Tayls of Life, Love, & Babies: Gigi 4.5 years & Omax 1.5 years-and NEW HOUSE!

Our little ones are now 1.5 and 4.5 and such happy little people! Our lives are coming down from maximum stress right now.....I'm working in a new full time job, we sold our house, packed up, and closed May 6th. We move couldn't find a house to buy and moved in with Nick's parents. It was a bit of a culture shock for them - the noise, dirt, and chaos of two little kids was different but it was nice they got to know the kiddos a lot better while we were there. House hunting was not fun - you would think picking out a house that we plan to live in for the next 20 years would be sooooo fun. But not at all. There was NOTHING on the market. We put offers in on two other houses but got outbid on both the same day (was a good thing in the end). Then our realtor heard about a house that was going to be listed and got us in to see it before it was on the market. We looked at it for about 15 minutes and put in an offer that was accepted. YAY! We really lucked out on the place we got. We moved in the beginning of June, and that part was easier than I thought. We are just about settled and are enjoying it.

Baby boy is already 19 months - 1.5. He is doing really well and makes us laugh so much! He was 23.5 lbs and 32 inches at 18 months.

He's a poop and bugger factory. We think he had an issue with the water in Mason-rarely did he come home in the same clothes he goes to school in and woke up in a poop-covered crib 1-2 times a week. Since we moved in with Ron and Billie he actually has normal digestion - who knows. Ugh. And since he's been born the kid usually has buggers stuck to his face/hair. We don't know where they come from.

Likes

BALLS. Pictures of balls....any ball. He loves to throw balls around all day. He won't really play with much else besides all of his balls. Loves watching football and basketball and has his own real football and basketballs that he loves. Loves basketball hoops and says "ball!" whenever he sees one. Seriously loves them. Says "backet-ball" basketball, "bee-ball" baseball, and "hoot-ball"football.
Pushes cars around sometimes and says "mmmm" for vroom.
Does "the Hulk" where he flexes and makes this super strained face...so funny.
Will stick his face in the water and blow bubbles......though is sensitive to walking on grass/sand/etc and did NOT go in the lake at all over Memorial Day - he walked around on land in his socks and shoes. Little stink.
He went back to the eye doctor for the third time and his eyes improved! He's down to about a +2 dilated (down from a +4) and she said she didn't see any crossing or strain.
He can count to 10...sorta. He can count pretty well by himself but not perfect.
He's a quiet laid back little guy in a lot of ways but he is also very sensitive. He's been pretty whiny lately and has bad separation anxiety from me. He doesn't travel very well - he doesn't like change. But he is a big sweety and so darned cute!!
Has gone to the park for the first time since he has been mobile/aware and he loves it!! He loves slides and has no fear going down them. Also, likes the baby swings of course.
Likes Elmo and Dora and can say "Elmo" and "Dorga"
Likes to stack blocks - his little 1in x 1in wood blocks he loves to stack up to about 10 high and knock over.....over and over.
He really enjoys coloring - colors with crayons, magnadoodle, or his first choice would be markers.
He claps his hands and says "yayy!" after he does anything.
Just learned how to jump!
He has a strong vocabulary and is putting 2+ words together. He really likes to talk and is getting to the point where he can repeat most words you say. I think his for two word combo was "up ball" for hanging balls in his classroom or "uh oh ball" when he threw balls down the stairs.
Has a new favorite word...."mine!" If he wants it, it's "mine!!!"
Is still cuddly and loves to just sit on my lap and eat snacks or look at books.
His school loves him - he is rather quiet and plays very well by himself but is so loving. He hasn't bit anyone in n a few months so it's a bonus that was a short-lived issue.
He does have some temper tantrums though.... He's a mommys boy and sensitive.
Is obsessed with "two". Wants two of everything. I'll give him a cracker and he will just look at me say " two ?"
Can point to his tummy, eyes, cheeks, feet, tongue, fingers, nose, mouth, head, toes. He knows dog, kitty, sheep, and tiger. He's not the best at learning monkey tricks - he knows what he knows!
Favorite books are "Dorga" as he calls Dora, Elmo, a nursery rhyme book, and his baby MSU book with the pictures of balls in the middle.
Still loves anything his sister has and he will copy or mimic anything she tries to get him to do.
Is a good sleeper - 8p-7a each night and naps 12:00-2/3:00 each day.
Mostly 18 months clothes and 2t shirts in some brands, size 4 diaper and size 5 shoe.
Loves meat and BBQ sauce, sloppy joe, tacos, soy yogurt, applesauce, bananas, cereal, noodles. He doesn't care for a whole lot of fruit but loves meat and noodles.
Billie got him cococut milk dairy-free ice cream sandwiches and he really likes them.
He's finally getting some hair and it blonde and wavy :) Nick doesn't want to cut it for a long time so we'll see how long we have a little surfer dude.
Loves his grandmas and always runs to them with his hands in the air to be picked up.
Whenever he bumps into something or stubs his foot he immediately bends over, points to his big toe, and says "toe!"
He puts all sorts

Gabrielle is 4.5 now and such big girl. She goes to daycare with preschool in the morning. Her teachers say she is the happiest most well-behaved girl they've ever seen :) They want 10 more like her! A few times when they have been out of ratio, she is chosen to go in the afterschool elementary room with the big kids (and she loves it) since she has "big girl" friends in there.

She still likes playing with girls older than her and is better friends than ever with our neighbor Faith. I know she misses her.....Her very best friend at school is Olivia V - they are always together. Always. And Kaylyn is her best friend outside of school.
Loves purple, pink, fashion, jewelry, art, singing, dance, hair (though she never likes me to do anything to her hair lately...she likes it "down and straight").
Obsessed with bugs, worms, fish, and skeletons/dead animals. Her favorite times in life are when she finds a caterpillar to crawl on her, she catches a frog, finds worms to hold, or finds a new bug. She also likes skeletons and bones. She found a whole deer skeletons at G&G Taylor's and collected ALL of the bones from it. She has also found dead birds and was watching a coyote carcass decompose at G&G T's and thought it was sooooo interesting. She's our little biologist.
She wants to be a hair cutter and a dance teacher when she grows up.
She likes doing her LeapPad and doing workbook pages, though only the ones she's "good at". She doesn't have much patience for trying things that are hard for her. I've kind of let her do what she's going to do with writing letters. She can write most letters and improves all the time, but I just let her or her school figure it out because if I try and help her it doesn't work.
We stopped gymnastics until after we get settled in a new house but she's still in dance, obviously and is did amazing in her big kids class! I'm so happy we moved her up. She just completed her second recital and was in two dances - ballet (song from Aladdin) and tap (These Boots are Made for Walking). Her progress from last year is incredible!
Is obsessed with Frozen and Walt Disney World, as she calls it. She said I should have another baby, it should be a girl, and we should name her Elsa.....then the next day she thought about it more and she said we should just get a cat and a name it Elsa. Haha.
She still loves princesses and Barbies. Mermaids are a huge obsession, and tells me that they are real and I'm informed that "You're wrong, mom" when I say they are just pretend.
Favorite show is still Curious George. She mixes in some Clifford and Sesame Street too. Ideally likes Barbie, Sofia the First, or Princess movies/shows as a treat, though.
She is riding her big two-wheeler with training wheels but also still likes her little red tricycle a lot. Also still loves her scooter.
Wears mostly 4t, though has pieces ranging from 18mo-5t or youth XS. Size 8-9 shoe. As of this summer, she only wears dresses. Not even skirts and tops - has to be dresses. She sleeps in nightgowns or skirt and tanktop outfits she creates. She tried on this dark blue patterned dress with cap sleeves yesterday and was looking into the mirror almost crying saying she looks like a boy, she looks ugly, and hates the dress. OMG....then take it off. Wow, I just put the dress away. She's so sensitive!

Fun quotes:

Me: Gabs do you want to play soccer this summer?

G: Can I wear a skirt?

Me: No, you'd wear shorts and a tshirt.

G: Like my rainbow tanktop with crisscross straps?

Me: No, like workout shorts and your big Hawaii t-shirt.

G: Then no.

G: What's that? (a graveyard)

I explain

G: I think you should have a heart on your tombstone because you will like that.

Me: Oh, that's nice.

G: I think Dad should have a meatloaf on his - he likes meatloaf.

Made a bed for all her Barbies for their campout. Gabs didn't last long on the floor though....

She wants to be a hair-cutter, dance teacher, and dentist when she grows up

Blankies!!! Some people have thumb-sucking or paci kids.....we have blanket kids.

His "Daga" as he calls it. Who knows

Practicing her tap skills at the "barre"

Making a cat toy for Grandma Jojo's kitty

"Ball!" His favorite page of all time in his books

She insists this is 5th position........

No "up-dairs"

Oreos (at least some kinds) are dairy free! He didn't care much for it though....

Dogs!

"E E E!" (eat)

Such good little people.

"Buh-bye!"

Grandma Pat

With Aunt Pam looking at pictures of Hannah

Coconut milk ice cream sandwich!!

Mama's high heels

Oh the gloves. She loves them. Getting a child under the age of 10 in gloves is the most obnoxious thing in the entire world. If the opportunity arises....I will be sending Aunt Caresse's two year old gloves with their favorite character someday!! :)