Happy, happy two!

Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, sweet lovebug! Happy birthday to you!

You have so many words and great sentences like "what's Jack doing?" that you say in a very curious tone beckoning us to turn and look at you (it usually means you are doing something funny or naughty...mostly it's both, but we would never let you know that!). You are a dreamer. Always singing songs and looking up into the sky or out the window. You notice things we easily overlook, yet you help me to slow down and see them for myself and I adore you for that. You would rather eat than do almost anything else. You love pasta, mama's muffins, waffles, pretzels, granola bars, yogurt, fruit, tomatoes, cheese, ice cream, pie and dipping bread into olive oil which you learned from your Pops. You are 100% boy...you go all-out, always leave-it-on-the-field...a messy, sweaty little monster! You love having mama and dada right near you and while you are constantly hugging or affectionately patting our legs, you rarely cuddle. Your color for everything when asked "what color is this?" is green. Your hair is thick and wavy, with lots of curls in the back, when dada doesnt chop them off! You still say "oh" most of the time when you mean "yes." Your love of music and your sense of rhythm are beyond anything I've ever seen. And, you can carry a tune! You still love your da-dews (pacifiers) and get so excited when it's car time, stroller time, or bed time so you can have them. You don't forget anything! When I tell you what we are going to have for breakfast, the following morning you wake up asking for it! Bees remind you of when your friend, Hanna, got stung by a bee this summer. And, you remember everyone that you meet and, usually, where you were when you met them! Your favorite clothes are your Gator shirts. And, relatedly, you love sitting on the couch and watching football, or at least talking about doing that (you rarely sit still for more than a few minutes!). You love your "teachers and friends" which is how you refer to your school. And, the teachers have told us that you always give hugs to your friends, especially when they are sad. We sing goodnight to each of them every night. You love book time, especially "books with mama" which, to the disappointment of your dad, you plea for every night. Your favorite books right now are My Mommy Hung the Moon (you love to find the ah-ah (monkey) on every page), The Happy Day (you particularly like the snails), Goodnight, Owl (you can make every bird sound), Hello, Aubie (especially the page where Aubie is watching the football game), Goodbye, Albert, Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog (which I find hysetrical because you've never eaten a hot dog!), and This is the House that Jack Built. And, despite all of your loveliness, you must realize what age you are turning ("terrible two") because your yearning to be independent and do things on your own ALL of the time is making for some very frustrating moments...sometimes, I just stare at you wonder where the monster you can be has put our sweet little guy!

Happy two years, Jack! You give me butterflies. I just cannot get enough of you. Time, please slow down.