Spring Break Adventures

Fort Worth Zoo

We headed to the zoo with the Goff's on Monday. Austin and Jake are 2 weeks apart so we figured it would be fun for them to go together and we don't get to see them as often as we'd like. We got there as soon as the zoo opened anticipating that it would be crowded. And we were right, they had police directing traffic into the zoo. We rode the train when we first got there and Jake was so excited (for the next two days he asked to ride the yellow train) and was really sad when we had to get off. The morning started out just a little chilly but as the day went on it really warmed up and the nicer the day got the more crowded the zoo got. I think Jake's favorites were the elephants and the monkeys. We had to drag him away from the elephant exhibit!  

 

 The boys

 

 On the train

 Checking  out the otters

They were fascinated with the buttons

Looking at the elephants

Talking about their day at the zoo

 

 Hugs

Dallas Arboretum

Today Jake and I headed to the arboretum with our next door neighbors, Carrie and Savannah. They invited us to go about a month ago but the weather hasn't been great on the days we had planned to go. So we finally had a nice day that we could go. We ended up meeting Carrie's family out there so we had 7 kids out there. It was a busy day there too, but it never felt crowded because there is so much space. We took picnic lunches out there and got there early so we spent about 4 hours out there enjoying the gorgeous flowers and weather! Jake loved running around free (I didn't take the stroller) and loved playing with the other kids. He made friends with everyone, until he hugged/tackled Savannah. She didn't want him by her after that. I guess we will have to work on how to gently hug our friends!

 

FREE!

 

Pretty flowers

 

Looking at the fish

 

Hugging Savannah, before he tackled her

 

Rolling down the hill

 

 

 

Big Boy Bed in a Big Boy Room

Big day in our house. Grammy picked Jake up early this morning and took him to her house for the day. Then Josh and I got started on re painting Jake's room, transforming it from a nursery to a big boy room. After a long day of painting, Grammy brought Jake home and he checked out his big boy room. He said it was "Jakey's new room." He was a little too excited to sleep in his big boy bed. He wanted to read in his bed and didn't want to rock at first. It ended up taking him about an hour to fall asleep, but we aren't sure if it was partially the time change since he fell asleep around his normal bedtime. He did stay in his bed so we are hopeful that this is a smooth transition!

We have a big day tomorrow, we are headed to the zoo with the Goff's. And both Josh and I get to hang out with Jake all week for spring break.


Pictures of the big boy room coming soon!

Happy Face/Sad Face

Jake has been into identifying emotions and making the appropriate face for it. It is super cute even if he tries to use it to get his way! This week we have been enjoying the gorgeous weather. It is hard to explain to Jake though, on the days it is not nice enough to spend time outside. He is obsessed with "ride helmet bike." Most evenings after Josh gets home from work they go outside and ride. 


We bought Jake a big boy bed a couple of weeks ago. We haven't put it in Jake's room yet, but it will be going in there over spring break. Hopefully the transition goes smoothly! 

Bike and 2 year stats

Jake loves his new bike! We have had gorgeous weather the past week so almost every afternoon we have gone out to practice riding. When we took Jake to pick out his bike he had a difficult time holding it up and going very far. We figured he would get better as he got taller, but apparently it just took a few days of practice! He gets going pretty quick now! He fell down a few times the first day, but now he just falls getting off the bike. I am excited to see him really going and getting his feet off the ground!

His two year appointment was on Friday. The doctor was so impressed with his talking and all the stuff he knows. She said he acts more like a 3 year old. It always makes us feel good to hear that he is doing so well! We also got some advice on a few things, so we will have a few projects in the works shortly. I am excited and nervous about everything to come in the next few months!


2 year stats:
Height: 34.5 inches  52nd percentile
Weight: 27.7 lbs       42nd percentile

Birthday Dinosaurs

After the fun of his party Saturday we decided for his birthday we would have a family day and headed to the Heard Museum which is only a few minutes from our house. They had a dinosaur exhibit that we had been trying to get to for 3 weeks and Sunday was the last day for it. Jake was ridiculously excited to see the dinosaurs. This was our first outing that we didn't take a stroller or carrier for Jake and he did great. It was open enough for him to run a little bit and not have to constantly hold a hand. I guess it is just another sign that he is growing up. We spent almost 2 hours out there and Jake was so sad that we had to leave the dinosaurs and talked about them all the way home. We had a blast out there and it was the perfect way to spend Jake's birthday.

Chocolate Chip birthday waffle

Random kid that apparently thought Jake was so cool that he wouldn't leave him alone

AHHHH! DINOSAUR!

Pirate Party

We had such a blast at Jake's birthday party this year! We had 5 other kids here with their parents, plus Grammy, Aunts Pam, Nikki, Chrissy and Michelle and Uncle Tom. Jake was a ham and was loving all of the attention. He was running around almost the whole time. We had pirate music on and he was showing off his dancing skills too. Every one was so generous and Jake got some awesome gifts that he just loved! He has been entertained with them since Saturday. He seemed to really enjoy having all the kids here even though he wasn't so great with sharing his new toys.

He was thrilled to have everyone sing Happy Birthday to him and tried really hard to blow all the candles out. And loved his cupcake!  I love that is he comfortable with being the center of attention, it is adorable.

Since his party, every time we walk past the dining room he says "Party over. Jakey sad." We might have to throw a half birthday party if he keeps that up!

Banner I made

Table with goody boxes and hats, swords, and eye patches for the kids

 

Bike from momma and daddy

Loving the attention!

Happy 2nd Birthday Jacob!

Dear Jacob,

I can't believe you are 2 already. These have been the best, and fastest, 2 years of my life. I love watching you grow and learn. Being able to have conversations with you now is so fun and I love hearing what you have to say! You are such a smart little boy and make Daddy and I laugh everyday with all the new things you like to show off. Daddy and I love when we are out and people tell us how cute you are. You love showing off and being the center of attention and it always makes Daddy and I laugh. Your persistence is amazing and I can't wait to see how far that gets you in life. Two years ago I wouldn't have believed that I could love you more today than I did the day you were born, but I do. I love that you only want me to rock you and sing to you before bedtime and naps. I love that you love to cuddle in our bed in the mornings (even at 5:15am!). I love your sweet little sleepy half-smile after naps and how excited you get when you see me or Daddy after we have been gone. Your sweet voice and beautiful smile are what I live for and there is nothing that brightens my day more than hearing your adorable laugh. You have grown so much and in so many ways this year. I can't wait to see what the next year brings! Happy 2nd Birthday Jakey!


I love you,
Momma