UPDATE: See way down toward the end of this post for some new birthday pics…
For someone’s second birthday, Owen and I baked a cake the night before and then decorated it the next morning – we improvised with the decorations and spelled Owen's name and the number 2 with some twizzlers and then used some random sprinkles we found in the cupboard. it was strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting – yum! 
Owen actually slept in rather late for him as far as sleep went on vacation, he got up at 730! when i got him changed and ready I sung him happy birthday and he loved it! he proceeded to sing it to himself randomly all day long! so sweet! we also threw in the ‘cha cha cha’ to the happy birthday and he LOVED that!
Owen got to open his presents in the morning, we got him a Mickey card that played the Mickey mouse clubhouse song and also a Mickey mouse fishing pole. 
Grandma and Grandpa got him a cute little sleeping bag with froggies on it and also a little froggy that attaches to the top as a pillow! he loved it all! 
the pole became practically another appendage for him – he took it with him EVERYWHERE we’d let him…
pole in hand while travelling on 0n the pontoon…
…while going swimming…
…while playing in the sand… 
and finally we had to put it away…
So, what else has Owen been up to lately?
Too smart for his own good! if you tell him it’s the last one of something he’s eating or that we have to leave somewhere soon or go to bed, he will take his SWEET TIME with whatever it is he’s doing to avoid having to go to bed or whatever….such a stinker!
He also thinks his way in and out of things, he wanted to drive Gran's car the other day after they pulled into the driveway and Gran told Owen no, so all of a sudden he threw his frog in the front seat as he was climbing out of his seat and said froggy in the front me go get him….
He says 7ish word sentences
Counts to about 14
Knows most of his colors
He LOVES his ‘baby Sydney’
Knows that his name is Owen Kole and spells his first name
Talks about things with adjectives, big yellow truck, small baby ducky, etc.
If he is trying to tell us something that we can’t understand, he will tell us in another way until we understand him
If he doesn’t know the name of something he calls it ‘that one’
Wears 2T-3T clothes, size 7 shoes, size 5 diapers
Is getting to be such a little man!
Loves to run around!
Not potty trained yet, but think we’re getting there – he was playing with his potty (which normally he won’t go near) the other night and I walked in the bathroom after it being entirely too quiet for my comfort, and found him standing there next to his potty with a pile of poop next to it! not quite, but good try!
Puts a y at the end of a lot of things he says – I want some milky, sit on lappy, all done-y…so stinking cute I can’t bring myself to correct him!
He loves to sing, favorite songs are Wheels on the Bus (which we sing with the names of all the people he knows, his favorite verse is with his little girlfriend’s name… the laineys on the bus say hi how are you…) he also loves Jesus Loves Me, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Old Mac Donald (Ole Magakle is what it sounds like when he sings it), and many many other songs!
He LOVES books, we read in the morning, afternoon, and evening – and most days when I pick him up from school he is reading a book too!
He loves to help, he will throw stuff away for me, or pick up something he finds on the ground, or he’ll give baby Sydney her paci if she needs it…here he is wiping up some drool from her chin…
He is starting to ask “Why, Why, Why?” all the time and sometimes he answers his own question with “because” or “cuz” He will also ask “big why?” which I think is so adorable!
He LOVES his croc shoes, and has to tell everyone he sees about them, we might be in a store or something and he’ll see someone and lift his foot up and say “my croc shoes” only ‘croc’ doesn’t have the ‘r’ sound in it when he says it! ‘Fork’ and ‘Clock’ are also two humorous words he pronounces without the ‘r’ sound – I’ve been quite embarrassed in Target as he saw a ‘big clock’ and a ‘little clock’ and had to announce it for all to hear!
Although we start ‘bedtime’ around 7, he is sleeping from about 830-7 on week days and then sleeps a little later (although lately its been earlier) on weekends
He takes one afternoon nap a day – about noon-1/2 at school and around 1-3/4 at home
Still insists on doing things himself…”me me do it” or “I me do it”
Had his two year check up and he was terrified! kept saying “no doctor” when we were in the room. He had to take his shirt off to get weighed and he told me “Mickey shirt back on” when we got out to the scale. The nurse assured him that he would get a special treat after the Dr checked him out, and he didn’t let her forget that, he had to remind her before she left the room. When the Dr came in Owen was a little unsure too and had to stay on my lap, but he did pretty good…then I told him the nurse had to come back (he had to get two shots) and that the nurse was a ‘nice lady’ so he kept saying “no lady, no lady”. Then, the nurse didn’t realize the Dr had already left the room so we had to sit there for about 10 minutes before the she came back, all the while Owen just sobbed (not screaming just sobbing, the poor thing was so upset!) I tried singing, which worked for a minute or so, then I tried everything else I could think of – and nothing worked, he didn’t even want froggy!!! He kept saying “no lady” and “go home” finally I thought I could show him pictures on my phone, so I pulled it out and asked him if he wanted to see pictures of ‘baby Meggy’ and that did the trick! Once the nurse came in with her helper, he was a little overwhelmed and tears really started flowing, but the shots themselves were not that bad, just a little cry because it scared him and then i got to pick him up and he was ok, just a little weepy, but then he got to pick out a special treat (a yellow race car and some smarties) and he was the happiest boy ever! I showed him his blue cammo band aids on his legs once we were in the car, and kept lifting up the legs of his shorts to see them and he would whisper ‘whoa!’
His stats were 32.4 lbs – 90th percentile / 35” – 65th percentile / head was off the charts! (like usual!)
Dr said everything checked out great and he got a clean bill of health!
As I was trying to get his froggy buddy pic taken on Sunday he would NOT sit still, so I said, lets just take one picture and then we can go grocery shopping (the kid Loves shopping). So I snapped a pic and he smiled nicely (see below) but I wanted to reposition him and take another, and he looked at me and said, ONE picture…go shopping…what could I say, I couldn’t argue with that one! we had to leave!
and here is a little comparison over the course of the past year…
We’ll be having a small little celebration later this week with fam, since we were away over his actual bday so I’m sure I will have more pics later this week to share!
UPDATE: Here are some more pics from Owen’s Birthday fun…
The theme of Owen’s party was simple…TRUCKS!….
Owen’s Birthday Express was a special truck CAKE, made for Owen by Grandma!
Can’t be around big trucks without a hard hat….so the kiddos decorated hats for fun…
emily got jealous, so she stole Owen’s hat!
Presents!!!
Tearing open his presents!
and getting some help!
so excited for his camera! 
Time to blow out the candles - Owen got some help from his cousins! 
We can’t believe how fast time has flown by, yet we can’t even remember what life was like without him, he brightens up every day and can put a smile on your face, no matter what!
We love you, buddy!
