Two-And-A-Half Years Old
It’s been a while… but boy, has the time flown by. Kellen is becoming more and more independent, completing longer and more complete sentences, and surprising us every day.
Growing Up
Kellen is now two-and-a-half years old, and as I mentioned above, he’s becoming more and more independent. He’ll play by himself, having his characters move, fly, and talk to each other; he’ll “read” (i.e., look at) books; and he loves to play and splash in the bath.
He knows the names and sounds of a vast array of animals, and he knows quite a few letters and numbers—he can identify numbers 1 through 10, and he can count up to 14 or so if the mood strikes him.
He knows to say “please” and “thank you” and even “bless you” when someone sneezes. He also knows to ask for help when he can’t manipulate and/or reach something.
He’s anxious to help out where he can. He’ll help load the dishwasher, pick up his toys at bedtime, open and close doors, and, with a little boost, turn the lights on and off as we enter or leave a room.
Speaking of opening and closing doors, he managed to lock Mommy out of the house one day while I was at work. Luckily, he didn’t get into anything, and a locksmith was able to get her back in the house fairly quickly. That’s one photo I wish I’d been able to capture.
We’ve moved him out of his high chair; he now sits in a booster seat and uses his utensils to feed himself. He’ll even use a wet-wipe to clean his face. We’ve also set up step-stools in the bathrooms so he can wash his hands and brush his teeth, with a little help, of course.
Belated Birthday Get-Together
Kellen’s great-grandparents were out of town during his birthday, so we had a belated birthday get-together in May. It was then that Kellen discovered possibly the best book ever (for him)—an oversize, illustrated book of zoology. Little did he know they’d get him his own copy a few months later.
Tori & Marshall’s Wedding
Perhaps the biggest news since my last post was that Tori (my sister) and Marshall got married! Marshall proposed back in March, and the wedding was just a few months later, in July. As planned, Kellen served as ring bearer, and Marshall’s niece, Eden, served as flower girl. We got to meet Marshall’s family in the days before the wedding, and Kellen and Eden had an opportunity to get acquainted (below, first photo). Kellen was quite taken with Eden’s older sister, Lydia, as well (below, second photo).
Kellen tried his best to make himself the center of attention at the rehearsal.
The photographers hired to cover the wedding managed to get a great photo of Kellen and I before the wedding. As the wedding got under way, they got another shot of Kellen handling his ring bearer duties like a seasoned pro, although he bore no ring.
Photos (two below) by Meeker Pictures
Tori and Marshall’s reception was held at a local branch of the Museum of Natural Science, which was truly unique. Kellen (and Mom) had a great time on the dance floor, and bonus, there were animal exhibits everywhere.
Preschool
In September, we signed Kellen up for a Mother’s Day Out preschool class at one of our local churches. Initially, they only had room for him to attend one day a week, but after about a month, we were able to move him to two days a week. The first couple times, he was a little unsure of this new activity—perhaps he thought we were going to leave him there—but now, he loves going to school.
Going to school meant getting Kellen a backpack, which, of course, required a photo. Obviously, his backpack is a little unwieldy. Shortly after I took the photo, he took off running, only to lose his balance and be brought down by his weighty, new accessory. He can be seen starting to tip over below.
Children’s Museum
A branch of the Children’s Museum of Houston recently opened within about a 15-minute drive of us. We decided to purchase a membership, allowing us to visit as often as we want. It’s been a great place to visit with a lot of hands-on activities.
Cousin Hayden & McKinley’s Birthday Parties
August and September brought birthday parties for Kellen’s cousins, Hayden (5), which involved a water bouncy castle, and McKinley (8), which involved balloon animals and face painting. Kellen had a blast at both.
A Day On The Farm
Now that Kellen is in school, he has the occasional opportunity to go on a field trip, the first of which was to Blessington Farms not far from our home. I took the day off so we could all go as a family. Of all the things to do at this multi-acre park, Kellen was oddly obsessed with the chickens. We were able to tear him away to do a few other activities though.
Kellen’s First School Photo
After being in school for a few weeks, Kellen had his first school photo taken. His photo turned out great, but even if it hadn’t, we still would’ve had to buy a copy.
Photo by Molly Jean Designs
A New Cousin
October was a busy month not only for us, but for Aimee’s sister’s family as well. They welcomed a new baby boy, Kasey, to the family (whom I’ve not had the opportunity to get photos of yet). This meant they’d be borrowing several unused baby items from us. Kellen was definitely familiar with his first car seat. What a difference a couple years makes.
Halloween
Kellen has had no interest in candy thus far—maybe that’s a good thing—and we didn’t think he’d get much out of trick-or-treating this year, so we decided to have him help us hand out candy instead. He also still loves Mickey Mouse, so why not dress him up as Mickey again? We were a little concerned he’d be afraid of some of the “monsters” walking around, but when he saw one, he’d just wave and say “hi monster.” Perhaps seeing all the neighborhood trick-or-treaters will inspire him to want to go himself next year.
2-And-A-Half Year Checkup
Another six months brought with it another checkup. Kellen weighs about 34 lbs. (89th percentile) and is right at the cusp of being 3 feet tall (48th percentile). He’s a bit stocky, but he’s healthy and developing perfectly.
