Jake is 22-months old today. I managed to completely skip the blog to document him turning 21 months (probably b/c he was at my parents house), so I want to do some catch up and share some things I want to remember about Jake...--He is a very good helper, seems to really enjoy helping, and does some very basic chores. He's usually really good about helping pick up toys, feeding Skylar, putting his milk back in the fridge, bringing his plate to the sink, or mimicking us while we're doing chores: like sweeping or yardwork. In this next pick, I had out a screwdriver in order to replace some batteries and he took hold of it to work on the screws on the door...
--He loves storytime (I'm really happy to be out of the resisting storytime phase), but also likes 'reading' books to himself. When he's reading to himself, he flips through the pages while he talks, and talks, and talks. We still have no idea what he's saying when he's doing this, but I think he's making up his own stories. I sure can't wait to hear them. This pic shows him reading one of my social work books. It's super boring with no pictures, but he was still happy as can be flipping through it...
--Lately, I've noticed him lining up or organizing things. Here is is lining up all his balls on top of his chest...
He has also lined up all his cars before playing. I got my camera too late to show the line-up, but he had meticulously lined up about 8 cars in front of the door before proceeding to play with them.
--Although he doesn't mind getting dirty or playing in the dirt and grass, he doesn't like stuff stuck on his hands. For example, when eating if there is food stuck on his hands, he will stop eating, then hold out his hand for us to wipe it off.--He seems to have good attention to detail (like his Mommy!!!) Sometimes, we'll be playing in the house and he'll notice a speck of dirt on the ground, stop, pick it up and bring it to us. We tell him it's trash, so he'll go and throw it away in the trash can. Kevin has noticed this too and agrees he gets it from me.
--He's finally "parroting" us and repeats pretty much anything we ask. Some things he repeats are very clear and understandable, others are completely unrecognizable, but he's trying and I'm very proud!
--Although he mostly just sticks to single words when he talks, he does say a few phrases, "Oh, man!" "Where'd it go?" and "There it is."
--I think he current favorite word his "why." He asks us why a lot and at the appropriate times, even though I think he often doesn't really care about the answer.
--Preschool is going really well and he hasn't cried a single time when I've dropped him off.
--Every so often, he gets it in his mind that he wants a popsicle. We have just a few left in the freezer from summertime, but he definitely knows they are there. He will walk to the fridge and pull on the freezer handle (he can't open it on his own), saying, "please." Sometimes it's an OK time for a popsicle so I say yes, sometimes it's not an OK time for a popsicle and I say no; this unfortunately leads to a fit.
--I'm happy to say he's a pretty good eater, but sometimes he will completely overstuff his mouth. We have to really watch him while he's eating things he likes because he doesn't always take appropriate-sized bites, or he'll put many bites in his mouth all at once. I wonder if this is a boy thing?
--He loves taking Skylar on walks; meaning he likes to hold the leash and walk Skylar around our neighborhood. This obsession of his is both cute and frustrating for me b/c I like taking walks and it used to be easy to put Jake in the stroller, Skylar on the leash, and leave for a nice brisk walk. Now, Jake refuses to get in the stroller b/c he wants to be walking which makes for a VERY LONG and SLOW walk. I'm proud he is showing love and responsbility for Skylar, but I'm trying to figure out how I can still get in a little exercise.
--His favorite things to play are football, baseball, or pillow jumping. These games are played as follows:
--We play baseball outside and Jake insists on being pitcher, but also the base runner. We've tried again and again to show him that the batter runs while the pitcher or outfield can tag him, but he does not care, so he throws the ball to the batter, then he runs around the yard.
--Football is played inside. We have a soft UT football that he will get out at least once a day. This game starts off by all the players (Jake, Mommy, and/or Daddy) leaning over in the ......position (Jake with the ball) and saying,"Down, Set, Hut!" Jake usually only says, "Down...Hut", but is capable of saying all 3 words. Immediately after "hut," we all stand up and Jake immediately throws the ball to one of us. Then we run around the house and the "play" usually ends by Jake falling into his Mickey Mouse Chair or one of us tackling him to the ground. Then Jake gets the ball back and we repeat.
--Pillow jumping is usually played only by Jake and Daddy--it's definitely not a game I would have invented, although Jake LOVES it. It starts with a very ritualistic way of gathering pillows throughout the house. Kevin and Jake will go and get pillows one-by-one and gather them into a big pile in the living room. This gathering is done with a specific march and chant: which is pretty hilarious to watch. Once the pillows are all gathered in a pile, Jake runs and falls into them. He's also started getting onto the couch and jumping down on them.
--His favorite toys seem to be something that remains pretty constant. He loves balls, musical instruments and cars. He got a Handy Manny singing tool set and miniature Woody figure from my parents recently that also seem to be new favs.
--At meals we hold hands for our prayer together, so when we say, "let's pray," Jake immediately reaches out both hands for each of us. Even when it's just me and him during the day, he still reaches out with both hands.
--I think the last time I posted a long list of this nature, our biggest struggles were both food and fit throwing. I'm happy to report the food throwing is gone, but unfortunately the fit throwing has intensified. Jake is capable of throwing fits when he doesn't get what he wants at all or even if it's not fast enough. This is VERY challenging for us, but we're all doing our best to figure out what to do to make life more consistent and less frustrating.
--Overall, Jake is a very joyful, silly, and energetic little boy. I am truly thankful to God for the blessing he is in our lives.
There were several elementary-aged children playing in a yard across the street and Jake was engrossed in watching them. He is always very enthralled with older kids, and I think probably envious of the way they play together and the different games they can play. Through his captivation with the kids, I was able to catch many of Jake's faces. He makes some crazy ones...
"Hey! What are they doing over there?"
"Wow! It looks so cool to be big!"
And lastly the pouty face..."Why don't they invite me over to play?"
And here's a close-up. The ones sitting on the left are twins--boy and girl. They are absolutely adorable and were dressed as a cupcake and milk. I'm totally impressed the little boy was agreeable enough to wear the milk get-up. I guarantee Jake would have had none of that.
Leander High's baseball team hosted a craft fair on Saturday, and I LOVE craft fairs, so I talked the boys into going with me. We walked up to the school and saw this guy (or girl)...
I'm so thankful for our family and how it feels so great to spend time together. I definitely don't want to take these moments for granted.
I admit I was in a bit of a Mommy shock that my "baby" was riding such a big boy ride all by himself while I stood on the other side of the fence....can you believe it? 
The cake was great, but Jake was actually more interested in the lollipop he got from the pinata. He was in heaven with it, as was his friend, Will...
Then it was off to the boats. This ride took either the #1 or #2 place for the night. Jake was smiling and laughing almost the entire ride. I think a big part of the fun was riding along side his buddies, Levi and Colt... 
Two of his older (3-year-old) friends wanted to ride the ferris wheel, and Jake and Levi followed right along. I looked at Kevin and said,"Can he do this?" then I looked at Jake and thought, "Can you do this?" and then took a deep breath. It seemed a little scary to me, but to Jake it was all in a day of fun. It is definitely true peer pressure has a strong impact on kids, b/c I'm pretty sure neither Jake nor Levi would have stepped on the thing without the support of Colt and Abbie to lead the way. After several reminders from me to stay on their bottoms, they were off, and did great!
