My little Two-Year-Old

Levi turned two last week! And we knew it right from the start. Not that I really like the term "terrible twos"... It's just that he has, well, entered some new stages and these things seem to be manifesting themselves just as his third year has begun...

Let's start at the beginning.

















We decided to keep the festivities a family event, since Levi doesn't particularly have any playmates yet and because he usually cries for the first 20 min. of any guest's visit. (He has a terrible case of stranger anxiety right now.)

I decided to go very kid-friendly and served hot dogs, fries and fruit salad which were enjoyed by all, especially Sam and Levi!

















After the yummy meal, we brought out the cake and candles. Levi was very impressed with the candles but didn't quite understand how to blow them out. Sam and I helped.

Levi has entered a stage where he doesn't like to touch or even look at anything gooey. This includes play-do, mashed potatoes, and sadly, frosting. So he happily ate one orange off the top of the cake, but the next one had been adulterated by frosting and he just couldn't stand to even sit at the table after that.

The rest of us enjoyed it immensely - "Pig-Pickin' Cake". It was very yummy.

















Having a 2-year-old birthday party is a hoot, because they just haven't been around long enough to know what happens at a birthday party! So next we introduced him to the concept of presents (he didn't seem to recall his Christmas experience). First he unwrapped the farm playset. We played with that awhile.

Next came a Sandra Boynton board book. We had to convince him to take a minute break from the farm toys to take a look.

BUT, then came the Mother of All Birthday Gifts, sent in the mail from Nana and PawPaw... The Big Red Car.

















This car is equipped with the 4 Wiggles: Greg, Murry, Jeff and Anthony. Not only is it a car with the Wiggles, but give the men a push on their heads and the car takes off down the hallway to the tune of "Toot Toot Chugga Chugga Big Red Car."

Levi is obsessed with this song. Now he is obsessed with the car. He played...

















... And played...

... And played with this thing.
After playing with it for about a half an hour, the batteries started to go. The next morning I changed them. By 11am, the Wiggles couldn't get through the whole song anymore. This is because it was played with nonstop for 4 hours!

A week later, it remains the toy of choice in our home. Levi wakes up saying "Toot Toot Chugga?" Sometimes, when we leave the house, he says, "Bye bye, Toot Toot Chugga" and kisses the men on their little heads.






















Two. It is the best and the worst - a singing, cheerful, affectionate Levi or a tantrum-throwing, screaming, spitting Levi. But none of that lasts long, and he breaks my heart every day with his sweetness and makes me laugh with his antics. In fact, the worst is almost endearing, because I know that he will grow out of it so quickly, as quickly as he'll grow out of some of the sweetness. But certainly he won't outgrow it all.