Thursday, January 31, 2013

Kiddo Update: Jake

I feel like it's been forever since I did any updates on the kids! The funny thing is that this blog started out as solely a family blog and it continues to change and grow into something I never expected. It works though, so we'll go with it. But since it has been awhile, I'm going to take this week to write down a few things about my two favorite little ones... starting with Jake:

Age:
2 and a half... turns 3 in March

Size:
BIG. As always. I'm not sure what his height and weight is, but he's in 4T and 5T clothes... the boy just keep growing!



Milestones:
We have potty-trained! Woo-hooo! It only took a few days, and after recommendations from friends, we used the sticker-chart method. I downloaded and printed our chart here (but there are TONS online if you just Google image search "potty chart"), and if you want more information on how we did it (not that we're experts), just leave a comment and I will do a full post. Granted, we haven't tackled going #2 on the potty (too much info?), but I'm content with what we've mastered so far. Any advice on the second part of this endeavor is much appreciated.

Puts on and takes off his own shoes

Still rocks the alphabet, and can now tell us things that start with each letter. Not all of them, but many.

He's still amazing at using the iPhone or any kind of video game... future techie in the making!

Fully understands emotions - we can say, "Show us happy" and he smiles or "angry" and he scowls, etc. It's actually quite entertaining and so much more effective in photos than having him say "cheese!"

Has gotten really great about manners... uses "thank-you," "excuse me," and "sorry" correctly. We still have to remind him most of the time to say "please," but then he'll say "May I have some ____ please?"



 Loves to:
"Bone-crushing" tackle - we have to watch him with his sister!

Watch Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Special Agent Oso, the Incredibles, and the "Chick-munks".

Play with his trains - Percy is his favorite and sometimes goes to bed with him.

Attempt to ride his bike. We cannot wait for some warmer weather so he can really master that skill!

Wear his cowboy boots... often with only his big-boy underwear. There's not much cuter.

Draw, paint, or do anything artistic.
 
Go to school and have days with PawPaw. He likes to get out and do things, so his twice-a-week preschool class and Tuesdays with his PawPaw are special times that he loves.



Favorites:
Songs: the Alphabet, Twinkle Twinkle, Happy and You Know It. Occasionally he'll sing something that we didn't know he knew, and occasionally he'll sing songs that he makes up or that we don't recognize! I love it.
 
Books: If You Give a Cat a Cupcake, The Monster at the End of This Book, his toddler Bible
 
Food: Apples! Corndogs or hotdogs, turkey sandwiches, "Fry Fries," ice cream sandwiches.

People: His cousins! He loves his "Danny" (Kevin... we have NO idea why he calls him Danny, but he always has), Kya (Kyle), Adam, and has recently taken an interest in baby Sam.




Things he says:
"C'mon, Mommy, c'mon!" - any time he wants me to go anywhere with him.

"Now that's more like it."

"You got it, dude." - Yes, these children of the 80's taught him that!

"Do you see __________ anywhere?" - when he's looking for something, or even after he spots it.

"You're funny!"

"I'm okay." - anytime he is crying because he got hurt.
 
"Hey! What's the big idea?"

"Not yet"

"Oh no! It's terrible! What are we gonna do?" - can be said for a minor or major situation. Usually minor.
"It's for yours" - (it's for you)
 
"Ouch! Double ouch!" - whenever he falls or gets hurt. I have no idea where that came from!
 
"It's right there! In the fridge! It's RIGHT. THERE!" - anytime he wants me to get him a snack.
 
"I hear my Wiwian (Lillian)! Mommy, will you go get my baby?" - when she's in her crib and he hears her.

"Wook! It's a Monsters Truck!" - anytime he sees a big truck (ever since Daddy and PawPaw took him to the truck rally that came to town. He also points at semi's and tells us they're freight cars, points out every bridge, tell us red means "stop" and green means "go", and gets upset if we make a wrong turn on the way to somewhere (such as Gramma's house). I'm amazed at his directional skills!

Think he looks like his PawPaw much???


Antidotes:
I got dressed up for a reception I was going to and walked into the kitchen where he was playing on the floor. He saw my feet first and I was wearing heels (which I never do anymore). When he looked up and saw that it was me he exclaimed, "Mommy! You're a princess!" It might be my best Jake-moment to date!

The church auditorium was being repainted and I brought the kids over to visit Josh. Jake wanted to paint so bad, so Josh let him do about two strokes and then he was asked to come with me into another area. Before leaving, Jake looked at Josh and said, "Okay. Daddy, I love painting!" He just wanted to make sure Josh knew who to ask if he needed more help.
When visiting family in New York, I was trying to get him to say prayers for everyone before dinner. My cousin Courtney tried to encourage him and said, "Jake, pray for us!" He looked at her and replied, "You pray!"
 
He loves his Toy Story cowboy boots. One day he was getting frustrated that he couldn't get his jeans tucked in and when I asked him what was wrong he exclaimed, "I need my snakes in my boots!" Apparently he thinks that the "snake" in Woody's boot is his pant leg!

Every night before bed his prayer is almost always the same: "Dear God, thank you for this day. Thank you for my friends. Thank you for TurningPoint Church. Thank you for Gramma's house. In Jesus' name, Amen." Sometimes when he's tired, we pray for him, and when it gets too long he cuts in with "In Jesus' name," as if to tell us that it's time to wrap it up!


I know I'm missing so much... and I know this is more entertaining for me than for anyone else, but this kid is just so funny, so dramatic, and so over-the-top that I just don't want to forget any of it! He cracks us up daily and I could not imagine life without his antics. Gosh I love this kid!

4 comments:

  1. SO cute! My favorite is the, "in Jesus' name..." Makes me think of when they play the NBC tune to hush the newspeople up ;)

    The #2 potty training was a challenge for L (as I've already told you :)). I did lots of research if you need tips when it comes to mastering it!

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  2. So cute. I like the "YOU pray!" story, though I admit it was even funnier when i first read it because I didn't see it was a dinnertime prayer. I thought she was telling him they needed prayer for some issue and asked him to pray for them, and he threw it back at them!

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  3. Love him! I'm putting together Adam's 3-year old post of updates and milestones, and you made me think of lots more to include. Love the Princess story!

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  4. This was so much fun to read! What a fun kid. I love how much he loves his cousins and sister! He says the most hilarious things, too.

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