Terrific Two's! Haha!

My son is something else! He is 2 years old now and I know now more than ever why God made 2 year olds so cute! They have to be so that we can tolerate what they put us through! Luca is a very strong-willed child which in his future can be a great asset as long as it is directed in the right places!

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This is Luca exerting his will! 

On a more pleasant note, there a a couple of things that Luca does that I think are too adorable not to share. 

He loves to help us cook. This is cute and at times inconvenient, but later, I plan to take full advantage! 

At his wonderful age of two, he pulls a chair right up to the stove and wants to be right in the middle of things. You can imagine how stressful cooking can be for me when my toddler wants to help with whatever is going on over the burners.

He is also a big fan of his daddy and wants to mimic everything Alessandro does. It is absolutely precious! Sometimes it is simply hand gestures and other times it is an insistence of drinking his water out of a coffee mug because daddy is drinking his coffee. 

 

  

It is the cutest thing and I could just watch him for hours...that is until the screaming tantrum begins!

I love my Lucalicious!

Update

I haven't written a simple update on Nora in a while. She is growing so fast. She brings me so much joy, yet I find that I am saddened in knowing that she is our last baby.

She is 9 months old now and almost crawling. She manages to move around the floor by scooting, but her crawl is right around the corner!

She is eating some solids. I always start them late with my kids, although she started earlier than the others. She loves sweet potatoes. Other foods she will eat are peas and oatmeal, only if mixed with the sweet potatoes. I am diligently trying to get her to eat other foods including fruits, but she doesn't seem to like the texture. She holds it in her mouth and refuses to swallow, as she looks at me with such a distressed look, like she just can't take it!

 

  

This was one of our messier eating experiences! 

Luca taught Nora how to use a sippy cup. He was very proud! 

She is such a sweet girl, always happy, goes to bed and takes her naps easily, and she is very flexible...she goes with the flow. 

Teenagers

As you all may have noticed, my stories about Hailey are very limited. There is a reason for that and it is not for lack of plenty to tell! Teenage girls don't like to be embarrassed in front of ANYONE! I am bursting at the seams with great writing material, but unless I want to completely destroy my relationship with Hailey, I must remain silent until she is in her 20's!

I will say that it is only by the grace of God that I can make it through these years. I have a greater appreciation for my parents. God knows I put them through much worse than what I am going through now. I have been very blessed with a teenage girl who has values and basically follows most of the rules. I have learned that when laying down rules for teens, you have to be very, very specific. If they can find a loop-hole, they will. That means not only laying out the rules, but defining what those rules mean in every possible circumstance or scenario. My prayer for her daily is that she God would give her wisdom and that she would use that wisdom in her decision making...and that she would someday marry a man who loves Jesus more than he loves her. Trust me, you can't go wrong with that, I am living proof.
I am dealing with a wide spectrum of the circle of life having an infant, a toddler and a teenager under one roof, and for that I need an extra dose of God's grace.
Tune in later, in about 6 or 7 years for some very entertaining stories of Hailey's teen years!