Handy-man Jake

Scott is getting his pottery studio set up and thankfully he's got Jacob's expertise to help expedite the process.

New trend alert: Spring

The countdown is on. We're about a month away from the official start of spring. Recently we've had some fantastic frosty mornings and although I seldom get out when it is really cold I start to enjoy the latter part of winter when it starts to warm. The sun is getting warmer and it is staying brighter longer. Old man winter your days are numbered, my friend.

Warning: Falling Icicles

These are very large icicles hanging from the roof of our town home. I'm not sure who decided to omit gutters on this complex but I sure hope they don't come for a visit and have one fall on their head. These are very large and a bit of a hazard. They hang right above our garage and our front entrance. Needless to say don't forget your helmet when you come for a visit.

Faces by Jacob Sinclair

Fake cheese.

Serious.

Silly.

Excited.

Contemplative.

Surprised.

Disbelief.
Happy. And Cute.

Look Who's Counting

Aunt Sarah and Uncle Tom came over Friday night for pizza and Bananagrams. Jacob shows off his counting skills while helping Sarah make a delicious dessert. With eight pats of butter how can it not be delicious, right?

Blocks by Jacob

I have to smile (maybe even cringe just a bit) when I find Jacob's toys like this. After we stacked them a few times (and knocked them over) he left them in this straight line. I have also on different occasions found his cars parked in a nice even row. Let's hear if for my Type A child! Okay, obviously he is part me so he is definitely going to have some my traits. I think there is a lot to be said about being organized and structured but moderation is good. Thankfully we've got Scott to keep us balanced. That is a compliment, of course.

We have a few updates. First of all, Jacob officially counts to 10. He's been counting for awhile, but he definitely now knows the order. Uncle Mike and Aunt Sarah came over for dinner last night and Mike was showing him how to count on his fingers and he was super excited when he would hold up his fingers and ask how many. We helped him a little bit but he is a bright kid!

Speaking of counting, we had a book called Number One, Tickle your Tum (John Prater) that we checked out from the library and have since returned, but much to my amazement he knows the entire book. He even does the motions...my favorite is Number Six, wiggle your hips! This is a great book and I definitely want to check out the other books in the Baby Bear Series.

We've been working on colors but mostly I just giggle when I hold up a blue block and he yells "YELLOW!" "SUNSHINE!" He knows that the sunshine is yellow, but I think he hasn't quite grasped the concept of adjectives. It's still fun to see how excited he gets about learning new things.

We've finished our ECFE classes and decided to wait until fall for another class. However, he is really enjoying his story time on Monday mornings at the library. We have songs, two stories (they each get their own copy of the book to use which I think is a fantastic idea), parachute time (his favorite part of the day), and we end the day with free play. They have balls, trucks, blocks and many other toys but usually he gravitates towards the tractor and trucks. Before leaving the library he always has to go give George (A life size stuffed Curious George) a hug and kiss good-bye.

We'll be taking another Art With Ellen class starting in March and probably another round of swimming lessons this spring.

He has a favorite shirt (Number 94) which he asks to wear all of the time. I think he likes it because it looks like a football jersey and we talk about his number when he goes down for a tackle. Thankfully we can still distract him long enough to get other clothes on him. He loves to kick and throw his football though. He is especially fond of his "big" football which was his birthday gift from Uncle Tom and Aunt Sarah. How excited am I for warmer weather and green grass!? Scott has recently introduced him to the sport of bowling thanks to a set of plastic pins and small bowling ball that he got from his Grandpa.

He still does really well at Kids Stuff at the YMCA and knows "mommy goes to yoga" but we had a couple weeks which were a bit tough for me because he had a lot of tears and just didn't want to go. Two weeks ago I spent the entire service with him in Sunday School but I think it was wise since it was his first time in the toddler classroom. It's a big deal moving from the infant nursery to the Toddler class, They even have to walk to a different classroom for songs. Last week I told Scott he should just drop him off and leave. He only cried for about 5 minutes so that was a relief. The teacher does wonderful with him and although she said he pretty much wanted to be in her lap the entire time, she was very supportive and encouraging and looks forward to seeing him next week.

We're truly thankful he's continued to be very healthy even in the midst of the nasty cold and flu season. He has a rockin' immune system. A special thank you to Dr. Bethanie for taking such great care of us. (He even says "adjustment" when he goes to see her. That's a pretty big word for a 2 year old!)

Due to the singing and storytelling I hear coming from a certain little boy's room I know that nap/blog time is officially over. Thanks for checking in. Until next time!