Everett Matthew is two and a half years old!
Everett is a kind, thoughtful, gentle, fun, athletic, helpful, silly boy! He loves his sisters - though he insists he has one sister (Emery, whom he calls "girl") and one baby (Delaney, whom he calls "Waney" or "Waney Cutie" or "Waney Cutie Ba Ba Bo.") He often wants to hold Delaney's hand. When Everett gets in trouble or gets hurt, he's quick to ask for a cuddly hug and for his tears to be wiped off.
Everett knows all his letters and can sing the alphabet. He knows his numbers and can count to 10. He can draw a circle (or at least a shape that connects back to where he started - sometimes more like an oval or a trapezoid). He likes putting stickers on paper and sometimes sitting long enough to color a picture.
He can dress (though he's better at undressing) himself. He has a very strong opinion about what he wears and will also pick out what Delaney wears. He most often wants to choose a shirt with Mickey on it. And once we described his mesh shorts as "basketball shorts," he has requested those regardless of the cool weather.
He's learning to catch the ball and he is doing really well. He gives great advice to Blake - "Watch the ball, not me!" Everett can do a great somersault and jump off the last step and land on his feet.
Generally, Everett speaks very well and we typically understand what he's saying and he speaks in complete sentences. However, some sounds are adorably swapped out just like Emery did at this age. Everett replaces the "L" sound with "W" so he says things like "wook [look]," "wet's [let's]," "Waney [Laney]." He also replaces the "F" sound with "B" so he says things like "burt [foot]," "bire [fire]," "brute [fruit]," and "binger [finger]." He doesn't blend some sounds yet, so "green" is "reen," "three" is "ree," and "snack" is "nack."
Everett can spell Emery's name (E-M-E-R-Y), though he tells you it spells "girl." He can spell his own name if you start him with "E-V" and he'll finish with "E-R-T-T-T." He also knows his full name, Everett Matthew Johnson.
Everett is pretty close to being potty trained. We have been very lax on our "training" - some days we do, some days we don't. He isn't great at knowing and announcing when he has to go, so it requires taking him to the bathroom regularly and sometimes that's met with resistance. He likes M&Ms or Skittles.
Everett is a fan of all sports. He loves basketball and football especially, he will watch golf and gymnastics with great attention. We were really excited to introduce him to the Olympics this summer, but that will have to wait a while.
This little guy is a delight and we're excited to see him continue to grow!
