Big Noah is 2

The last week of October was one big crazy party. We celebrated Noah's birthday all week long, with lots of cake. In art group we had monster cupcakes and made paper monsters. Then on his ball cupcakes, at Noah's request.

On Halloween, we had a little Halloween party with a big green many-eyed monster.

He got a lot of practice blowing out candles. The first time he stood in front of burning candles on a birthday cake, I said: "Blow them out!" and he blew with his nose. (because most of the blowing he does is into a kleenex!)
That should explain his nasal-y expression in this picture.

Noah loved all the festivities. He can now sing Happy Birthday, the whole song, all by himself. And when I tell him stories before bedtime, Noah always asks me to include birthday cake, presents, or the birthday song. And during story time, when he requests a "knock at the door", he specifies that the visitors are either Kurt and Papa or Yars, Choo-Choo and Kenton. (who were a big part of his real life birthday celebrations.) But even with all this birthday talk, I don't know if he knows his real age. When we ask him how old he is, most often, he says: "Five." Sometimes it is one or three, and occasionally two. However old he is, he is growing up so fast. His vocabulary is growing too, and can be pretty funny.

• When he carries something heavy, he says all manly: "I'm STRONG!" When something is out of his reach or too high for him, he grunts, stretches for it, gives up, and concludes: "it too reach!!"


• Sometimes when Jake cries, Noah commands: "Jakey, be happy!!" When Noah cries, I ask: "Noah, why are you crying?" He loves to answer: "cuz." and sometimes he adds pathetically: "cuz...I SAD."


• He doesn't give me much opportunity to sit around during the day. Yesterday I was typing something while he watched Sesame Street, and he kept repeating: "GET UP!" I tuned him out for a minute, until I gave him my attention and asked "What?" He said: "Get up...and DANCE!" He also has started demanding this: "Mommy, Exercise!"


• When he wants to play hide and seek, he says: "Mommy find you?" (He hasn't fully grasped the proper usage of me's and you's.) Then he commands: "mommy's turn!" and he goes through the routine of looking in places he knows I am certainly not: "mommy in drawer? No. Mommy in box? No. Mommy under pillow? No." Then I pretend to sneeze and he says with great surprise, especially considering we do the same thing every time we play: "Oh! [some]Body sneezed!!" and finds me in the place he knew I was hiding all along (usually under the table).


• He also loves to do puzzles. He has a 25 piece puzzle, which he does at least 3 times a day. It is adorable to watch him talk to himself while he puts it together. While he holds up each piece, he says: "Where this goes? I know! Goes right here!"
  
• And the sweetest thing he has ever said (on his own, out of the blue): "Jesus love Noah."