, folded clothes...HE LOVES IT.
They love watching Daniel Tiger, Angelina Ballerina, Thomas, and Veggie Tales. Recently, Daniel has a baby sister named Margaret and the kids love those episodes. I love the Daniel episodes as well. We sing the songs all the time and they help keep us all on good behavior :).
Frozen is a huge obsession right now. I let Anna watch parts of it, but honestly, it just scared her too much. She still likes to play Elsa and pretend to live in the snow.
TALKING
Caleb is a big talker. It is so funny to hear him pronounce things. I mean it is the most precious thing to hear him say "where Nana go?" or "where daddy go?" Anna didn't talk until after 2, so we are finding it really funny to hear our nearly 2yr old saying all these things. He likes to say "heaby" when carrying things (read: heavy) or to say "I no like it" when eating. These are some of his favorite phrases.
Anna is getting so good at talking too! She still says "abocado", but that's a hard one, right? She has a great memory for words and has quite the vocabulary. She'll say "Ok, Mommy, here's the deal" and then continue with an explanation of something. It's actually hard to get her to stop talking. We have taught her to say "excuse me" to help with interrupting. I think she is a very verbal processor and appreciates it when I look her in the eye and LISTEN. This can be hard for me, but I'm working on it. I want her to know that I value her stories and words!
OTHER:
The kids love going to the library and picking out books. They love the puzzles too!
We take our double stroller to the mall and get exercise. Once we've done a few laps, we let the kids do some laps in a quiet part of the mall where there are few people. Win-Win for everyone!
Anna is in gymnastics right now and loving it!
Both still suck their thumbs :)
They are just at such precious ages and stages. We love watching them play and grow together. Anna is soaking up so much right now and it is really neat to hear her ask questions, especially about the bible and heaven. The curiosity and sincerity are absolutely delightful.
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