Alex is 2!

Today was Alex's second birthday. We had a busy day so we had to celebrate this morning. He woke up way too early and a little cranky, but once we showed him the amazing cake Erin and I designed, he was happy. Since I only have once muffin pan, I made 12 cupcakes and one round cake. Then I decided to do something with them. It started out as a train, then cars, then a spaceship and finally a weird alien robot. It was a hit with the kids, especially eating it for breakfast.
We gave him a couple of puzzles (he loves puzzles and is really good at them), some little cars and a mat to drive them on, and a soccer ball (he also loves balls). He was so cute because he kept singing "Happy Birthday to You" all day.

Here are some reasons why we love Alex:
He is a very cuddly child. I never thought I'd have one because I'm not cuddly, but I guess he takes after Jared. Whenever he's sad all he needs is a 20 minute hug and he's fine (a little time consuming, but at least I know what to do to make things better with him). He's the first to yell "HUGS!" after any prayer and gives the tightest ones. We got a good laugh one time after the sacrament prayer when he yelled "HUGS!"

Not only is he cuddly, but he is very loving. He is so sweet with both his sisters and always tells us "I love you!" Here's one of him with Marissa today.
He's a pretty smart kid. Someone had given us some shirts that said "Neighborhood Kids Preschool" on them (Erin's school) and a week later when we pulled them out Alex pointed to it and said "Neighborhood." It was just so funny because I never mentioned anything about the shirts to him, but somehow he paid attention and remembered it. It's actually a little hard to think that he is only just barely 2 because he speaks really well and does so many things that Erin does. I really think he believes he is the same age as her.

He's a little obsessive about some things that just make me laugh (also taking after Jared). In the car there is a sunglasses compartment above the rear view mirror. If I don't close it immediately he will say "Close it, close it" until I do. He also always has to close the door behind him when coming out of his room in the morning for example.

I love his laugh and his huge smile. He has brought so much happiness and fun into our family. We love you Alex!

Oh, here's a bonus. The other day I couldn't find him and it was way too quiet. He had climbed up on a chair to get some bubbles on a high shelf and was sitting on the stove blowing bubbles. Incidentally, most of the bubbles ended up on the floor and that patch of tile is the cleanest part of my floor right now. Thanks for the help kiddo!