Baseballs, Butterflies, & Blessings: Will is 2 1/2 years old!

Will turned 2 1/2 (several weeks ago but I forgot to post.) I thought I'd share a few things he is up to at this point in the infamous 2's...

he runs everywhere.
we are still working on stairs - when he goes downstairs- he prefers to jump
he loves "reading" & will spend a long time looking at books and telling me outloud what is happening
he talks to his baby brother or sister in my belly a lot & gives sweet kisses
he is a kisser! He loves to give ear kisses to anyone who will let him & insists on kissing both ears. He also loves to give "Will hugs" & he wraps his arms tightly around the receiver's neck. Love his hugs & kisses!
he talks in complete sentences and often uses complex /compound sentences. He will say something like: "Yesterday was a rainy day but today the sun is out so I will go get my baseball and bat and tee and then we can play baseball together, Mommy." (or maybe that's just a run on?) With the exception of those "exceptions to the rules" our language is famous for, he is really good at conjugating his verbs from present to past to future tense. The one he struggles with is the "be" verb. He often says in response to a question using the verb "are," "Yes, I'm are." (ie: "You're funny, Will." He might say, "Yes, I'm are." It's cute & I'm not worried about this affecting his future grammar.
He is engaging with his conversations - he often strikes up a conversation & is the initator as he will ask an adult a question to begin a discussion: ("Do you like to play baseball, Mr. B? I like to play baseball and my favorite team is the Boston B's Red Sox.")
He has not mastered his tryke yet but we are working on it. He has mastered his motorcycle (powerwheel) & is very adept at making difficult turns & going from forward to reverse as needed.
He talks about events and people he met from as long ago as last summer - his memory astounds me
He knows lots of letters, all of his colors & shapes, and can count to around 14. We've also started doing basic math (with manipulatives) & he is going great at that!
He likes to play pattern games and puzzles.
He is extremely observant of his environment.
he loves to sing & often adapts songs for whatever it is he is doing (ie: he can modify "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" to fit whatever particular game or toy he may be playing with that has nothing to do with baseball)
He continues to love baseball
He is potty trained - it's been over a week since we began potty training & he has now gone a full week without a SINGLE accident! Yahoo! He goes both #1 & #2 in the potty & he usually tells me when he has to go - rarely do I have to ask him! He loves picking out his daily underwear (& showing it off to people.) He is even going to the restroom in strange places (airports, restaurants, etc!) YAHOOOOOO!!!!!!! (Who knows how long this may last before he regresses but I'm celebrating for now!) (And, technically, he is a little over 2 1/2 now so this didn't actually occur by 2.5 yrs old.)
He still sleeps in a crib & loves his bed
He remains a big time cuddler!
He has started making up jokes & he cracks us up (& himself)
He has begun little manipulative games (ie: when Daddy has told him no about something, he will find me & ask me if he can do it...)
He knows about 4-5 Bible verses by memory
He loves to pray & often changes the name of God to a silly name. Sometimes, I catch him just praying while he prays- thanking God for some random toy or whatever. Precious
He loves Disney movies
He continues to be a great traveller - thank goodness for our lifestyle & my sanity!
He loves to play pretend but seems to think he needs to let me know when a game is "just pretend, Mommy" (I guess my pretend skills are too good :))
He can find a stick & go crazy with the pretend play - make it a bow & arrow, a spear, etc - I love his creativity
He continues to sleep about 12-13 hours at night (usually wakes up in the morning around 9/9:30am!) & sleeps about 3-4 hours during the day. He needs his daily nap!
He enjoys helping pick up toys & vacuum & do dishes & cook.