You're TWO!

My Dearest Maddex,

Although I have not been able to keep up with posting about the awesome day to day things you do, I do want to promise you that I will write a birthday letter to you each year.

I cannot believe it is has been two whole years since I first got to hold you for the first time.  In this short amount of time you have become the most important person in my life.  Each day I wake up looking forward to the time we will share together, the laughs we will have, the things you will say, the hugs you will give.

Before I forget some of the awesome things you have done recently, here is a quick recap:

Shortly after your 18 month birthday, I took a quick in the "No Cry Potty Training" book to see if you were ready to be potty trained.  It clearly stated you were not even close.  So I decided to wait until after your second birthday to even attempt.  Then the next day you pooped, and told me you were pooping.  And then 6 days after you turned 18 months you peed on the potty before bath time.  I was shocked!  I think it was just luck and the fact that the water was running, but hey, you did it.  Since then you have gone several times at home and at daycare.  And two weeks ago you even told me you had to poop and you went on the potty!  Since you have been so good at telling me, I think I am just going to let you take the lead and see what happens.  The last thing I want to do is stress you out about going on the potty.  You will master it soon enough!

At about 19 months you said, "I love you" for the first time.  You then proceeded to say it exactly when I need to hear it every day.  When Daddy was away for three weeks you would always know when I needed a hug and to hear "I love you" and you would stop whatever you were doing to give me what I needed.  Now you say, "I love you too" whether we say it first or not.  I think it is because you can read my mind and just know I am always thinking, "I love you!"

You started two new sports this year.  In late January I signed you up for gymnastics.  You seemed to really love it.  You loved your teachers, Miss Shannon and Miss Gloria.  You also loved that there were almost all girls in your class.  You became friends with Jackson, and today, on your birthday, he and his Momma came to play with us as the lake!  You have become very skilled at forward rolls down the ramp, donkey kicks. front supports on the bar, and walking sideways on the balance beam.  One thing you need to work on still is following directions!  You have so much more energy than the other kids and have a hard time listening to what you are supposed to be doing!

In March, you and Daddy started soccer on Saturday mornings.  Now that is your thing.  You are so fast and are much more coordinated than the other kids your age when it comes to kicking and running.  You just look like a mini athlete out there.  Being good at sports is in your blood and I cannot wait for all the time we are going to spend on the field and in the gym over the next 18 years.

Another special thing about you is your ability to make anyone happy.  You say hi to everyone in the store and aren't afraid to chat with most strangers, as long as I am with you.  Sometimes you are cautious and take a while to warm up, but for the most part you are incredibly friendly and polite.  Speaking of polite, you love to say "Thank you" and "Bless you."  You bless everyone who coughs or sneezes.  Strangers love when you say thank you without even being prompted to do so.  You are such a good boy!

More recently you have begun singing all of the words to "You are My Sunshine."  This is a song I have been singing to you since before you were even born.  After you were born I was so hormonal I couldn't even get through the first line of the song without sobbing.  Eventually the hormones died down and I began using the song to calm you before bed time.  Shortly after you turned 1 you would say, "My Sun" when you wanted me to sing the song.  I thought it was funny how that could have been taking as "My Sun" or "My Son"  both of which you are.  When I sing it to you I change the lyrics of the last line to, "Please don't take my Maddex away."  A few times I have forgotten and said the actually words and you say, "No, My Maddex."  Now I never forget!  Now that you are singing the song with me, I find that I am all emotional again about it.  I have a hard time singing the whole song without bursting into tears.  You are so sweet when I do cry, though.  You will take your arm and put it around  my neck and just pull me close.  Boy, you are one sweet child.

While on that note, a few times while rocking you to sleep (Yes, you are two and I still rock you to sleep.   I need to work on that!), you have pulled yourself up, wrapped your arms around my neck, kissed my cheek, squeezed me and said, "I love you Mama."  I swear, child, you melt my heart!!

Once you are old enough and actually read these letters, I hope you realize how much you are loved and have always been loved.  Not a day goes by where I don't want to spend every waking second with you.  Sometimes I hate that I have to leave you to go to work, but I know that you will respect and be proud of what I do once you are old enough to understand.  You brighten every day of my life.  I don't think I really lived until I had you to take care of.  You have made me a better person, a better teacher, a better friend, a better wife.  You have taught me what unconditional love is.  You have made me proud to call myself your mother.  You have made these two years the best two years of my life.

You are my sunshine.

And you will always be my baby boy.


All my love forever and ever,

Mama

It has been entirely too long

I am really regretting not posting more about Maddex's second year!  So I am making a promise to myself to at least do one little thing on here each week.  Maybe just a paragraph, maybe just a picture or a video.  I just don't want to forget all the little things he does!  I have a lot of things still in my memory, but I have no idea what I have forgotten.  So for today I'll just share a few photos that make me happy.

As I uploaded these pics, I realized how easy it is to do with my new phone!  Another thing to be happy about now that I have ditched the iPhone and moved on to a Samsung!  I will definitely be posting more soon.

Enjoy these pictures and videos from the last week and a half.  Maybe I'll catch up on the last few months soon!

Fun at gymnastics 3/26/14

Celebrating Gramps's 84th Birthday 3/25/14

Visiting Yiayia 3/22/14

Pretending he is Mommy with a jogging stroller

He can't behave when he knows I am recoding him! 

Thank god for ipads.  The plane ride was awesome partly because of this invention!

He finally got to meet his Great Grandparents on Nana's side!  

More on our family vacation to Florida soon!

So it seems like the videos aren't working.  If anyone knows how to fix that, let me know!!

Breathtaking

Lots of us have little tiny moments in our lives that simply take our breath away.  Here is one of mine...

After having a great family day playing all morning at home then hanging out at the Woodstock Fair, we came home and started our nightly routine.  While rocking a restless Maddex to sleep he changed positions several times, ending up cuddling upright with his head on my shoulder facing out.  He hummed along to his music and I could tell he was drifting to sleep.  And then out of nowhere he turned, puckered his lips, and "mmmm-ed" (his way of asking for a kiss).  We kissed and he put his head back down only to ask for another, and another, and another until he finally fell asleep.

Multiple kisses aren't out of the ordinary for Maddex, and asking for them when we cuddle is almost a given.  But tonight it seemed to be so much more. His way of saying, "Thanks for everything I have, Mommy," "I had such a great day with you and Daddy,"  "I love you more than words, Mommy."

I have heard several times there is no love like a son's love for his Mommy. Tonight I was able to truly feel his deep love for me, and it simply took my breath away...

The last few pictures of his first year...

Swimming in the pool with Popi

This kid is such a fish and has no fear of the water!

Trying out the float

Splish Splash

His snack of choice-Blueberries

How does he get yogurt there?

Having fun in the pool with Daddy

Just being silly

Playing "Row Row Row Your Boat" with the dowel that belongs in the slider

Crawling around and chasing the kitty

Cake Smash Photo shoot (june 10, 2013)

Unfortunately, Maddex did not like smashing the cake as much as I had hoped.  He also wasn't too impressed with eating it either.  He is not much of a sweet eater.  

A nice little storyboard the photographer made

The woman who made Maddex's birthday shirt is starting a new business and asked if I minded a free cell phone case so she could practice.  Of course I didn't mind!!