Coming to a close

Well, the birthday celebration week is now over and the 2 year check up is complete. That means this will be the final entry into this blog book. I was going to put the boys' first year of life into a blog book. I later decided to do the first two years since I didn't start the first year until they were more than 6 months old. So, here goes the final chapter in Double the Love the First Two Years!

So, here is the scoop on all our birthday celebrations!
After our great Lego party on Saturday we kept the rest of the celebrations more low key! Thursday, April 22nd (also Earth Day) was the boys' actual birthday. I wanted to fix all their favorites for meals so I started the day with banana pancakes for my birthday boys - they LOVED them! To celebrate both their bday and Earth day, we went to Powder Valley Nature Reserve. This is a part of the MO dept. of conservation. I didn't really know what to expect, but it was really neat. Because I wasn't sure what to expect inside I opted not to take the stroller in. This, of course, made the trip more enjoyable for Ashton and Ayden, and more difficult for mama! We got to see lots of animals, both real and stuffed, as well as puppet animals and pictures of animals. We saw lots of animal habitats as well. The reserve also offers classes and many hiking trails. We didn't do any of that today, but it was still a great morning! When we got home we watered our ever growing fruit and vegetable garden. The boys love to do this daily chore and check on the progress of our sprouts. For lunch we had another favorite - leftovers from a pasta dish the night before, cottage cheese, toast, strawberries and mixed veggies (not so much a favorite, but mama insisted!) Then, off then bed for a much needed nap! While they napped I made them a special birthday treat! After nap we played with some of their new toys before I had to start dinner. Of course, another favorite, sloppy joes in a biscuit bowl! After dinner we sang "Happy Birthday" (for at least the 100th time that day!) and presented the boys with their first ever brownies! Since we don't give them sweets and junk food this was another rare treat. In fact, we realized that this was only the second time they had ever had any chocolate. The first was their 1st bday cake. They both ate it, but they didn't seem to just be crazy about them and took their time eating the 1/2 a brownie given to them. After cleaning up the chocolate mess we gave them the remainder of their bday gifts. They are so fun to watch now as they tear open each of the gifts without any help! We got them two different sets of Melissa and Doug wood play food sets to go with their kitchen. They also got a starter wood train set and 8 Dr. Seuss books. Nana also had a book set for each of the boys.

During the day we talked a lot about it being their birthday and we sang happy birthday SO many times and I also told them about their birth and what was going on during that exact same time two years beforehand. By the afternoon they were both repeating "happy birthday", by the end of the day Ayden was freely saying "Happy Day!!". It was adorable! When I was telling the boys how the dr pulled them out of my belly by their feet first, Ashton, who was sitting on my lap, put his foot up to my belly as if to reenact the scene! They just get smarter and more fun each day!

The celebration continued as my parents, Papa and Grandma, arrived in St. Louis on Friday! Saturday morning we went to the Museum of Transportation where we saw lots of old cars and trains. They had so much more, but that was all we had time for today! Papa even bought them a train to go with their new train set! After lunch and a nap the boys were excited to open even more gifts! Gigi sent a two sided chalk and magnetic board with the alphabet as well as a cube toy with a play cube. Papa and Grandma brought the boys a shape sorting wood Noah's Ark with all the animals (times two of course!) and a Band in a Box set. These were both Melissa and Doug toys, causing us to refer to this as the Melissa and Doug birthday since that is the brand of most of the gifts they received! My parents had to return home on Sunday, so we spent the day relaxing at home. We have been so busy that this was the first day we have just stayed in and relaxed in more than two weeks.

This week marks the end of the second year with the two year wellness visit. We saw our new pediatrician is St. Louis and were very comfortable with him.

Here are the stats:

Ashton: In general under the 50th percentile
Weight- 26. 4 lbs
Heights - 33.5in

Ayden: Overall between the 50th to 75th percentile
Weight - 30.4 lbs
Heights - 34in.

So, now all the birthday celebrations are complete and I have come to terms (I think) with the fact that my babies are really no longer babies! I feel like they knew that they were crossing a milestone. They have changed a lot over the past week or so and are doing so many new things. They are talking so much more and are going up and down stairs so much better than just a few weeks ago! Ashton and Ayden both have a new independent streak as well. Ayden wants no help going up and down the steps and Ashton climbs up into his highchair/booster seat all by himself and wants no assistance.

Now, it is time to say good bye to the first and second years of life for my precious babies Ashton and Ayden. But, we are welcoming in the third year with optimism and excitement!

THE END