Happy 2nd Birthday Roman!!!

Click HERE for a slideshow from his 2nd Birthday Party.

What a great birthday! He definitely understood this year that it was a special day. For days after his birthday, he would go and get his balloons, drag them to the table, climb up in his chair and then say, "Boons! Upcakes!" Thank goodness they were healthy cupcakes (raw coconut cream pie) or I would have felt guilty letting him have a cupcake for dinner three nights in a row!

Thank you all for your thoughtfulness, Roman really loved all of his gifts. He's got enough to keep him busy all winter now. : )

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Labor Day

This was the most laborious Labor Day ever! We worked hard all weekend and it rained all day today. But Roman wasn't scared, even when it poured. He was jumping around, saying, "Rain! Rain!"

Kitty in the Moby

Roman has been carrying this Kitty around with him everywhere. She eats what he's eating an pees when he pees. In this photo, he had just given her some Roman's milk (yes, he pulled up his shirt and nursed her) and then wrapped her up in the Moby.

Landscaping

We worked hard today even though it was raining. We finally took care of the big mess in the front yard and put in some lovely perennials. Roman and I are making the sign for dirty because by the time we were finished we were filthy. Next week, we paint the house!

Kitty door

Roman figured out that his cat could fit through the cat door too! This really freaked Gracie out and she wouldn't use the door until he moved it.

All in a row...

Walking with Jagger

Roman has been walking on the treadmill with Jagger since about 15 months, but I finally got around to getting it on tape. He used to walk longer but now he mostly stops after a minute or two, or leaves Jagger to walk by himself for 10-15 minutes while he plays nearby with his cars. Jagger thinks it's great and even knows when Roman makes the sign for "walk," and runs and jumps on the treadmill. Roman pats Jagger when they're finished and tries to say, "Good boy," or "Guuu baaa."

Auntie Lisa and Cousin Kittie visit

Do we smile now or what?

He can talk anyone into playing cars with him! Each time poor Kittie would try and leave the scene, he would follow her wherever she went and say, "More, more, mum-mumm! Kittie, come, please." It didn't sound that clear, but that's what he was saying and signing, repeatedly until she came back. Each morning, he would race down to her room to wake her up and ask her to play with him. Auntie Lisa gave him lots of baths so Mommy could have a break, but by the end of the week, he was requesting that Kittie come up for bath too. Two lovely ladies to bathe you is better than one, right?

The digger that his Uncle Jon gave him; one of his favorite toys!

Choo-choo!

Roman loves to go to this store and play with the train set. If I ask him if he wants to go to the store, he says, "Choo-Choo!" and runs to the front door. Today, he went to the back of the store and found this little chair and pushed it all the way up front so that he could play more comfortably.

Lazy Sunday

Katrina's horses

Last month, Roman was able to go to a Gypsy horse show so getting to see horses up close and personal yesterday was a real treat! He loved it and was so brave. He even learned how to keep his hand flat while feeding them and he was very sad when it was time to go. I walked to the car and he just stood there, saying, "Ma-ma, neigh neigh" and pointing to his head for the sign for horse.

Ft. Rucker Aviation Museum

A fun day at the museum. I've been afraid to take him b/c I didn't want to have to argue about "no touching" but he understood very quickly when I said we couldn't go past the rope. He got to sit on a chinook that is open to walk through. He crawled up onto the seat, buckled himself in and said, "Go-go-go!" I think he really wanted to take off. He's been on enough airplanes to know the drill.

Thinks he's cool with his hands in his pockets for the first time

Uh-Oh! He can't get them out! Unclench your fists, Son! I hope this wasn't an early I.Q. test...

23 Months

Click HERE for a picture slideshow.

Two years is quickly approaching...it barely seems possible. And, so far, no terrible twos. : ) He still loves cleaning and helping us out. He has become a master mimicker. He almost never has an accident and he has been using the big potty a lot lately. It's hilarious to see him put the little seat on the toilet and try and climb up on it- his legs are so long he has very little trouble getting up there. His words have started getting much more clear lately and he is using so many signs, I can't keep up! We go to ASL class every Tuesday and now instead of playing, he spends much of the time trying to sign what we're signing. He picks it up so fast!

This month, Roman had an unexpected visit with Pa-Pa and they really enjoyed playing cars and swimming. Then his Grandma Cozy came and we had a great time at the beach and at an aquarium. Mom and Dad even got a couple of hours to themselves!

Roman loved the dolphin show so much more than he did at 18 months. When they stopped he started signing, "more, more, more!" I just loved watching him pet the manta-ray and waddle with a penguin (a 28-year-old penguin!) He is just so brave; if he sees anything he thinks is a bug, he runs to get a shoe and than "boom!" he says as he whacks the crap out of it repeatedly. Today he picked up a lizard by its tail, but Gracie had already gotten to it, so it didn't move much.

Playing cars (mum-mumm!) with Pa-Pa

Roman just loves playing with his new car set. He spends hours moving cars, sending them down the slide and up the elevator, and filling them up with gas. I never thought I'd see the day when he would go and play by himself for hours at a time. I can even leave the room without him freaking out!

Sorry, Mom, Pa-Pa is just more comfortable without a shirt. : )

Mmmm.....ah-er-me-on

Roman found this in the fridge and couldn't resist, so he went and found a spoon and dove right in!

Down dog under Daddy

Asheville

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I accidentally loaded every pic, so you get out-takes and all this time.

We had a great time on our trip to Asheville. It's a lovely place with its cool mountain air and beautiful waterfalls (Dupont Forest- 30 minutes away), but we won't be moving there. I love how it's surrounded by mountains but it's also kind of isolated. And, it really has that "midwest feel" about it, which we don't care for; i.e. too many rubes. Gene noticed that the people didn't really seem all that happy.

Downtown Asheville was small and not all that clean or updated. We saw a lot of hippies, and a lot of people that looked totally doped. We had some decent food, but nothing to rave about. Our campsite was very pretty with a stream running through it, but it was a little noisy being right by the highway. Also, the guy camped next to us was a wee bit crazy. I'm guessing bi-polar for starters. We actually went to a hotel to get away from this guy. It was truly bizarre.

We were told not to miss the Friday night drum circle. It was interesting to say the least. Roman wasn't sure what to make of it; he kept telling me it was loud and shaking his hands by his ears. But then he started to dance and clap a little.

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Daddy & Mr. Cool

Roman was SOOOO good on our 9-hour trip trip to Asheville!

Picking Blueberries

Oh, what fun we had picking blueberries! Roman got more involved than I expected. He insisted he have his own bucket and worked really hard picking. He even learned to pick only the blue ones and to eat as many as you want!