Happy Birthday Wheeler!

Dear Wheeler,
Today you are two. What fun it has been to watch you grow and change in the last year. You are such a fun little dude and we are so glad to have you in our family!

Here is a little bit about you on your 2nd birthday...

You are a very happy kid, with lots of energy. You wake up very cheerful and EARLY in the morning ready to play. Most mornings we hear you singing to your bunny and calling out "mommy/daddy, where are you?"  You like to be sure to know where we are at all times. But you are starting to play very well on your own. Your favorite things to play with are cars and trains. You know all the names of the Cars and Thomas characters and we like to eavesdrop on your funny dialogues between the toys. (eg. "Hi Francisco, lets race. Ok Lightning, get set go!") You also like to paint, play with your tools, legos, and read books. You have an awesome little memory and can recite your favorite books along with us while we read to you. Your favorite book is called "Little Blue Truck". You are learning your ABC's and like to point out W for Wheeler, M for Mommy, and D for daddy.  You know all your shapes and colors and can count to 12.
Your favorite foods are cheese, raspberries, scrambled eggs and fish.  You are a very good eater and have a big appetite. You love to help mommy bake. And you are definitely all about doing things yourself. "I do it!" Cracking eggs is your favorite task and you can make toast all by yourself. (this is after we had a flour explosion baking cookies. Wheeler learned not to turn the mixer on high without asking first!)

 It is a good thing we live in Texas because you love to run and play outside, and will climb and hang like a monkey on anything.You are very proud that you can use the big kid swings at the park and taught yourself to climb backwards up the big slide.
Your daddy is teaching you all about sports. Your favorite is football and you will only play it with him. ("no mommy, you just watch") You like to be rough and to tackle and push and dog pile. You also love baseball and can hit the ball off your tee and run around the bases. You like to swim. And are getting braver on your own in the water.

Your best pal is your dog Murphy. You play hide and seek together, and you insist on holding his leash all by yourself on walks. You are very silly with Murphy and like to ride him, pull his tail and ears. You tease him with snacks, take his blanket and toys away from him, and make him chase you for them. He is very gentle with you, and you get most of your "breaks" from forgetting to be gentle with him. You make up for it in kisses and milk bones ( which have to be hidden from you as you will use the entire box making him roll over, because it makes you laugh)
You are talking a lot now and come up with the funniest things to say. "Mommy I like peas! Make you tall," and you call peanut butter "peanut chocolate". Your favorite expression lately is "I need it." Which you say very dramatically.  You are also quite the backseat driver and scold us if we use the horn or  hit the breaks too hard. You go on pretend trips to Nana's and Grandma's house a  \lot. You will tell us "bye bye I go go Nana's now", exit the room, then return and say "hello I home now."

As you have closed in on your terrible two's you have shown your turkey side. You are no stranger to temper tantrums, and  we often find you hiding under the bed sneaking the Ipod, or under the table sneaking chocolate chips or cereal. You think you are so smart, and if ever get busted and scolded you will sweetly smile, give a hug and say "hi mommy, mommy happy!?!" You like to take your time getting dressed, and lately it is more of a wrestle process. You also bargain with everything asking for "2?" when handed any snack or treat. You try to extend bed and nap time routines to the last second, requesting additional songs, use of the potty, rubbing your tummy, or if all else fails you will even fake a cough and ask for medicine.
However, the good by far out weighs the not so good, and most of the time you are our sweet, handsome, and funny little man. You make us laugh every day, and are the biggest joy in our life. We are so grateful for you. We love you buddy. We hope you have a great year as a 2 year old!
Love Mommy

*Here is a video clip we took this morning. It is a pretty good glimpse into two year old Wheeler.