Who replaced my sweet baby with this monster?

Subtitle: Welcome my friends to the terrible twos.

I asked him if he would pose for a photo, he replied "ummmm no!"

Well, Graham is here.  Terrible and just short of two.  He just stinks and is flat out exhausting and if it wasn't for his cute little face, I am afraid he would have one way tickets to Florida with a t-shirt that says "Good Luck Chumps."

Here are some videos of him still being sweet.

Video.  Not to be missed.

Another video.  Seriously sweet.

We took him camping this weekend and he was the perfect combination of stubborn and clumsy.  Or as I call it, suicide watch.  I actually didn't even have any fun I was so  busy trying to keep him from abusing me, his dad, his brother, himself... the only person in our family who he is kind and sweet to is Selma.  Oh and he insists on only momma right now.  So fun!  Not.  I know it is a phase.  I know that in a matter of about six months, he will stop acting like a little a-hole. 

Naked backyard running.  Just don't spray him with the hose.  Seriously.

For example, the other day while trying to pack for the camping trip, he quietly exhausted a entire box of kleenex behind my back.  I mean, it is kind of my fault because I know better than him being quiet these days.  I think I was just taking a sweet reprieve from being bossed around all day.  While I was cleaning up kleenex, I hear my toilet flush.  Not good.  He had out the plunger and some ear plugs - and was covered in blue toilet water.  Oh good god.  I wash his hands, tell him to GET while I clean up the mess and he is gone, to take out all of the cereal from the pantry and throw a crying fit when I come down and remove the giant container of cous-cous from his hands.  He was having such a blast violently shaking it.  He hits me, he bites, he punches, he swears in baby language, and he is generally a terror.  I still manage to rekindle my love affair with him nightly by holding him after he falls asleep and kissing his head.

Okay, pretty cute and pretty sweet.

The only time he slept on our camping trip - in the car.  Ed and I were STOKED.  Not so much.

Speaking of his head - guess who got his first haircut.  Just one month short of his 2nd birthday, he got his very first haircut.  He was okay with it at first, then when it lasted longer than 2 minutes, he was out of there.  Nona had to chase him down with the clippers and corner him in the beauty shop to trim around his ears.

Before the haircut.

After the haircut - and PISSED about not getting to go in and out of the dog door.

During the haircut.  Bye bye curls.  Don't worry, they will be back.

Don't get me wrong, I love the heck out of that baby, but I may have to take away his "Sweetest Baby Alive" title for the time being.  Perhaps his new title should be "Pushing My Parents Buttons For A Living Baby" or "Hey MOM Check This Out Baby."

I had just made him stop playing in the gas cap of the truck.  Can you see the look of sheer disgust in his eyes.  Just who DO I think I am? 

Fishing buddy.

Jr. and his beloved uncle/cousin/friend Phil.  My cousin Phil.

Ed got him a new big boy fishing pole.  Look out trout.

Thanks for taking a nice photo with me buddy.

Protecting our property from bears.

If this photo had a sound track it would sound something like a fart/gun/squish.

Jr. teaching Graham to pee on the fence.

Cute one moment.

Incredibly pissed off the next.

As for his brother, I am fondly recalling his terrible two year, he was quite terrible that one.  I love his 4 year-old ness though.  Today he asked me if it was Sunday or Wednesday.  I said it was Sunday.  He told me that we should do this every Sunday.  I asked him what he was talking about and he said, "snuggling in my bed with your hand over me taking a nap."  I was like - yeah, buddy we should.  I constantly ask him if he is my best friend and he obliges me kindly by saying yes.  Tonight he told me we would be friends forever and that when I am an old lady he will let me come to his house and pet his kitties.  He sang a song tonight for about 20 minutes about Star Wars.  I love him so.  My one complaint - and it is VERY minor - is the endless questions.  Oh dear.  Pretending not to hear or saying I don't know is not going to cut it either.  As far as being brothers are concerned, they fight like crazy, they love each other like crazy and they are starting to play together so well. My heart still swells and aches over seeing them pretend together - even if it is to shoot bears. Oh well.

Oh boy these guys are BUSY.  We have been on a roller coaster lately.  Work is ramping up for both Ed and I and so is weekend recreation.  Jr. had a good soccer season.  What started as a gang-esque tackling karate chopping not listening little troop of apes actually turned out to be a pretty decent soccer team.  There was still a lot of pre-schooler hijinks at the last game, but the kids could turn the ball around and kick goals - sometimes.  I was pretty proud of him for coming so far himself - plus he loves to play, he always wants in the game. 

Plus I have to say - I am pretty enamored with 4-year old.  He is so sweet lately and his memory is crazy good.  He asks about 4 brazillion questions a day which is a little maddening, but his smarty pants still blow us away.  The things I love about 4-year olds are: telling us that he is hungry and what he wants to eat, eating by himself sometimes, getting himself dressed, putting on his own shoes, getting himself to bed after he gets out if it for the second or third time...  well....  there is a lot of things to love about 4-year olds.  A lot.

Jr. starts pre-school next week.  We are so excited... but he will miss Aimee a little bit.  I wonder what it will be like for Graham without his brother playing with him (knocking him down) all day. 

Graham is a talking wonderboy.  He is pretty much 90% communicado lately.  It might take a time or two to understand EXACTLY what he is saying, but he can speak in sentences and finally let us know what he wants.  It has cleared up a lot of frustrations between us.  He is also spunky.  We lovingly refer to him as the blue eyed devil, that sweet little sh*t, or that nasty little cutie.  He is so stinkin cute, generally happy and so snuggly and loving - but you cross him and BAM! you mess with the bull you get the horns boy.  Like when he can't do everything the exact same as his brother.  M-A-D.  He is still so full of hugs and sweet kisses and sings and dances all day, you quickly forget that he just bashed you in the head with his juice cup.  Cutie.

I am a video.  A very sweet video of a dance party.  These happen about once a day.

I had to add this photo because of Graham's dragon fleece outfit. 

Crayola washable sleeve tattoos.

In the camper up since around 5AM.

I am a video of Fishy the Bullfrog at Canyon Ferry.

Oh man, that bullfrog is FUN!

Fishing baby.

Bullfrog named fishy.

Camping Family.

Last day of soccer.  It was a great season.