Tayls of Life, Love, & Babies: 5.5 and 2.5

Gabrielle Sophia-

Gabrielle is such a great little person and getting so big. She likes to argue (mostly with me) and nothing gets past her. She is still very emotional and takes some things very serious. She is so eerily similar to me in so many ways - she's very sensitive, scientific but creative, is somewhat quiet and usually very well-behaved (will give me attitude if anyone), follows the rules, is stubborn and can have a temper, loves dance, hates ball sports, and loves ALL things feminine (she asked if I would buy her a bra the other day - she claimed she saw some in "her size" at Meijer....oh my goodness.....).
We got a little carseat booster that you can just set in the car and use with a seatbelt (!) for trips with friends, Grandmas, or emergencies. Gabrielle thinks that is the COOLEST thing in the world. Otherwise, she’s still in a 5 point harness.

She can swim underwater!!! We went to the YMCA as a family and all of a sudden she was swimming like a little fish underwater across the pool!

She loves to have sleep overs with me. We stay in my bed and eat snacks and stay up and watch TV until around 10pm. It’s her favorite!

Can count by 2’s, 5’s, 10’s, and backwards. Can count to well over 100 and likes to demonstrate that often…..and loudly.

Can write pretty much all of her letters correctly and is really enjoying writing lately. She writes all kids of notes, songs, anything where she can write a bunch of letters.

Just finished her 3^rd year of dance and did her 3^rd recital!

Enjoyed two sessions of gymnastics and really improved, but is taking the summer off. I’ve seen her do a standing backbend and front hip circle on the bar all by herself. She is definitely getting stronger and more confident.

She told me she had a “boyfriend”. She asked Cannon to be her boyfriend one day since Audree broke up with him the day before. Not thrilled that she is learning this nonsense, but it was very short lived and she hasn’t said anything about it since. She still claims she will marry a girl or her brother.

She is coloring so well and can now color in the lines really nicely.
Got her first real bed - a big lofted bunk bed with a desk and shelves underneath.

We went to the new Aquarium over in Detroit a couple of months ago and she loved it of course! She is so into coral, jellyfish, anything nature or sea life.

She found a dead bird when we were leaving school one day, and of course we had to take it home. I saw it when I went in to get her and contemplated throwing it in the woods because I knew she would want it. I didn’t and she did…..she loved that thing and inspected every inch of it. She put it outside when she was done/when I made her, and checked on it every day to watch it decompose…..

We went to Kmart with my mom and they had a ton of spring dresses out. She exclaimed “Kmart has the most beautiful dresses I’ve ever seen!!!!”

She got a new bike for the first time! Our old neighbor gave us a hand-me-down bike, but Gabs was ready for a size up so she got a brand new big princess bike. It’s super cute.

She has an odd obsession with how her dad is so smart and the strongest person in the whole world. If myself or a grandparent or anyone try to do anything she is very concerned and typically make a comment how she better go get dad to do it or dad will know what to do………she’s very serious about this and it is quite funny. And a little infuriating.

Oliver Maxwell-

Oliver is such a sweet little boy! He's so loving and still a little quirky. He's one of the "best ones" in his toddler room - he will protect the littler kids in the class if other kids start pushing or being mean. He is starting to have is own opinion and really likes Thomas the Train (Thomas and Percy) - he watches the show sometimes and has his own track that he likes to play with.
He is going through a stage of a lot of tantrums....usually about little things that don't go his way he will completely lose it.
Oliver and Nick have a very good relationship. Nick can calm Oliver down and deal with him better than anyone else. There is definitely a strong father son connection there.
He still loves his "dohga" (blanket) and also has a favorite stuffed dog he named Dog Poop. He also likes his zebra I got him for Valentines day, a beanie baby frog, and his big sports ball blanket.
I bought him a new "dohga" at Meijer so we'd have another extra. I brought it home and Oliver looked at it and said "That not dohga....that blanket!!" and walked away.
His favorite phrases for the past few months are "Why?" "What happened?" "What is that?". though if you ask him questions he usually responds "Because" or "I put it somewhere...."
He likes "ketchup and yellow"
LOVES cooked broccoli. Seriously...loves. He is also really into eggs lately. He also loves pizza and his favorite thing is vegan pizza from Northside in Hastings - he'll also yell at me "don't' cut it up!" He likes to eat the big pieces.
I guess I looked sad one night at dinner because Oliver looks at me and says "What's wrong? You ok? You want sloppy joe??". We weren't having sloppy joes...haha....I guess that may be a comfort food for him??
When I leave (which isn't too often) he first gets upset and tells me "No! Take your shoes off." When that doesn't happen he tries to put his on and "Oliver go too!".
Has had and is already getting over the bad habit of spitting out food.....whether he doesn't like it, it's too much, whatever.....it came back out a lot.
He's also getting over the really bad habit of picking his nose (constantly!). AND wiping his boogers on the couch, wall, or his crib sides. Eww!
He's been putting on his shoes by himself for a few months and we are now working on getting pants on and off.
Is not potty training yet, though we will likely start trying soon.
Loves wearing his "jam-jee's" pajamas. I always have to change him into sweatpants for his naps on the weekends and it's hard to get his regular bottoms back on after.
Also told us "Lucas pees on floor" several times a day about another kid at his daycare......
Can sing the whole ABC song by himself. Also likes to sing the "hokie hokie", Twist and Shout, Twinkle Twinkle, Old McDonald, and other songs he picks up.
He calls all small electronics radios (phone, Leap Pad, etc).
He slept in a big bed by himself for the first time when we went up to the UP in May for my Aunt Sherry's burial service. He's still in his crib for now, but will get a big boy twin bed soon.
Loves going FAST on the boat, jet ski, and 4 wheeler.
Randomly and enthusiastically wishes me "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!!!" several times a week. Gabs typically rolls her eyes and says "it's not even Mother's Day today....."
He had a round of impetigo and also developed a stutter during the past couple of months. We took him to the doctor and had him evaluated for his stutter, but I guess it will just work itself out....they didn't have much to say about it.
"I not a boy....I Oliver Maxwell!"

The kids in Oliver's class each got to do an Easter egg......pick the dye colors and pick stickers to put on it. He came home from school with a pink and purple Princess Sofia egg......his teachers said he was adamant on his design, haha!

Gabs made this all by herself....came up wit the idea, cut out appropriate shapes, glued them together and everything. That's a first!

Gabs made this for me one day.....mommy and Gabrielle :)

Brand new bike! Her first new bike!

The most awkward Easter pictures ever.

Doing eggs!

Bubble guns were the biggest hit of Easter 2015 from the Easter bunny

Oliver fell face first out of the bounce house and sported a beat up nose for a couple weeks.....

They lasted happily in the pool together for about 1 minute......

Gabrielle in her new fish shirt and with mommy's old bug dishes :)

Her first night in her big bed!!! She was so excited. Much better than a mattress on the floor, huh?

Happy Mother's Day 2015 from Gabrielle!

She found a dead bird outside of school and insisted (of course) that we bring it home. So I put in the car and we took it home. I knew this would happen..... I saw it when I was going in to pick her up and contemplated throwing it in the woods because I knew if she saw it she would want it. Of course she did. She got her tweezers out and thoroughly inspected the bird until I told her to put it outside. She picked a specific spot in the weeds and watched it decompose each day.......our little scientist.