Dear Ian, You may have noticed that there is a gap in our monthly newsletters. The best I can explain it is that starting around month 20, things got kind of tough for us all. You were having a hard time dealing with your emotions and we were having a hard time dealing with your emotions, so at the end of the day writing was the last thing on my mind.

But things are worlds better now. They have been pretty much from the moment you turned 2. We won't try to recap all those good months and bad right now. We'll just focus on how things are this month.

Things are awesome. You can talk about pretty much anything you want to and you are super chatty. The fact that we can communicate so well is something I appreciate every single day because when you get tired or your emotions get the better of you and block your words, everything just starts to break down.

Christmas was last week and both Santa and your grandparents were very good to you. It was all a little overwhelming for you so we were happy to take it all in stages. Nana and Granddad came to stay overnight on Christmas Eve and we all were able to see the magic of Christmas morning unfold.

Your favorite toy by far has been a travel train mat with some Thomas trains. As soon as you tore it open you knew exactly what to do with it and immediately started making chop chop noises as you pushed trains around the circuit. You got a Kermit puppet from Mamaw and Pop and some Tonka trucks from Nana and Granddad.

You got a tricycle for your 2nd birthday and it's been your primary mode of transportation down to Mamaw and Pop's. It's so amazing to watch how your imagination works. There's a Thomas video where one of the trains Spencer gets stuck in the mud and has to have Harvey the crane train save him. As we passed the house with a muddy yard, I warned you that if you went in there you'd get stuck just like Spencer. I could almost hear the gears turning in your little brain. About 10 feet later, you stopped pedaling in your tracks (thankfully still on the pavement) and blurted out, "oh, no! Spencer's stuck in the mud again!" and started grinning at me. So I had to walk over and pick you up saying, "it looks like Harvey will have to pick you up and get you back on track." You repeated "Back on track!" and then took off pedaling again.

There's a Youtube video of a baby elephant that sneezes and scares himself so he runs over to his mommy. Now every time you sneeze, you said "Ooh! I sneeze like a baby elephant!" and we have to say "Bless you, baby elephant!" I love the way you say "thanks" and I love the way you say "okay" and "sure" like you've known all those words your whole life. I must admit I much prefer those words to "No!" and "I don't wanna go to bed!"

You're still our little night owl, not wanting to go to bed tonight until almost midnight. But you were amiable and chatty the whole evening. I think it was particularly hard for you to go to bed tonight after such an exciting day. Not only did you have a visit from Ben and Megan and Riley and Molly (and Penny dog) but we all went ice skating today!

Our intention was to just carry you around or maybe let you slide around with your tennis shoes but as we sat to put on our skates, you hopped up and immediately started taking off your shoes. This from the boy who won't take his shoes off to SLEEP. So as Daddy started to say, "oh Buddy, we weren't going to ..." I said "that sentence shouldn't even be finished. You should go over to the rental space and get the smallest pair of skates they have."

Amazingly, they had your size and you were so pleased as Daddy strapped them on you. You only managed a tiny bit of skating until you realized that you could go much faster in Daddy's arms than you could on your own two feet. Poor Daddy had quite a work out today sine you weigh at least 32 pounds. But everyone had a blast. It was a magical morning in many ways and part of the inspiration to mention all that you are these days.

You're clever and funny and happy and kind and a little impulsive and better than we could have imagined. Pop said today that he wishes he could pause you at this age to get to enjoy it for longer. I'm not so sure about that, but I am trying to bottle up little moments as I can.

Love, Mommy