Jindra Family Blog: 2nd Birthday

On March 2nd, Sofie and Jackson turned two... Another year that has FLOWN by. It's hard to believe it's been two years since we brought our babies into this world, changing our lives in an instant. In so many ways, it seems like it was yesterday. Two is such a fun age and we are loving every minute of it, but I do miss them being babies.

Their two year photo shoot was not as successful as previous ones. I tried to put them down for an early nap that day so we could get to our session later in the afternoon. I should have known better than to try to mess with their schedule. It usually backfires on me. Sofie never did fall asleep and was pretty uncooperative and cranky for our photographer. We were near a park and they just wanted to play, of course. Here are a few of the decent shots:

Since their birthday was in March and I am writing this four months later in July, here is an update on what Sofie and Jackson are up to at 2 years, 4 months:

Both are active... Very active! They don't want to slow down for anything.
Talking in phrases and sentences
Both love to play pretend... They pretend like they are running errands, going to school, getting ready for a party, playing doctor, etc. Jackson loves to create conversations between his trains. Sofie loves to play "hair place" where she cuts and styles everyone's hair.
Speaking of trains, Jackson is obsessed with Thomas the Train and Hot Wheels. He could play by himself with trains and Hot Wheels for hours. He is incredibly independent.
Sofie, on the other hand, is right by my side practically all the time. She's a total mama's girl and she's always keeping tabs on me. She loves princesses and accessorizing (wearing my shoes around the house, putting on jewelry, sunglasses, hats, purses, etc.). She's such a girly girl.
They both LOVE to sing and can really belt it out... ABC's, Twinkle Twinkle, Wheels on the Bus, I'm a Little Teapot, Row Row Row Your Boat, and Mary Had a Little Lamb are some of their faves. I can't get enough of their singing. It never gets old. Videos to come later.
Sofie's favorite foods: cheese, chicken nuggets, chips and Veggie Straws
Jackson's favorites: anything sweet, cheese, fruit, graham crackers
Their dairy sensitivity has gotten so much better! We have gradually added regular yogurt and cheese to their diets this year and now we are at the point where they can eat a normal amount and be fine. We're still working on regular milk, only because they don't really like it. I guess they are too used to the rice, almond, coconut, and oat milks that they've been drinking for a long time.
They sleep 10-12 hours at night and usually nap for about 2 hours in the afternoon.
They love the water... The pool and the beach are two of their favorite activities.
Sofie and Jackson play really well together. Of course, they have their moments where they fight over toys, but in general it's safe to say that they are best buds and really enjoy having a built in playmate. I love to just sit back and watch them interact with each other.
Both love going to our weekly class at Little Gym. We have been going there for over a year and S & J think they own the place!
We all enjoy our weekly play group with some of my good mommy friends. This is one of the things I will miss most when we move this fall.
Another favorite activity is going to the library. We all like getting new books to read every week or two.
The park never gets old.
A phrase you'll hear a lot around our house is, "Mommy, set the timer." Right around the time the twins turned two, transitions from one thing to another (play time to meals, play time to car, etc.) became very difficult. I tried warning them by frequently telling them how much more time until we _______, but it was still rough when it was time to brush teeth, sit down to eat, etc. So I bought a little kitchen timer at Publix one day and it's the best $5 I've spent in a while. They respond pretty well to the timer. We'll see how long it lasts!

Jackson and Sofie keep Brian and I on our toes and we couldn't imagine life without them. What on Earth did we do all day before they were born? They are a source of pure joy and entertainment all day long. We can't wait for what the next year will bring!

2 Year Well Check Stats for Sofie:
Height: 35.5 inches, 90th percentile
Weight: 24 pounds, 10-25th percentile
Head: 48.5 cm, 75th percentile

2 Year Well Check Stats for Jackson:
Height: 35.25 inches, 75th percentile
Weight: 27 pounds, 4 ounces, 40th percentile
Head: Somehow this didn't get written down for me.

We celebrated Sofie and Jackson's 2nd birthday with a small Mickey/Minnie party with friends, then my parents were here visiting on their actual birthday. Here are some of the birthday pics:

This was the best shot I could get of the kids eating. Like they were really going to look at the camera or all stay seated at once! Ha!

Playing Pin the Nose on Mickey

Getting ready to sing Happy Birthday

Singing Happy Birthday to Sofie... My sister's family always sings Happy Birthday separately to her twin boys and I think that's a really cool idea since twins already share so much. I figure we could at least give them their own song on their birthday.

In the meantime, Jackson threw a fit when Brian tried to put a party hat on him... He wanted nothing to do with those hats! He was screaming the whole time we sang to Sofie.

Starting to settle down...

Happy boy with his cupcake!

The birthday cupcakes with large Oreos and mini Oreos on top.

Opening gifts

Birthday morning stories with Nana and Papa

Birthday "pancake cupcake" with a candle. This is how we usually do pancakes... Pancake batter baked in muffin tins. Thank you, Pinterest.

Cool guy playing with his new laptop

Sofie walking with her new Minnie, holding her new Minnie phone, wearing her new sunglasses, and carrying around her new Disney Princess Hair Tools set. Who knew you could play with four of your gifts at once?