Gardner Family: Two!

Two!!

No, not 2 binkies, but 2 years old for Mr. Josh! How the time has flown. We love you, Josh!

Adeliz, Ana and crew bring another great birthday party for their favorite white-haired boy.

"Yum, cake AND strawberries - two of my favorite things!"

Josh was super excited to open a Buzz Lightyear toy.

And maybe even more excited to open his Toy Story dinosaur toy! (It roars!)

This photo was taken by Tommy and I love it because it captures the pure joy and fun that defines Josh. He is such a happy, great boy. As a independence striving 2 year old, he does get frustrated sometimes that he can't do everything his big brother is doing or have everything he wants. This sometimes erupts in magnificent, hearing-loss-inducing screaming, but more often than not, the above is the face of my little Josh. He loves to laugh, run, and play. He climbs anything that appears to be climbable and loves the playground. He adores his older brother (most of the time,) and hates being apart from him. He always wants to go with Tommy to his classroom for preschool instead of his own, and lately refuses to go to bed until Tommy is there in the room with him. He also loves swimming, especially jumping from the side of the pool. He talks a lot, saying small phrases and naming everything around. He often adds a small "uh" to the end of words, such as "light-uh on-uh" or "all done-uh." With his white hair, this gives an effect of a scandinavian accent - so I think his ancestry is affecting his speech!

He learned a few Spanish words when he was just barely learning to talk and he is still hanging on to these as the preferred word, such as "drink of agua" and "coyote howling at the luna" (we have a New Mexico tile of a coyote howling at the moon which he loves to look at during meal times.)

He loves to play in the sink and the mud and make a mess. He's a fan of trucks, trains and loud toys. He lost his innate baby dancing for a few months but has started the groove again the past few weeks when he hears the music. He's great at dancing in the toy isle at Target and will push the buttons on toys with music over and over to put on a show.

He's still a great sleeper and eater. He's still game to try any new food and often surprises us by liking spicy foods, though he is still a great consumer of chicken nuggets as he copies his older brother. But maybe the greater variety of foods he is willing to eat is giving him a size advantage - he continues in the 75-85% on height at his doctor appointments.

We love you Josh and are so excited you are two!

Josh settles down for the evening with his binkie, his bear "Oso," and his beloved blankie. He likes to have some milk and watch a few minutes of cartoons.