Happy New Year!

We had a wonderful evening ringing in the New Year with the Kuder-Jaeger-Menges-Aunt Barbara clan!

New Years in Cleveland

 We traveled to Cleveland to see Gandma and Grandpa Kuder and got to see them in "daycare" action as they had cousins Elizabeth and Julianna one day.

And I just love this rocking chair that was Brian's as a child.

21 Months

Milestones:

-          Smiling and saying cheese when I take a photo of him

-          Eating cheerios with a spoon for breakfast

-          Playing with the train set all the time...and saying choo, choo.

-          Climbing up on the couch all on his own. Jumps around like crazy.

-          So excited to play chase or hide and seek games with Owen.

-          Reading "boo" (books) all the time by himself or with Mommy or Daddy.

-          Obsessed with watching the Toy Story movies and calls every character "Buzz".

-          Eating just about anything we put in front of him.

-          Doing great with stacking blocks and building with toys that connect. He’s great at getting all the trains hooked up.

-          Starting to use the word mine and getting the concept that he doesn’t want things taken away from him. Kind of hard with a bossy, big brother.

-          Likes to help me empty the dishwasher by handing me one item at a time. It is a bit slow to put away each plate at a time, but Marcus loves to me the helper. His favorite part is closing up the dishwasher when we are all done.

-          Does simple puzzles all by himself. The pieces are big, but he puts them in and takes them out A LOT.

-          Points out things he knows in books and on TV. Marcus loves puppies, kitty cats, balls and babies. If he sees any of these things, he will let you know it.

-          Does hand motions for songs like Wheels on the Bus and absolutely adores dancing…especially when we crank up the music and play freeze dance. He has a hilarious car seat dance that he does when Daddy plays any AC DC tune.

-          Likes to climb on the couch, and he can now get up all by himself. He’s also attempting to walk down stairs alone too, but it makes Mommy very nervous. I do not like him to do it unless I’m there to watch/catch if something happens. I am sure he has snuck downstairs on his own, but he’s still wobbly.

-          I’ve snipped a little bit of hair around his ears, but for the most part, we are still waiting on Marcus to grow some hair. I find it crazy that kids his age have a whole head of hair and get regular haircuts. Not my boy, he still has this very fine, soft baby hair.

Christmas Day 2011

Marcus had quite the surprise waiting for him on Christmas morning. He immediately found the big dinosaur and jumped right in with playing.

 Looks like someone is having fun unwrapping gifts!

 More talking dinosaurs. Marcus got lots of characters from Dinosaur Train.

 There was a break from gift opening to test our the new Hot Wheels track. Marcus loved the cars zooming around the track.

 More gift mayham. It is so cute how every open gift needs to get played with right away. Marcus insisted on being read his new books right away.

 Marcus pooped out right on the couch at noon. All that excitement is exhausting!

It was a wonderful Christmas, spent mostly in our pajamas.

"Say Cheese"

Marcus will now pose and smile for the camera when I ask. This is his cute "Cheese" look.

Mama's Little Helper

Marcus has been really into helping me empty the dishwasher. He unloads one dish at a time, so it is quite the process...but how can I resist that cuteness?!!!

I think his favorite part is when I say "Close it up" and he happily pushes the door shut.

Christmas Cookie Baking

Marcus tried to help out with our cutout cookies this year. He was totally interested in the cookie cutters and wanted to be a part of it all.

Book Worm

Marcus has been partial to this chair in Mommy and Daddy's room for reading lately.

Shopping for our Christmas Tree

We went in search of our Christmas tree and Marcus got prime viewing on Daddy's back!

Marcus was so good for the entire process...he happily waited in the backpack carrier while Daddy performed his tree cutting magic.

Tree Decorating

 When we got our tree home, Marcus was fascinated with the tree decorating. He loved checking all the orniments out and made sure all the ones he liked were right where he could reach them!

Giggly cute...testing out the camera for a little family shot.

Santa Comes to Lexington

Tonight we went to Lexington Center to greet Santa. He made a grand entrance in a firetruck.

The boys loved seeing Santa, the big Christmas tree in the Center lit up, and all the excitement. 

My Santa Baby

Just too cute!

Christmas Excitement

We order a Christmas gift for Grandma Kuder that came in the mail today. Owen immediately insisted that we wrap it, so out came the wrapping paper. It was quite the job to get one box wrapped with two overly excited boys who wanted to help every step of the way! Marcus especially enjoyed the crinkly paper.

20 Months Old

Marcus has been all about discovering the world around him lately. He is becoming more and more independent and his days of dependency on others is quickly coming to a close. It makes me a little sad, but also excited because I cannot wait to see what kind of little boy Marcus is going to be. He is a happy guy full of laughs and playfulness. I have really enjoyed watching him grow, learn and develop such a great personality.

Milestones

• Moves around with great efficiency that he can sneak away so quickly. He has this incredibly cute short step run that always accompanies laughter. He just loves to chase and be chased. With help, he loves to walk down the stairs.
• Climbs up onto the couch.
• Talking more and more. “All done.” “Backhoe” “Puppy”
• Everything is known as Elmo.
• Loves playing Freeze Dance with Mommy and Owen.
• Wants to color with Owen.
• Answers yes/no questions with words or gestures.
• Is quite the helper and actually helps pick up toys!

Happy Thanksgiving

 Grandma and Grandpa Wade came for Thanksgiving this year and we have a wonderful time celebrating with them. Marcus really enjoyed his turkey dinner...can't you tell?!!!

Little, Big Reader

Marcus has a new routine before bed where he wants to get into Mommy and Daddy's bed to read books. How can a parent say no to that?

Marcus and his iGadgets

Marcus loves to play with the iPhone and iPad. Daddy loves when he can get Marcus to chill playing with the iGadgets. Like father, like son.

My Marcus!

These are some of my favorite new photos of Marcus. Everything about them screams Marcus and his personality. You can see his charm and mischief as well as his innocence, joy and playfulness. He just melts my heart completely.

So Typical

Marcus - playing with trucks. Such a typical boy. Marcus loves his trucks and makes the most perfect truck sounds. It is actually fun to watch him play.

Happy 35th Birthday, Daddy!

Today we celebrated Daddy's 35th birthday. The best part...cake, of course!

True Fit Halloween Party

Brian's company had a Halloween party for all the families, and we went ready for fun.

 They had games for kids, one of which was this doughnut eating contest that was hilarous. Marcus decided he wanted in on the fun and instead of trying to eat the doughnut, he decided to try and eat Owen.

The growing True Fit Family.

Halloween Festivities

 
Each year our town has a little Halloween get together for toddlers. They parade around the Battle Green in their costumes where Marcus played the cymbals in his shark getup.

And then they have fun little activities for the kiddies.

19 Months

I always have a hard time getting Marcus to sit in the rocker for his monthly photo. I usually have a two second window in which to press the shutter before he tries to get off the chair. Oh well, this is better than nothing. This does lend to the topic of on the move...Marcus is always on the move. He can't be bothered to sit still for a photo. What was Mommy thinking? It can get frustrating at times, but I don't know any toddler who isn't full of energy and play. Marcus lacks neither.

Milestones:

• Running
• Dancing
• Drags you to where he wants to go.
• Wants what Owen has and knows how to throw a fit to get his way. He has this cry with a quivering lip. It is heartbreaking.
• Really concentrates when he is playing with toys (mostly trucks).
• Fairly good about going to sleep. He loves to fall asleep to the classical music one of his toys play.
• Eats well with a spoon on his own. He will eat just about anything as long as he’s hungry. Daddy gets annoyed that he still eats his morning oatmeal with his hands, but I think it is because he can’t get it in fast enough with his spoon.
• Walks down stairs on his own using the hand rail.
• Likes to play “Where’s your _____?” Head, feet, belly, etc.
• Possessive of his toys
• Has lots of interest in books.
• Loves playing hide-and-seek.

Up to No Good

Marcus managed to climb his way up to access the Wii controller. Looks like trouble.

Happy Birthday, Mommy

Marcus helped me blow out candles as I celebrated my 36th birthday.

Pumpkin Patch

 We went to Parlee Farm and had a wonderful afternoon. There were the awesome tractors that Marcus was thrilled to ride.

 Goats and rabbits to check out.

 And then there was scouring the pumpkin patch to find the perfect pumpkin.