Finn is two!

In my recent post about life in the kitchen, lately, I alluded to a recent family birthday. Finn turned two in March! Oh, I can hardly believe that it has been two whole years since his birth, and our first opportunity to get to know him, and a year since his first birthday.

We celebrated his actual birthday with snuggles and play at home. The boys ran around the basement with a new toy dump truck and excavator set (destined to be outside toys in the "dirt room,") and green "gems," from the flower arrangement section at Walmart. The gems weren't birthday-related, but they are a favorite play item, lately. Then, we had a video chat call with my parents and my mom read to the boys, and we visited.

That afternoon, we baked a delicious sourdough chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream frosting, and the boys helped with the frosting, alternating dumping in ingredients and both of them taste-testing at the end.

We sang to Finn, whereupon he blew out his candles mid-song, and we had cake for fika. After dinner, Finn wanted to play trains with his daddy, and then we went outside as the sun set for him to enthusiastically point out and name the moon. He really wanted Cooper to see the moon, too. It was a very sweet day!

Finn at two is fun. He is learning so many new words and phrases all the time, and there are few new words he won't attempt to say. We love when he points and says, "Right dere." And when he recounts funny stories in a two-word fashion, like "Cow, head," referring to when a cow licked Cooper's head at the farm store and the boys thought it was hilarious.

He adores his little "lamby," a gift from my parents for Christmas, and he likes to tuck it under his arm tightly and give him kisses. He loves all animals, including our neighbors' dogs, birds, squirrels, bunnies, and the like. And he loves planes and helicopters, motorcycles (which he calls "vrooms"), and trucks, which sounds like "ducks." And one of my personal favorites: "Nanos" for dinosaurs.

He loves to make us laugh with "side eyes," like his brother, or by saying something silly, followed by "Noooooo!" He is quite adept at putting together legos, thanks to his big brother. And he loves puzzles and toy cars and balls.

He loves to eat peanut butter oatmeal, apples and berries, smoothies, cooked carrots, any kind of soup, sourdough bread/biscuits/bagels, ground beef, chicken wings, and homemade pizza. There are few foods he won't try.

Recently, he's been a lot more interested in books, especially loving Who Sang The First Song? and Don't Forget to Remember, and Little Bitty Friends.

He loves to wave and blow kisses at everyone, particularly anyone arriving or departing our home, and especially his daddy after Nicholas has worked a day in Chicago. The boys literally jump up and down and shout "Daddy, daddy, daddy!" He loves to snuggle me, and to rock in the rocking chair in the living room.

We celebrated him again, along with my SIL's birthday on Easter weekend. And we will have another little celebration for him when my family visits on an upcoming weekend. He is well-worth celebrating!

What a sweet, fun, bright little boy you are, and we thank God for the gift you are to our family. You are so precious to us. We love you, Finn!