Let the games begin..Leo is TWO!

Our Leo is TWO years old! For months now when people ask me how old Leo is, it has been so hard not to say he was two. He is growing up so fast and has acted, talked and insisted he has been two for a while now. Two years ago on April 14th, we were on our way to meet a sweet boy that would change our lives and family dynamic forever.  We are so lucky to have Leo in our family. He is loved by all of us so very much, especially by his big sister. I am grateful everyday for their bond, friendship and loyalty to each other. Let me describe Leo for those of you who don't have the pleasure of knowing him.. Leo is determined to do everything his sister does. Yet he puts his own "Leo/boy" twist on everything he attempts. If Jade is playing princess dress-up, you better bet Leo will demand to put on some high heels but he doesn't plan on participating unless he can bring a boyish contribution to the fun. He doesn't copy Jade's story line and instantly transforms the high heels into monster claws and chases the family mercilessly around the house. Dresses become ghosts, necklaces become weapons, unicorns become furocious and tea parties become water fights. Leo is as sweet as they come. He is polite, snuggly, obedient, giggly and happy. But don't you leave him out of ANYTHING. Shrill screams burst out of this kid like streaming fireworks on their way to combustion if he thinks just maybe he is being wronged, left out, or slowed down. 

The boy can EAT! He is never satisfied with just one avocado, banana, sandwich or snack. Concluding his last bite, you can always count on a persistent slowly amplified song of "mo please mo mo mo" following you around the house.

He loves to lift, carry, flip, push and rearrange furniture. I'm always surprised with how much he can lift and carry. 

He has this odd inside joke with himself where he picks a task whether it be chasing Jade, eating, cleaning, climbing or walking, and attempts to do it with his eyes closed. It isn't uncommon to see him just walking around the house with his eyes closed giggling to himself as he runs into things and trips all over the place. It's a strange yet entertaining hobby that is probably one of my "Leo favorites".

Our favorite Leo quotes, words and moments: Up until about two weeks ago Leo was consistently calling water "Waz". It was kind of our favorite to have him hand us his empty cup and emphatically say WAZ WAZ WAZ!

Leo has THE CUTEST "amen" you'll ever hear. It's so enthusiastic that we can't help but giggle every time.

He either calls his sister Jade or sissy and we love that he knows her by both.

When Daddy leaves for school or work, you will hear Leo from his bedroom whimper "Daddy gone". It is SO sad but also very telling about how much he adores his Daddy. He has the opposite reaction when he hears Daddy drive into the driveway. He exclaims "Daddy home"!  Squeels and hoorays always follow and the wrestling begins immediately when Dad opens the door.  

Our favorite qualities about Leo: sweet, gentle, curious, persistent, silly, obedient, observant, happy, enthusiastic, playful, hard working, independent and boy boy boy!!

Some of his favorite things: JADE (but really..he is a wreck without her- Preschool on Tuesday's are ROUGH), books, learning, spiderman, batman, bananas, cookies, outside, puppies, babies, snuggling, baths, making messes, avocados, corn on the cob, growling and other sound effects, running, hiding, slides, wrestling with Daddy, Aladdin, watching Daddy play the guitar, music, dancing, meat, oatmeal, lotion, sanitizer, jumping off of varying household objects, praying, singing, being tickled and tickling others, vitamins, brushing his teeth and sitting on his baby brother- OUCH!

Some of his dislikes: haircuts, getting dressed, watching Daddy leave, trees, baby gates, star wars masks, being left out, Moana, waiting for food, the sun in his eyes(he will scream like a vampire exposed to the sun), dirty hands and coming in from outside.

We love our Leo and can't wait to see him fulfill the big brother role! This year Leo has grown so much! He took his first steps, started talking small sentences and almost has the same shoe size as his big sister! Happy birthday to our Little Lee, bad boy, lion boy,  Ee-oh, brudder and Monster Leo!