2 Years

2 years ago, I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of my first son. I was definitely ready to not be pregnant anymore. He, like his big sister, decided to come on his due date. Hyrum John joined our family on January 4, 2010 at 5:18 AM. He weighed 9 lbs 12 oz and was 21" long. He surprised all of us by being so big! Look at those chubby little newborn cheeks! How could you not want to kiss them?


And now, that "little" baby boy is 2 years old!


It's hard to believe how much he's grown.

He's definitely hit the "terrible twos" stage. That boy gets into everything. He's incredibly skilled at foraging for food. He has this innate sense of where to find crackers, cookies, or candy. We have no fear of him starving!

He climbs on everything. Nothing is safe. He recently climbed over the baby gate and face-planted on the floor - good thing it was carpet! Once I even caught him standing on the 3' high windowsill! He loves to explore, learn, and discover.

He throws screaming fits when he doesn't get his way. This typically occurs when he wants a toy he sees Emma playing with or when she takes something away from him. Or when someone tries to do something he wants to do - even when it's something he doesn't really know how to do yet.

He is very much Mr. Independent. He wants to do everything himself, from getting dressed to turning lights on and off to TV and movie use. He is a very opinionated little boy! The words we hear him say the most are no, me, and mine.

Sometimes it drives me crazy.

But he is also the biggest little sweetheart. He absolutely adores his little brother. He constantly gives him hugs and kisses. He's usually the first to hear the baby crying. Hyrum even says baby Nathan is his best friend.

He's also very sweet with Emma, when they're not fighting over something.

Hyrum is a total Daddy's boy these days. He just loves his dad! He always wants Daddy to do everything for him. He gets SO mad when he learns that John is at work or school!

Hyrum is very much a little boy. He loves cars and trains. He is very active; he runs around and throws balls all day. He also loves to play with blocks. He currently has a scratch on his cheek from jumping on the bed with Legos in his hand...

He enjoys coloring, play food, Play Doh, and music toys. He loves watching kid movies and reading books.

He loves all things technology. We're constantly having to get him away from our computers. He moves the mouse around and everything. He loves to bring me my camera or my phone. Thank goodness he hasn't quite figured out how to unlock the phone. He loves to watch youtube videos (kid appropriate ones, of course).

Hyrum is such a comedian!! He cracks us up all the time. For example: a few days ago, I asked him if he wanted some banana bread at snack time. He shook his head and said, "No!" Then I told him, "I put chocolate chips in it." He gasped excitedly. I asked, "Now do you want some banana bread?" He nodded vigorously and said, "Nana bed?" He is such a funny kid!

He's been in a "I only want macaroni and cheese or junk food" phase for ages. Well, he'd eat some other foods, too, but he was extremely picky. This coming from the kid who used to eat everything! He's slowly getting better and trying more foods. He still won't touch meat or vegetables much, but we're getting there. He absolutely loved all the fudge and other goodies I made this Christmas season.

Hyrum is learning more and more words all the time. A lot of his words sound similar, so sometimes we can only understand them in context. I love the way he says Emma. He calls her "Memma." Soooo cute!

He's starting to put more words together. Last week or so, Emma told me, "We have a book about a polar bear. I think his mommy died." Hyrum then said, "Book. Mommy. Die." Not exactly sure how I feel about that combination...

We're working on teaching him colors. He calls most things blue. But he's starting to pick up on yellow and green, and maybe red too.

It always amazes me how aware and intelligent he is. Even though he doesn't speak in full sentences yet or always knows how to express himself, you can just see those gears spinning.

He still copies his big sister in pretty much everything. This can be good or bad...depending on what Emma is doing.

He understands that he's a boy and Emma is a girl. He's very big into possession these days. He correctly labels everyone's clothing, toys, or other belongings.

Hyrum is super loud and crazy at home, but he's incredibly shy in public. It's so funny to see how opposite he is when we're around other people!

He gets very clingy when he first wakes up. He's pretty grumpy when he's tired. Hyrum is very expressive of his emotions, even with his limited 2 year old vocabulary. Those same limitations make for some very unpleasant screaming fits when he can't express how he feels in words.

All in all, Hyrum is a very fun, hilarious, and sweet little boy. We love him so much! Happy birthday, Hyrum!