Rock wall... 
"We know who the camera moms are when the kids smile and say cheese..."
Balancing... 
We got tired... 
But never too tired to keep playing...
He told James all about it before crashing on the couch!
What a big boy! I couldn't believe it. He was so cute in there in the lane next to James and though he was so big for doing it, he looked so little! It is very true what they say about children listening to other adults better than they do their own parents. Jacob did very well with Ms. Jessica. He did everything that she asked including his rollover/swim sequence. He was getting to the point with us he would play more than practice so this was the perfect step for him.I love the success they have had swimming. I believe it has helped them to become confident and strong individuals!
We let him pick the theme and created invitations on the computer. He chose the pictures, design and all.
He even wrote his friends' names on the envelopes. Together we decided to keep it small. Three friends, a train park, cake, ice cream, dinner and then into the sleeping bags where they will hopefully be so tired they crash in front of a movie. We will be taking him to the same park that we celebrated his birthday last year. It has a few rides for the kids to enjoy and a train to ride around the park.
They are just getting into the sleepover phase. He has never had one, but he has stayed the night twice at another friends' house. He is counting down and looking forward to his big day. Tomorrow we will go for a bike ride to deliver the invitations!
It is an updated version of the original with lots of other challenges as well. He told Josh when he got home from school, "I am not playing HotWheels anymore, I am going over it." What he wanted to say was that he is over it - haha! So funny. Anyway, he would play it all day if we let him, but he is very good at following the rules. We told him that he was not allowed to play his games before school, so this morning he said, mommy, I am going downstairs to find a TV show to watch, right? I thanked him for being such a wonderful listener and following the rules. We could not be happier, nor could his dentist, that he no longer sucks on his fingers!
Josh and I are officially out of the pool! Jacob has graduated from the Parent/Tot swim program, the Little Snapper Advanced Class, four months early. Typically you need to wait until you turn three years old, but they felt Jacob was mature and ready to move into the big pool and be on his own without mommy and daddy. He will have his first Jellyfish class next Thursday! Josh and I are not only proud of his success, we feel like we have graduated too. After 3 1/2 years of taking turns being in the water with James and then Jacob, we finally get sit and watch from the sidelines together! Congratulations Jacob!
d's house afterwards. I saw him only a few moments in passing before heading off to work. Jacob and I spent the day at home together. He was very quiet and did very well on his own - which it seems he never gets to do. He also sat down, if you can believe it, to watch some TV before falling asleep on the couch. I carried him to his room and, oh the quiet house. I had forgotten what it was like to lay a child down for a nap and not have another one to worry about. It was great to spend time with Jacob without James around. He is a much more relaxed person when he is not yearning to get more attention than his older brother. When I arrived home from work, James gave me the biggest hug and told me he missed me today. And I missed him too!
Josh and I searched craigslist last night and found a bike a bit smaller for James that would allow him to touch the ground. We took the training wheels of this bike to give riding on two wheels a try. James admitted that he was scared and Josh promised not to let go until James was ready. Well, James was not ever ready- not today anyway, but he was proud of himself for trying and so were we!
The Kitchen is OPEN!
P.S. He did not ask me how to spell that and Josh did not tell him either. Hmmmm...
James got his bike last year for his birthday. It is probably a size bigger than what he should have. Unfortunately, this has made him very apprehensive. We have experienced a few falls and since he cannot touch the ground, he falls pretty hard. It has taken him a few rides, but he has the hang of it now- brakes and all. Jacob, as I mentioned before, got his bike from Santa. He is motoring. He does not have brakes on his bike. The wheels only turn with the pedals. He can pedal forward and back. We made sure Santa brought the appropriate height so we would not have the same problem that we had with James. James being the faster of the two (for now) likes to pass and cut off his younger brother. I cringe every time that their training wheels are going to get tied and we are going to have a NASCAR collision on our hands.
This is very appropriate for Jacob right now. In fact, he told us today that his favorite weather is snow - or "noohhh" as he called it.
And we have had our fair share of it this year having spent two weeks in Kirkland, WA where it poured down this winter. It was a beautifully white Christmas!
James said that he likes wind the best but he loved playing in the snow and building a snowman with Grandma and Papa while we were there.
