2 1/2

As of today Cannon has officially reached 2 1/2 and it's really weird to think that he is close to being three, which seems so old to me! Cannon's "terrible two's" seemed to have peaked last month and his behavior has been much better. Don't get me wrong though, we still deal with tantrums and the complete lack of self-control, but it's getting better instead of worse.

Like most kids his age, he loves his routines and things to be just the way he wants them to be. I've also realized that he can be flexible when different things arise. For example, he loves his blanket and must sleep with it. But one day we left it at a friend's house and he had to go to bed without it. This had all the makings of a complete travesty, but Ryan explained to him the situation and let him choose another blanket to sleep with. He understood and went to bed peacefully.

Cannon loves opposites. Hot v. cold, loud v. quiet, wet v. dry, etc. He loves to find opposites in situations or create opposites. I have a Bert and Ernie book about opposites and it's one of his favorite books. Actually, we initially borrowed it from a friend. I saw it at a store for cheap and figured it was worth the $1 investment since he liked it so much.

Cannon continues to be a good eater, although he's a little unpredictable. He will eat most fruits and vegetables, but some days he refuses things I know he usually likes. I remember doing that as a kid, so it's not really a big deal. I've been getting a little creative to get him to eat fruits and veggies when he's being kinda picky and I've actually found some good recipes that I like. He also surprises me with some of the things he loves to eat like avocado and raw spinach leaves.

I love that Cannon is turning into a great helper. He helps me set the table and then clears his place when he is finished eating. He is getting pretty good at putting his toys away with some prompting. Sometimes he will initiate the cleaning or remind me that it's time to put his toys away. I hope that lasts!

Cannon can sort things based on color or shape. He knows basic shapes including: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, oval. He can recognize most letters of the alphabet and say many of their sounds. Recently he has started to spot letters when we are driving. It took me a couple days to figure that out! He kept shouting out letters and I had no idea what he was talking about! Even though he can count to 20, he is just starting to recognize numbers. He sometimes confuses them for letters. For example, he says "3" is a "B" and "5" is an "S." He knows the number 1 because that's Thomas' number and he recognizes that each train has a different number. I recently noticed that Cannon has been rhyming words. I'm not sure where he got this from. He takes a word that he knows and then rhymes the sound. At first I thought it was a fluke, but he does this all the time. And he thinks it's funny too! So we play a game where I sing a familiar song (Row, Row, Row Your Boat, for example) and instead of saying boat, I'll say something like "coat" or "goat," something that rhymes, but it obviously doesn't go with the song. Cannon thinks this is hysterical!

We can definitely tell that he is a boy. He loves to wrestle, run, jump, climb, and play chase. Anything physical is his kind of activity! He loves to play football and basketball. Without being taught, he already knows how to tackle and he is strong! We play a game where he runs to us as fast as he can and we catch him. I started putting the couch cushion in front of me and let him run into that. He loves it!

Cannon is constantly making himself laugh! I hear him in the back seat talking and then just busting out laughing. He also does this deep mischievous laugh. I really need to get that on video!

Cannon loves to say the prayer at bedtime or for meals. He has been doing this for a couple of months now. And now he has to be the one to say it before anyone else! He usually mentions the people who are present at the time or sometimes his toys. Sometimes he mentions our family out of state too. It's really sweet.


Cannon loves the missionaries in our ward. This is Elder Sims and he and Cannon had a special bond.


I love his smirk in this picture!


This was his first experience with Superman ice cream. As you can see, he seemed to enjoy it, but I think he prefers chocolate.


I've been trying to make more foods from scratch, like breads and cookies, and trying to involve Cannon. Sometimes he's interested, sometimes not. If it involves chocolate, he's right there!


Cannon's hair is still as crazy as ever. He woke up from his nap with some funny hair one day!


This is how Cannon sets the table. He knows who get which utensils.


This was probably our last time swimming outside this year. This was taken a couple of weeks ago. My friend Rachel found this Thomas swimsuit at a consignment store and had to get it for Cannon. Cannon loves it!

This is an obstacle course I set up for Cannon. Please forgive the no pants, it was one of those kinds of days.




This is Cannon and Kailey, one of the young women at church. Cannon adores her and I'm thrilled because I have found an awesome baby-sitter!

Ryan and I can't believe how outgoing and social he is, since that is so not like us! Everyone is his friend. He loves all the old people at church and all the kids, especially older boys that will wrestle with him. There's this one old lady that uses an electric car thing (motorized scooter? mobility aid?) and lets Cannon sit on her lap and drive it. Everyone at church seems to know who he is. He knows the names of so many people, adults and kids and gets so excited when he sees someone he knows. I can see that this kind of social intelligence is definitely a talent he has and I'm anxious to see how it blossoms as he grows.

Cannon is such an amazing part of our lives! We love him so much and we are so proud of all his achievements. He brings so much joy and energy into our home and we are so glad he came to our family!