Joel's birthday

Joel turned 2 this year! I just wanted to post some of my favorite pictures of Joel. He is such a sly, dry humor kind of guy! He makes me laugh all the time. We love our Joel!

Taft and Alyssa made Joel some fun presents with Erik at the maker space.

Joel got balloons for his birthday. This is the best gift to give a 2 year old! He was very happy to be with them all day long! He was a tad bit mortified by his dog cake. It was a little scary. My creations never turn out like the pictures! 

Joel likes cars and animals. He speaks in sounds. He doesn't say the word for cat, he just meows. Same for dog (woof) and car (car noises). I like when he is trying to say the word but I am not understanding and then he makes the sounds to help clarify his intentions! Joel is also in love with dirt. He could sit in front of the house for hours and play in the dusty dirt. 

Here are a few pictures of Joel throughout his 2 years of life.

I found Joel in the bathtub playing with bath toys. He likes to take a bath, though he does NOT like to wash his hair. You'd think we were murdering him!

Joel does what he has to do to get by. If he wants something to eat, he will get it himself. I think it is his survival instincts in a family with multiple children. Joel really likes powdered sugar.

Fathers and Sons campout water feature.

Alyssa is always watching out for Joel and doing fun things with him. Here she is tracing his body with chalk.

He comes up with these things on his own.

Look at that face! How can you not just love him?!

Joel went through this smile phase. If you asked him to show you his smile, this is about what you got. At this particular moment he pulled the camera off the table, handed it to me and then gave me his best "show me your smile" smile. 

Joel and siblings in the bluebonnets. Mmm. Texas!

Joel often has funny wardrobe malfunctions. He brings them upon himself. Sometimes he unzips his pajamas at night. This arrangement with the shirt has happened more than once!

He loves chocolate chips. Joel always knows when you are sneaking a treat. He is right beside you trying to get some for himself. And he occasionally sneaks his own treats.

Joel, the stacker.

Joel and Kent - 18 months apart.

Look at his hands, aren't they sweet?

Butter anyone?

Joel is an artist. He has great patience for putting lines and color on paper.

More butter?

This is what happens when mom is in the hospital having a baby and dad is in charge; Joel has to fend for himself and make his own dang sandwich.

Good thing he's not actually allergic to peanut butter!

This picture makes me feel that Joel and Kent might have similar eyes, though their nose is vastly different.

Halloween was a little wet and we made him be a ladybug, mostly to keep him dry. He looks underwhelmed.

Joel and I hung out while everyone rode around downtown Dallas on bicycles.

Nana put and M&M on him. First she tried to give it to him, but he wouldn't take it. So then she put it on his jacket and he just left it there. Eventually I force fed it to him.

Oh Joel is so cute! He has the sweetest eyes, the softest cheeks! We all love Joel!

(I neglected to post this, though I had all the pictures put together. A fellow 3rd child helped me remember not to forget Joe-G!)

Kent Turns 1

Kent turned 1 year old this week!

Kent is a vivacious little lad! He is curious and into everything! He likes to pull out all of the dishes in the bottom cupboards in the kitchen when I am working in the kitchen. He enjoys unrolling the toilet paper and sticking his hands in the toilet. He is the stereotypical one year old! 

Some favorite foods of Kent include mandarin oranges, blueberries, cheese, pretzels, raisins, graham crackers, noodles, and cake! He likes to eat and he will eat a lot! He went through a phase of weight loss from 2 - 4 months. He fell below the 1st percentile range. Today he had his 1 year old check up and he is now in the 93rd percentile for weight! When he has the privilege of eating, eat he will!

Being outside is one of Kent's favorite things. He crawls around in the rocks at the playground and is learning to master the slide. Depending on the playground we are at, he can even crawl up to the top of the slide. As soon as a door opens to the outside he is the first one through it. He does not mind getting dirty. He likes to push and ride a small push car we have. He is also interested in Taft and Joel's bike as well. When he is restless inside, we go outside and it immediately calms him.

Our favorite books to read together are Peek A Boo books. He likes to lift the flaps to see familiar friends like bear, doll, kitty, and baby. He also likes Peek A Who!

Kent's comfort items are the soft muslin blankets. He really likes the tag on them and will suck on them in the morning when he is waiting to get out of bed, which is sometimes a few minutes because Kent is an early riser. He is often awake before 6 am, no matter how quiet I try to be! 

Kent is a talker. He is already doing "mamama" and "dadada" sounds. He also likes to make other noises including yelling, growling and blowing raspberries. He makes sure that he is heard, which is important when you are the 4th child.

Back to his birthday...

We had a ball themed birthday! He received a homemade basketball hoop and all the balls in the house gathered into one place! He also go a few new bath toys, which Taft and Joel tried out for him that night in the bathtub. 

He enjoyed his cake very much. He was not shy about sticking his fingers in it and he ate the entire thing!

We sent a special invitation to Alyssa to come to the birthday party. All the boys had signs on their backs. I think Kent's sign said "Come to my birthday & eat ice cream".

Kent is well-loved by everyone in the family. He is happy and excited! He likes to play with his brothers, even though they aren't always too excited to have him wreck their creations. He is our little blonde boy and we couldn't be happier that he is in our family!