Opus 245 - 20 Months

I can't believe my "little" kids are 20 months! That's so close to 2! They are growing up before my eyes. They're full-blown toddlers now and it's crazy to me.

Here's an update on how they're doing:

Both kids' vocabulary is slowly increasing. Joshua's very favorite word is "car;" Lissa's is "nana" (banana). They also say walk, clock, truck, hi, mama, dada, Josh, Lissa, more, grandpa, grandma, ball, and bye. Joshua is a real chatter bug. The kid talks and talk and talks. Too bad we don't know what he's saying :) Lissa chatters as well, but she tends to do it quietly and a little less than her chatty brother. I'm still not completely sure that they understand each other's chatter, but sometimes it seems like it.

Joshua reminds me of my younger brother John. We used to say that John was a Duracell battery that kept going and would recharge at night (this must have been before the Energizer bunny commercials, because he definitely was like the Energizer bunny!). Joshua is exactly the same. He seems to have endless energy and is always running around (it's like he's forgotten how to walk).

Lissa is much more calm, energy-wise, than her brother. She can sit and play quietly for a much longer time... unless Joshua decides to interrupt her (a common occurrence - Joshua seems to think anything Lissa plays with is better than what he has). She's definitely all girl. Don't cross her or you will hear about it! Her latest dislike is sharing certain things with Joshua. If Joshua sits on the same couch, Lissa gets upset. Well, maybe that's because he tends to smash her and so she gets upset that he's even nearby - afraid she'll get smashed again :)

Joshua loves to smile for the camera:


Lissa, not so much:



Both kids have become particularly attached to blankies (not any particular blankies, just blankies in general).

I love that Lissa is holding her teddy:


...while Joshua holds his beloved truck (Joshua's VERY favorite toy):


The kids also really enjoy sorting shapes of every kind:


Joshua has really started to enjoy wearing his hat:


Both kids LOVE going outside:



They still love to use their walkers, even though they are too short for them. They've found other ways to use them:




The kids have really enjoyed seeing all of the pumpkins out for Halloween:




Going in for a kiss:

A classic example of Joshua not sitting still:


They have this strange habit of hitting their head on just about everything (on purpose), then coming to get sympathy. I don't know where this came from since we don't make a big deal about their little falls and bumps.


We went to the zoo with the entire Smith family a couple of weeks ago. The kids seemed to notice some of the animals (they thought the lion was a kitty and started meowing). They particularly loved climbing the boulders during lunch. Unfortunately Joshua had a little fight with one of the boulders. He lost.