logan: two and a half years old

logan turned two and a half last month and i wanted to write down some of the things he is saying and doing lately. he's at such a fun age and for the most part i such a sweet, good boy (although he has definitely got a sassy and defiant side). he learns so much everyday and i often forget when we interact that he is only two and a half (although in general i can't believe he is already two and a half. where did my baby boy go?!). we're so happy this little dude is in our family. he brings us such joy (and sometimes exasperation. but mostly joy)!
i know this is long. i don't blame anyone for skipping this post :) it's mainly for our records since i know there is no way i'll remember all these little things, but i really want to! 

*he calls the door bell the ding bell and always want to push it when we go to people's houses
*he likes to bite his food into different "shapes." usually it is a dinosaur or some other kind of animal
*he loves to help: cook (especially if he gets to wear his chef's hat), unload the dishwasher, put clothes in the washer or dryer, make emma's bottle, feed emma.

*he can pray on his own and says the sweetest prayers. there is something so sweet and genuine when a child prays.
*he still is attached to his lovey (blanket). it is never far from him.

*when he is not feeling well it totally changes his personality. we're always anxious for him to get better, not only for his heath, but for our sanity (he gets whiny and acts up more)

*he is super social and loves to make friends. wherever we go he says hi to people and waves. he loves to show off for others.

(logan and his friend finn at our ward chili cook-off)

*he loves emma! 

of course he sometimes takes toys away from her and he's learning not to freak out when she breaks his train track, but 99.5% of the time it is all love! he calls her emmy and it is so cute! if he wakes up first in the morning or from a nap he begs to go in and get her up. when she finally wakes up he can't wait to go in her crib with her. he has requested a few times that she take a nap with him in his bed. i love how he cheers her on in whatever she is doing and celebrates her accomplishments. he'll say, "good job emmy! you did it!" whether is is crawling somewhere, feeding herself or any other random thing she might do. he also likes to show off for her, "emmy, watch this." he also keeps her up to date on what is going on, "emma, we're going to get in the car and go to the store" (or whatever i've just told him we're doing/eating etc). whenever i am taking a picture of emma it's not long before logan is making his way into the picture. he often requests i take a picture of the two of them when they are sitting next to each other. lately he has been saying, "i love emma. she is my best friend." tonight he said, "emma is my little sister and i take care of her." and he does! when i went to pick the kids up from the kids' club at the gym, one of the workers mentioned what a good big brother logan is and how he protects emma. wherever we go he points to emma and introduces people to her. he is a proud big brother. and the love is mutual. emma lights up when she sees logan and wants to be wherever he is. it has been the sweetest thing to see the two of them become friends and love each other. 

*this kid loves to watch movies and shows. he is constantly begging to watch something (much to my chagrin). i frequently hear, "let's watch one movie, okay" while he holds up his pointer finger. he'll also say, "after this show is over we'll watch another, okay?!" here is the progression of shows that he has liked over the past year or so (he gets on a kick and wants to watch certain shows over and over again): elmo youtube videos --> thomas the train --> backyardigans --> caillou --> dora the explorer, diego and dinosaur train. his favorite movie is "cars"
*if he gets hurt or upset he will often say, "i need to watch a movie so i feel better."

*he loves music! we listen to it throughout the day (usually primary songs) and whenever we drive he asks me to "turn up the music." most nights i sing him primary songs before he goes to bed. the most requested are "families can be together forever," "i love to see the temple," "i am a child of god" and "child's prayer." he also loves to sing "follow the prophet," "popcorn popping," jesus wants me for a sunbeam." i am amazed at how quickly he can memorize songs.

*he has an incredible memory. for songs, names, words, things we read in books (he memorizes parts of books so quickly). as a result he has an amazing vocabulary (we are constantly wondering where he has learned words and concepts). i wish my memory was as good as his.

*he loves to play basketball. he got a little hoop for christmas and plays all the time (and is surprisingly good).
*he likes to play hide and seek. he loves to play behind the rocker and in a little corner behind emma's crib. we always find stashes of toys in those 2 places.

*he'll often say, "when i get bigger i will ____"
*he is so adept with technology. he can navigate an iPhone and iPad with no problem, move the mouse on the computer to open what he wants, loads dvds into the xbox and can open netflix on our phones and start a movie or show. yikes!

(watching diego while we cleaned the church)

*he loves his cousins!

*he loves both sets of grandparents! it is so special to watch the relationship he has with each of them.

*whenever we get in the car he asks if we can go fast. when a light turns green he will often say, "and now we go."

*in books we read if there are 3 of the same animal he will often point to them and say, "that's a mommy ___, that's a daddy ____ and that's a logan ____." we just checked out the "three bears" from the library and instead of it being baby bear he calls it "logi bear." 

*he always says, "hey! i've got an idea!"
*he likes to hold up/count his fingers (1, 2 and 3 fingers)
*he likes when i tell him "the plan" for what we're going to do
*he loves to count things and is good at pointing and counting.

*the last couple of weeks he has started to talk in his sleep and have bad dreams (at least we think they're bad dreams). it is so sad to hear him cry out.
*if we tell him something is "special" he is more likely to cooperate and do what we've asked him to do.

*he loves finding coins and putting them into his piggy bank and we have used this to our advantage ie- "logan if you are reverent during scriptures and prayers, you can put a penny in your bank." it usually does the trick! we might need to use it as incentive when we start potty training (which i really don't even want to think about)

*he has been sleeping in his big boy bed for almost 3 months and still stays in bed when he wakes up and calls out to us to come get him. we're enjoying it for as long as it lasts! when we come in to get him he always announces, "i waked up!"
*he is the most snuggly right after he wakes up. sometimes i am lucky enough to just hold him and have him lay his head on my shoulder. it melts me every time it happens.

*he can count to 20, although 16-19 is a little sketchy
*he recognizes the letters D, E, L & O. he finds them in books, on store signs, everywhere. he will say, "D stands for daddy. E stands for Emma. L stands for Logan." he can also spell his name. he also recognizes the logos for king soopers (our grocery store) and 24 hour fitness (he calls it kid's club).
*he knows his full name, his birthday (month and day) and what street we live on.
*he pronounces "th" as "f" ie - "fanks" instead of "thanks"

*his imagination continues to grow and it is so fun to watch him pretend. a few weeks ago he went on an "adventure" with gammy and ever since, he talks about going on an adventure.
*he likes to add "ie" to words ie - "piggie," duckie," "goosie"
*he talks about what he did "yesterday" a lot. sometimes it really was yesterday, sometimes it was weeks ago and sometimes is was just a few hours ago (like before his nap).
*when he's upset he always cries for someone who isn't there. usually it is either mommy or daddy, but sometimes it is random, like his cousins.