Judson Ray Taylor, you are 2 years old!
the amount of life that you have packed into 2 years is quite impressive.
from the time i get you out of bed in the morning to the minute i lay you back down again, you are living a big, loud, energetic, joyful, fun, excited, adventurous, busy, inquisitive, daring life!
your dad and i were so excited to celebrate you on your birthday (Saturday, the 25th)!
you are something to celebrate, that is for sure!
on your birthday, you woke up to this.
your love for tractors and farm animals has remained present since before your 1st birthday
these balloons brought you so much joy
and, of course, you have your John Deere "cow cup"
we had your 2 year check-up at the doctor when you were 22 months old
you were 32 pounds and 37 inches tall
off of the charts for both.
Dr. Bimle said that you were approximately the size of a 3.5 or 4 year old
even though you are highly energetic and busy, you are well-behaved, teachable and obedient (for the most part)
but, you do like to let your opinion be known
even when it comes to your clothes
this Elmo shirt. you'd wear it everyday if i would let you
same for the John Deere anything
you are very helpful with putting your clothes on
and you can take off your own shoes, socks and shorts
you and Woodrow are quite a pair
and do lots of wandering around outside together
you say, "mon Doo-droh" and wave your arm if he isn't already following you
you love to "help" your dad
and this is awesome, especially when applied to washing the dishes
you love to help him "ix" (fix) things.
and you take your little stool with you everywhere, since you like to do things for yourself
you also like to act like your Pa
they take you on the 4-wheeler, Gator, tractor or lawn mower often and it's probably you favorite thing in the entire world.
your options for motorized vehicles is kinda ridiculous.
you rarely sit still to watch any kind of show
which, is good.
but when you do, i just kind of stare at you in disbelief
also, i know those pull-ups (in the background) are girl pull-ups
you have been showing interest in using the potty for a few months, so we take you often and you do great! even telling us when you need to go some.
i'm just not quite ready to commit. probably selfish, but we'll get there.
i ordered some pull-ups and when they arrived, i realized that i had selected "girl" instead of "boy"
you were THRILLED to see Dora, so we're just going with it.
even though you've never actually watched a Dora episode in it's entirety, she motivates you to use the potty.
you definitely have a sense of humor
and have figured out ways to make us laugh
you are happy the majority of the time, which makes being around you so much fun!
everything is exciting to you. if you see something new or that you like, you make a big "O" with your mouth and gasp loudly with your eyebrows raised. this happens frequently throughout the day and is hilarious every single time. to me.
you had your first sleep-over for 2 nights, by yourself, at your cousins
and would've stayed for a week if i would let you
you adore your cousins and want to be with them every single second.
you wear hats often, and mostly at your request
and can tell me if you want to wear it frontwards or backwards
you can't start sentences with an "s" or an "f", but will place and extra "s" at the end of the word.
(for example. sheep: "eeps". shoes: "oosh" sock: "ocks")
you talk all of the time.
i mean, every single second, there are words coming out of your mouth.
you are a great communicator, and for that, i am so grateful!
i tell people that if they don't know what you're saying, add an "s" or "f" to the beginning and it will usually make sense.
if that doesn't work, we just give it a little bit and eventually figure it out.
you attempt to say everything. even "hippopotamus", which is my favorite.
you are very observant and remember EVERYTHING
if i tell you we will do something after your nap, you wake up asking about it.
if we go somewhere once, just one time, you will point it out when we pass it while driving by the next time. and tell me what it is called, even if i only told you one time. it always impresses me.
even though you are talkative and energetic, you can get very still and very quiet if something really interests you
like, the barn being built
you stand like this, holding onto the water hose and just stare at the "work guys", as you call them.
(also, i spy a granddaddy long-leg spider)
you are turning into such a boy.
you walk into class at church and Mothers Day Out by yourself
you hold hands instead of being held often
you are a very sweet big brother
and love to have Townes next to you
you are so ready for him to play with you!
he is fascinated by you and watches everything that you do
you have the very best bed head
it's a perfect, i mean perfect, mohawk
your dad and I adore being your parents
you have the best little spirit and we are so excited to watch it shine even more as you grow
you are a joy to be around and very entertaining to watch
you surprise us constantly by how quickly you learn
and we are learning the balance of training, instructing, leading, disciplining and spoiling (yep).
there is a lot of all of those things in our day.
you are a gift to us and for that, we are ever so grateful
we know that God made us your parents for a reason and we are trying our best to raise you to be kind, strong and love the Lord with all of your heart.
this is my prayer over you, every single night.
and that we can help shape your excited, strong and adventurous spirit to glorify Him and to love others.
Happy 2nd birthday buddy Ray!
you are a light
