2 Already?!

2 • YEARS • OLD! We cannot believe it. He's grown up so much. 

Carson is sweet, inquisitive, observant, will follow the big kids to the best of his ability, independent, interested in how things work, copies EVERYTHING Miles does, super smiley, snuggly and loves him some stuffies. 

He's into pretend play toys like dress up, little people, our vet clinic and is mastering shape/color puzzles. He LOVES anything that can be pushed - lawn mower, tractors, cars, etc. He's interested in the potty and will often tell you if he needs a change (not 100% consistent). He likes to read, dance, loves to be outside and ice - all the ice. 

While Miles was very interested in anything gross motor, Carson seems to be content in figuring things out on his own time. He's not scared to try new things. But, if he doesn't like, he's not likely to do it again. 

He's a very picky eater, love his shoes and is talking up a storm. "Dow!" (Thank you) He has a lot of his words correctly sound and can talk in 2-3 word sentences. "Up, peez" "Mo Ice ow" (More ice water) "Tra-char broKe" "Uh, oh! StuCK!" And funny enough, he emphasizes the sounds Miles had trouble with. "TruCK" 

He'll come out of nowhere, grab your hand and guide you to something he wants to show you. Or, he'll pat his hand on the ground/couch telling you he wants you to sit/play.

2 Year Old stats (these are a little skewed bc our appointment was 3 weeks after his real birthday):

28 lbs - 48th Percentile 

35.5" - 82nd Percentile

22nd in BMI

For his 2nd birthday, we waited on his party because we wanted him to get his leg cast off first. Totally worth the wait people. It's critter time!

We kept it small and just invited our pod and the Grandparents. We had a total blast! The highlight of the party? The awesome petting Zoo! Tiny Tails came and set up their area fit for 5 kids at a time. They had a chicken, hedgehog, 2 bunnies, guinea pig, turtle and bearded dragon that the kids could hold in their lap and pet. Carson was a little hesitant at first but stayed in with the animals almost the entire time. He was so excited! I'm pretty sure the adults were having just as much fun with these animals as the kids. ha!

Charlie said she had a great time, but for every animal, her eyes got bigger and bigger lol

Lia was in absolute heaven

The Tiny Tails lady asked Charlie if she wanted the bearded dragon on her shoulder. She said yes. Did she regret her decision... maybe.

Closing the party - Life of Pets 2. Perfect for our theme :)

Thanks to everyone for coming and making this day so so fun for Carson! Happy Birthday sweet boy :)

All the things

Notable things have been happening over here at the Short house, but I've haven't had a chance to post about them yet. So, here you go. All in one.

One of the biggest and exciting ventures, Stephen and I purchase a warehouse for the business. The day we closed, we went out with the boys and our employee, Bryan, and toasted to the building. We are doing some renovations, so stay tuned for updates throughout the process!

After Christmas, Stephen and I transitioned Miles from his crib to a big boy bed. We probably could have done this much sooner, but with Covid and Shorty's, we just couldn't find time. Christmas break finally gave us the chance, and Miles was pumped!! He was a little confused thinking Santa brought him his bed, but hey, whatever works dude.

First night in his new bed and he's fast asleep :)

As a lot of you know, we got the boys a saltwater fish tank for Christmas. They were so excited to watch the fish, crab and shrimp, but we ran into a little bad luck when we contracted Marine Ich. It presents as white dots on the fish and if not caught early enough, can be deadly. 

However, we didn't have a separate hospital tank and the medication used to treat Ich kills invertebrates. So we had to use a less strong medication. Unfortunately, we lost all of our fish in a matter of a few days :(

Since then, we've set up a quarantine tank and are waiting for the display to be rid of the virus. We got a couple new fishies, and are housing them in our quarantine tank to ensure they and the display tank are healthy before introducing them. Fingers crossed people!

Imagine this:  You are putting away the kid's laundry to hear uncontrollable cackling. By who? Stephen. The type of cackling that is so infectious that you just can't help but laugh yourself, but you have no idea why. I emerge from the kid's hallway to find Stephen hunched over laughing. "Babe - watch THIS!"  *rubs a fleece blanket on Carson's head*

Perhaps it's time for a haircut? I thought the same thing. He had this combination of looooong baby hair and new big boy hair with the added cutie curls in the back. It took me 2 sessions to even out the baby hair while also leaving some of his curls in the back. He's such a wiggle butt, it was pretty difficult. But, my practice on Miles paid off and I think we ended up with a decent haircut.

Lastly - a quick note for the day. If Birdie is in your backyard, make sure the dog door is shut.

The kids are drinking milk and watching a show before bed. While I prep for bedtime, I hear "Mama!!! GET BIRDIE!!" Confused, I come out to find Birdie bounding all about the living room. Hahaa

Crazy Texas Weather

 In the midst of this freezing thunderstorm, I bring to you a month ago... when it SNOWED.... IN TEXAS. 

We were having brunch with the Devlins when it started to rain. Then, we all noticed. That wasn't rain. Those were flurries!! It had been a pretty cold week, so to our surprise, the flurries quickly started to stick. So, in our pure Texas fashion, we grabbed a quick jacket and some boots and ran outside. The kids were freezing, but no time to bundle up because who knows how long this was going to last, right?!

Charlie clocking stephen with an ice ball

The flurries slowed down and we came inside. "Well, that was fun." No disappointment here. Snow - in any form - is awesome in Texas. So, the kids went for rest all happy to have "payed in the snow Mama!"

Little did they know, the snow just kept falling! We haven't seen snow like this since Miles was tiny. It was amazing. So pretty.

Stephen and I were itching. I think this is the first time we've ever wished the boys to be awake quicker. Usually we relish in our naptime. But today.... TODAY IT'S SNOWING. We did the proper bundle this time and headed out to play.

Carson was a little unsure at first. 

Erin working hard at her snowman

Snowball fight!!

It didn't take long for Carson to figure things out and for the rest of the day, so long as he had a snowball, he was a happy camper

Love.

And here we sit, Feb 12th, 30 degrees with ice covered trees and snow in the forecast. Yall up for round 2?!