Thanksgiving Weekend

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and are so grateful that we could be surrounded by our wonderful family and friends.

Nana and Papa arrived on Wednesday to help with all of the preparations and Adam even got to open one of his Christmas presents early. He loves his new kitchen!!

Soren and Adam enjoyed Nana's cooking (we all did!)

These two cousins had so much fun playing together.

Round 2 at Grandma and Grandpa's house

Enjoying leftovers with Daddy

Spending time with Aunt Kate while she was home

Decorating the Christmas tree, although he preferred to pull the ornaments off.

Happy Birthday Grandma

We had a special birthday dinner for Grandma at our house. Adam loved blowing out the candle and wanted to do it over and over. He also insisted that we sing "Happy Birthday" each time.

Twenty-One Months Old

I wanted to document some of the happenings of this age so I don't forget. It seems like Adam is changing so much these days. Here is what Adam is up to at 21 months:

• He is Mr. Independent. He wants to do everything by himself and will throw a tantrum if we try to help. For example, Adam opens to the door to let the dog in and out and feeds Chase at mealtimes, but he can't quite get the collar on the dog or measure his food so we still have to help a little bit. He loves to be a big boy and is very proud of himself when he does things on his own.
• Adam communicates both verbally and non-verbally to get his messages across. He has a dozen words or so that he says and uses lots of gestures. We seem to understand him perfectly, although I'm excited for his vocabulary to expand a bit.
• Adam LOVES music. He bops his head back and forth to let us know he would like music on or to sing songs. He loves to do the hand movements to songs like "Itsy Bitsy Spider", "The Wheels on the Bus", "Head, Shoulders, Kneeds, and Toes", "If You're Happy and You Know It", and many others.
• Adam is good at pretending. He is constantly caring for his baby and his animals by feeding them and putting them to sleep. He asked me to take his stuffed dog outside the other day so he could go potty. He also mimics things that he sees us do each day such as dispensing his medicine, shaving, talking on the phone, and leaving for work.
• Adam really enjoys animals, especially Chase. He loves trips to the zoo and seeing the cows, horses, and dogs near our house. He has also mastered quite a few animal noises thanks to his dad.
  

We are enjoying this age so much. Adam amazes us every day! Here are some recent pictures.

Happy Birthday Grandpa

Got yogurt?

Adam doesn't drink much milk, but he has decided to start "drinking" his yogurt.

Fall clean-up

We spent the entire afternoon raking leaves and doing other outdoor chores and of course Adam wanted to "help" with everything we were doing.

Last hurrah at the park

We tried to take full advantage of the nice weather we've been having as it is probably the last trip to the park for the season.

Indoor Fun

We met the Kadlec girls at the MN Zoo this morning. It was a perfect activity for a cold morning.

Adam and Madison by the monkeys

Adam, Madison, and Paige at the fish feeding show