Okay, his birthday was actually January 30th, but if you can't tell I am trying to catch up. So about 2 years ago, Leighton Jonathan Rader came into the world at 1:29pm on a snowy day in Orem, UT. The doctor joked the day before that it would be funny if our baby was born at 1:30pm on 1/30. So close. I have been a mom for over 2 years and I still feel like I don't know anything at all about being a parent. Leighton has blessed these two years of our life with joy, including happiness, tears, smiles, laughs...I think that parenting encompasses almost every emotion. Leighton has brought us many happy and joyful emotions.
Leighton is the most social child I think that I have ever known. He is extremely verbal...a trait that he definitely gets from his dad. He first spoke at 7 months, and his first word was naturally "Hi." He hasn't stopped talking since. He spoke his first sentence at 11 months. It broke my heart that his first trip to nursery at church he wasn't sad for me to go. He was so excited to play with the kids. Each Sunday after that he would plead for nursery through the entire Sacrament meeting.
He is sweet, compassionate, and loves other children, especially his little sister Savannah. I am so glad that they are so close in age, because they are great friends. I love their excitement as their eyes meet after one of them wakes up from a nap. Leighton loves to show Savannah how things work. Recently he said, "Savannah, that's your momma. That's your daddy," pointing to me and Jonathan.
Valentine's Day 2009
Leighton is and has always been fascinated with the world around him. He shows careful attention to detail and loves to discover how things work. At 10 months old he noticed his reflection in a Christmas tree ornament. One of his favorite things to do now is to find lizards in our back yard. Jonathan tried to catch one once so that Leighton could see him close up. Leighton screamed, "No, daddy. Don't catch the lizard." "Don't be scared, lizard. Don't be scared." He loves animals even though we don't have any pets. He said recently, "My dog's at the playground. I'm gonna get a dog soon...when my birthday cake comes."
Leighton watching a lizard through our window
Leighton is sometimes too bright for his own good. He doesn't always want to go to bed at bedtime, so he started coming up with very inventive alternatives. They were always things that we wanted him to do, but not at bedtime. He would say that he was hungry and wanted to eat. My favorite was when he asked for me to cut his fingernails. He does love his big boy bed. He has a race car quilt that he loves. He has slept in it since 23 months.
Leighton loves sports. I always saw those sports fanatic children and thought I would not train my children to like sports. I would let them pursue their own interests. Well, we have. But Leighton is obsessed with every ball that exists. He has soccer balls, basketballs, footballs, baseballs, the whole works. We took him to a basketball game on his 2nd birthday. He has talked about it since. He was so excited that he cheered for both teams. Jonathan was trying to get him to cheer for the home team. He still says "I clapped the white team. I don't clap the red team." Seriously, he remembers the shirt he wore to the game and calls it his basketball shirt though it doesn't look like a basketball shirt at all. It is a collared button up shirt. When Jonathan's mom came to visit right after his birthday he made her play hours of basketball with him and his new basketball goal. Lately he begs to watch basketball on TV. He thinks that they have it on all the time. It doesn't help that it is March Madness and they usually do. He is very distraught when we can't find a game on. I do believe he will be our little athlete.
At the Red Mountain High basketball game on his 2nd birthday...
in his basketball shirt
And he loves music too. When he was about 9 months he saw the Mormon Tabernacle Choir on television. He saw the conductor waving his arms. Since then he helps lead the music, whether it is on TV, in church, or at Family Home Evening. Leighton thinks that the seminary where Jonathan works is a place we go to play the piano. Currently in church he demands his own hymnal, and he sings along with us. I'm sure it is very amusing for the individuals sitting in front of us.
Leighton has been and continues to be a great joy to us.
Happy 2nd Birthday, my chickadee.
Leighton- 1 day old
Leighton- 2 years old
Savannah was asleep by the time we got there. But she woke up to see the animals.
This is Savannah and me as we were leaving. Savannah was wearing one of Leighton's old baseball caps. We need to get her some cute girl hats that she will keep on her head.
Leighton after church
Learning how to use my make-up. 
