Ian is 18 1/2 months old now. He is such a fun little personality! He LOVES to play outside in this warmer weather. Ian talks and signs (thanks to Signing Time videos) up a storm now. Here is a list of what he can say now:
- sticker (which he LOVES to put all over his coloring book)
- bubbles
- bottle (can sign this one as well)
- fork
- spoon
- There it is!
- There ya go!
- catch
- ball
- up
- down
- walk (which he accompanies with pointing to the door, nodding yes and smiling) :)
- play
- day
- dog
- puppy
- woof
- meow
- quack
- naa
- baa
- shoes
- go
- please (accompanied by adorably signing please)
- thank you (says "tank you!")
- Diego (for Go Diego! Go!)
- movie
- Dora Dora (sounds more like "D, D"
- back (for Backyardigans)
- turkey
- cheese
- bread
- poopy
- pee (taught by his daddy!)
- more
- up
- down
... and many other words and signs, but I'm sure you don't care to read any more. :) He is starting to put together phrases and he knows and understands so much that it astounds me sometimes! Ian signs eat and all done, rather than says them and does such a cute job of letting us know when he's ready to eat. :) He knows that when it's time for bed or a nap and runs to the fridge and tries to open it up to get the milk or juice out. Such a cute little guy!
He just loves to go on walks, play with the neighbor kids or relatives, absolutely loves throwing, catching, bouncing, or kicking balls (Ian adores anything that includes balls). He enjoys reading books and coloring, and has gotten quite good at taking the lids off of his markers. :) Uh oh! Haha! Ian is great at communicating what he wants or needs most of the time, and it cuts down on some fits. :) Thank goodness! Lately, Ian has taken to grabbing Matt's or my hand and dragging us to wherever he wants us to go or whatever he wants us to do with him. It's super cute. Ian is very good at going up and down stairs, and loves to run upstairs to play while Mommy is doing something boring like dishes. It's so cute to hear his little running feet upstairs! The second he finishes climbing the stairs, he is off and running. :) No surprise there!
Matt and I are so grateful to have this fun little guy in our lives. He brings so much joy and laughter, not to mention he is really good at keeping us active. ;) We just love him to pieces and can't imagine life without him. We're so grateful Ian has been a part of our lives for the past year and a half.
Matt is almost done with school for this semester! YAY!!! We are all so excited and just can't wait!! He took his first of two finals this week, and will take his last final of the semester on Thursday. It was so great this year, because two of his four classes had optional finals, so Matt just worked hard and doesn't have to take them. So, this week won't be too bad, as far as finals go. I'm really proud of Matt. He has done a fantastic job keeping up and excelling in his classes and at work (he got 102% on his last accounting test! Go Matt!!). On top of all that and church responsibilities (he's been in the Elders Quorum presidency since November I think), Matt has been so good at spending lots of time with Ian and I. Ian just adores his daddy and loves when he's around. Daddy is one of his best friends. Often when Ian hears Matt coming downstairs from working or studying, Ian will jump up and run for a ball, then bring it Matt and begs him to play with him. (You just can't say no when he's looking at you with those hopeful blue eyes and saying, "Ball? Ball?") They love to rough and tumble together. So fun! I just love watching their daddy/son interactions.
One thing that they really love to do together is watch basketball. No joke. Ian will sit there during the entire game, only getting up when there are commercials and coming back when the game starts again. Ian claps and gets excited at the right times, and he is mesmerized by the fun of it all. Needless to say, Matt and I have a sports watching buddy. :) Hopefully all of our kids will enjoy sports as much as we do!
As for me, I've just been enjoying spending time with my boys every day. Ian and I try to do lots of fun things together, and I just love our relationship. We still have playgroups that we go to weekly (which we both LOVE), and I've loved going to Zumba class twice a week with a couple of ladies in my ward. It is great! It gives a great workout and fulfills my need to dance. Great combo! :) Matt is great and supports me in going so I don't feel guilty about being out of the house two nights a week. Besides, I think Ian enjoys just hanging out with Daddy. :)
We are so excited for this warmer weather and for the summer months ahead. We're looking forward to our anniversary in a few weeks (3 years!!!! Can you believe it?!?!), Matt's birthday, and our big road trip to Washington state in June. We're just loving life! :) Hugs and loves from the Schmoldt Family. Hope all is well with each of you!
