Approaching Connor's 2nd Bday

As our son approaches his second birthday, we wanted to reflect on some of the things he is doing at this point. Here are some we thought of:

• He is very good at remembering lines to books and songs. For example, when we say "you are my ____", he will yell out "sunshine!" He also does this to a couple of his favorite books, like Goodnight Moon and If you Give a Mouse a Cookie"
• He is the most outgoing little boy we have ever seen. He has no problems talking to strangers and making them feel special. While at the store with Poppy John the other day, they were passing 3 men that looked like they roam the streets at night, and sure enough Connor yells out "Hi" to them, and all of them smiled and said hello back. What an amazing trait to have at such a young age.
• He gives the best hugs and kisses when you ask him for a "squeezer". He has no problem showing this affection to everyone he knows.
• Connor has such a photographic memory. Megan takes him to the Water Park at our Rec Center, and everytime we pass it he says "pool". Same goes with the local parks we frequent, areas that trains go by, and embarassingly enough, costco. We are starting to realize nothing gets by him now (aka, only nice words are used around him).
• He has really started to verbalize what he does and doesn't want. He likes to tell us "no nap" when he knows the time is getting close. He can tell us if his food is too hot, where he wants to play, etc. It is such a great stage because we feel like we are able to meet his needs more often. He is getting close to saying I Love You clearly, and can name most people in our family. Can't wait for "why" to pop up every 5 seconds pretty soon!
• Connor loves to clean. He will always wipe up his high chair when he's done, and often wants a wet wipe to clean off the chairs, cupboards, doors, you name it. Grandma and Grandpa Louis bought him a vaccuum a while back that also gets plenty of use. He definitely gets this from his mother!
• Connors favorite song has always been Happy Birthday, and it is the sweetest thing if you haven't heard him sing it. He often changes the words "to you" with Mommy, Daddy, etc. to make us all feel special.
• He likes the same bedtime routine every night, which consists of grabbing his blankie, reading his 2 favorite books mentioned above, and saying his prayers. It is so sweet at the end when we say "and thank you Lord most of all for Connor, we love him so much" and then he yells out "AAAAMMMEN!"
• He is starting to hold the bat and hit the ball. He really likes to play upstairs in the loft with his easel, tent, golf set, and listen to music. But he doesn't just listen to music, he rips a little rug also ladies. His signature move is to walk in a circle with his arm up, bent elbow and open hand. Tough to explain, but really funny to see.
• He loves "pshh" for breakfast. If you don't know what that is, it is the sound that the whipped cream can makes when we spray it on his pancakes. These are a special treat, usually on the weekends. He enjoys yogurt, cereal and fruit also. 90% of the time you ask him what he ate for any meal, it is either "pshh" or "hot dog". Let it be known he has probably eaten a hot dog about 6 times in his life! Funny what they say.
• Apple needs to hire Connor for commercials. I am telling you, he knows how to navigate our iphones better than we do. He knows just where to press for the music and pictures. We can see the commercial now with the tag line "The iphone, so easy a baby can use it". Pretty smart boy.

Well, this list could go on and on, but the most important note is that our pride and joy is a healthy, happy and thriving little boy. What a blessing we have, and we count them every day. Thank you to all of our family and friends who have helped enrich his life. Most of all, thank you to my wonderful wife for spending so much time with him. Connor and I are so lucky to have such a wonderful woman by our side!

We look forward to seeing many of you soon to celebrate his birthday! Love, Michael and Megan