Jace- 26 months

I feel like I was so much better about keeping these posts for Hallie when she was little. I definitely want to remember things about each child, so here is an attempt at being better!

Jace at 26 months:

*Jace is as energetic and strong-willed as ever. Whatever happened to that sweet quiet little boy that I imagined? Imagined is the key word. :) This boy is wild and has to have things his way. For example- grocery shopping means a serious circus because Jace refuses to sit in the cart. Even if he is buckled in, he can climb out and then thinks that he can just jump on down to the floor. Um, no. Plus, if he is in the cart, the entire store knows it for the duration of our trip. So, he generally "walks" (ahem, runs, hides, pulls things off shelves, breaks things...) during grocery shopping time. Kindergarten can't come soon enough. :)

*Jace still loves cars, trains, trucks, and anything else that moves. He can identify different kinds of trucks and anytime we are in the car, he is on a constant cycle of "bus!" "truck!" etc.

Lining books up so that he can use them as a path. This is a typical game for him, too. 

*Jace is technologically savvy. It's out of control how fast kids learn things. Hallie does not know how to turn on the Wii and turn on Netflix, but Jace does. He can navigate to any show he wants. What a booger.

Watching a show before bedtime with the neighbor kids (who we were babysitting that night)

*Jace is still a mama's boy, through and through. If he has a choice, he wants me to rock him, or to take him to bed, or to read to him. He still has quite the bedtime routine, wanting to be rocked and then sung to (although lately he has started to sing to me when I request-- super cute. I have a video I will try to upload), then he has to have his million blankies put on just right and his Mickey and his monkey tucked in with him. Jace is a tad bit OCD, kind of like my brother Clark was at this age. He has to have his socks on just right and whines if his hands are the least bit dirty. Interesting. Luckily, Clark grew out of his (I think, right Sparky?) so hopefully this will just be a phase.

I realize there are no pictures of Flor with Jace here, but that is because she is usually at school when we decide to take pictures apparently. 

*We have had some regression in the potty training department. He has been so great for the past two months or so and then all the sudden he has been wetting his pants three or more times per day. UGH! I knew it couldn't be that easy. He knows when he needs to use the potty, but it just seems like he gets too busy and doesn't want to tell me. He says something the second AFTER he has peed. So lovely, especially since starting next week, he will be with a babysitter part of the time (I start school and our schedule is going to be crazy). Gotta love it. I am not sure what to do. The past few days I have had him back in a diaper and just encouraged him to go every hour or so and then reward him with a treat when he does. He has stayed dry basically, so that's good. Potty training, potty training. Yuck.

Best friends

fish painting face from our local elementary school's spring carnival. 

*Jace's speech is continuing to develop. He uses simple sentences and is quite aware of what is going on around him. He can be quite funny, too. The other day, Devin came home and I told him the frustrations of Jace peeing his pants multiple times throughout the day. Devin asked him, "Jace, did you pee your diaper?" and Jace responded (with his pointer finger in the air), "No, Daddy, I pee my undies!" So proud of himself.

His new way of eating- no hands.

Having a Popsicle at Grandma and Grandpa's with cousin Brynlee

Helping in the yard at Grandma and Grandpa's

* I have noticed that I make much less effort with Jace than I did with Hallie in terms of teaching him the ABC's and numbers. He picks up on things sometimes and I am quite surprised what he knows. He can count to 5, skips a few, and then does 8, 9, 10 pretty consistently. Poor 2nd child. I was the 2nd child and I know exactly how it feels. :)

Bringing mommy a flower. What a stud. I love dandelions.

These two really do get along quite well. 

*Jace and Flor have a love/hate relationship. He is really sweet with her sometimes, and then is hitting her or pushing her the next. It is something we are constantly working on. The two apologize and give hugs no less than 1800 times per day, it seems. Jace has always been Flor's favorite in our family, I think because she loves babies, and he was a baby at the time she came into our family. But now that he is older, the two really get after each other. Siblings, through and through.

Jumping on the couch with Ethan, his friend from next door. Boys.

* I have noticed that Jace is much less dramatic than Hallie was at this age, but what he lacks in emotional drama, he makes up for in NOISE. He has to be constantly making noise of some kind- yelling, stomping, pounding the table with his fists, and we can't go a meal without him banging his fork on his plate throughout. We had Hallie's preschool class here the other day and one poor little boy said about every 3 seconds, "Can you be quiet? Can you be quiet, please?" to Jace. Haha.

Please don't mind my annoying voice in this last one.

 Love this little boy. He definitely has my heart.