Joey

Joey is a little sweetheart.  While his favorite thing(s) are TV and the iPad, he really likes playing with his Toy Story toys, Legos, and doing ANYTHING his sister does.  All she has to do is look at him and he bursts out laughing.  He gives wonderful hugs, is quick to say "I love you," and has settled down his random temper tantrums.  he still loves his "cotties" (cotton balls), and anything soft.  

He's not potty-trained yet, but he'll use the toilet randomly.  Usually when his diaper is already wet.  He loves fruit (more than Mel ever did at this age), but doesn't have a huge appetite.  He, like Melanie, is afraid of all animals - but I think he learned this from his sister, and I think he'd be easier to convert back.  One of his favorite phrases is "I do it by mySELF!" - which usually ends up with "Mommy, can you help me?" His vocabulary is perfectly fine now - it's funny to think I was concerned with it earlier.  He likes to sing along to songs - his favorite is "Cotton Eyed Joe," followed closely by "Cups" from the movie Pitch Perfect.  His bedtime routine is VERY routine, and involves reading three books with me, and then having me lie on the floor next to his bed while he falls asleep (thank goodness for the Kindle app on my phone, which I prop under his bed and read while he drifts off).

Regarding the princess picture below - he was very insistent that night "I want to be a princess."  After hanging out in the outfit for about 20 minutes (while watching the movie "Tangled,") he tore the dress off himself and said "I don't WANNA be a princess."  As Melanie is planning her fifth birthday party, she would like her cousins to come back to her house after the water park, so they can have princess cupcakes and play dress up.  She said, "The girls can be princesses and the boys can be princes."  I said, "Well, Char can be a prince, but Joey will probably be a princess."  She responded, "Well, yes, Joey will be a princess," like that was a foregone conclusion.  That, coupled with the fact that Joey announced "THIS IS MY SONG" when Justin Bieber's song "Boyfriend" came on the radio (he had never heard it before), are hilarious to me.

"The Thinker"

I can't help it.  He's so proud of himself!