2 years old?!?!?

Where did the time go???? It is hard to believe that two years ago today, I was in the hospital shocked that I just gave birth to my very own baby boy (the shock could have been due to the fact that he was 10 lbs). I will always remember that day as one of excitement, nervousness, and most of all complete and utter happiness!! The biggest thing I remember was right when Jacob was born, the nurse yelling "He has a dimple!!!" I literally laughed out loud at her excitement! In that moment, our life had forever changed... in the best way possible. Now two years later, we are still loving every minute of it!! Jacob has grown up so much in the last two years, it's hard to even imagine him as a baby.  But alas  he was...

Minus all the major milestones that every baby does, the things that I will want to remember most about Jacob being so little are:

• He was such a chunky monkey!!! He was always in the 90th percentile for weight, height, and head size until he turned one!
• A very happy baby... There would be days that we would go without hearing him cry. So easy going!!
• He would eat anything!!! I remember he tried to grab Mike's burrito and take a bite when he was about 5 months old.
• He took his first steps being motivated by a bite of cake across the room! LOL
• He would always fall asleep in his bouncer.
• And let's face it... one of the cutest babies I have ever seen!! (I might be a little biased)

Well, it is obvious that my oldest boy is no longer a baby, infant, newborn, or any term like that. He is officially a toddler!! Old enough to ride the roller coaster at Incredible John's, move up a class at daycare, start soccer, and the biggest milestone yet, becoming a great big brother!  He astonishes me every day!! There has yet to be a day that Mike and I don't turn to each other and laugh at something new he has done.  He is at such a fun age and has a huge vocabulary, so that makes conversations hilarious!! Some of my favorite sayings are:

• "Jacob gas!" After he farts. Or "Brayden gas!" after he farts (blames it on Brayden)...either one is so funny!!
• His response to "Jacob, Who do you love?" He always says, "Love basketball game!!" Then he proceeds down the list of family members. 
• Who he says good night to, "Goodnight, Dada. Goodnight, Mama. Goodnight, Brayden. Goodnight Michael Jordan."
• When he teaches Brayden something. "Brayden that's your toes Brayden. See Brayden, your toes. Brayden, look your toes."
• He yells "Earthquake!!" Then rocks himself and falls over.
• He starts dancing around and shaking his head, saying "Going crazy mama!!!"
• He'll do something like shuffle his feet and then looks at me and says "Mama, like this?"
• I can't explain this one and it needs a picture, but he makes this face when he asks a very serious question. I can't help but laugh every time I see him make it.
• My favorite new word of his is "Crocodile." He says it so funny. 

He is growing up to be such a smart, caring, and sweet little man. I am so excited for what this next year will bring. I can only imagine the craziness that not only he will bring to our lives, but what he will teach his brother. I could not have asked for a better older brother for Brayden. As a family we are so lucky to have a child that is so inherently nurturing. I am one proud mama of this little man!! I love him so much!!!!

3 Months

A few days ago, this little fella turned 3 months old!! I think over the last month he has changed the most! He is no longer a newborn...he is officially an infant! This really excites me, as most of you know, I love watching my children grow up and accomplish new things. It is really THE greatest thing about parenting.  Seeing your child accomplish something that they have worked so hard for, makes you feel like you have accomplished something too!!  This past month Brayden has really taken off!! It's amazing in 4 short weeks what he has accomplished...

• He rolls over both ways
• He smiles ALL the time
• He had his first laugh (the best thing ever!!)
• He is napping and sleeping full time in his crib
• He is taking the bottle... again finally!! (This has been the boycott for the ages!! He wouldn't eat for 15 hours while I was at work!! Finally this past weekend he started taking it again like a champ!)
• His personality really shines through... he is a very happy baby, but stubborn as all heck!!
• He loves chewing and sucking on his hands!! He may not take a pacifier, but I think we will have a thumb sucker on our hands!
• He is a babbler!!! I sometimes find him and Jacob just sitting making noises at each other, it's adorable.
• He is really starting to pay close attention to Jacob. If Jacob is within ear shot, Brayden wants to look at him!
• He is waking up usually one time a night, longest stretches being 8 hours!!

Here is some of his photos. He has started to notice the camera and so it's hard to catch a smile...I have to sneak it.

Here is the comparison photos to see how much he has grown.  From one day to three months!

 

 This past month has been one of my favorites with Brayden... I can't wait to see how much he grows this next month!

 

He's 30 People!!!

My absolute favorite person (grown-up) in the whole wide world turns 30 years old today!! In true Mike birthday fashion, we didn't really plan anything. However, both kids got sick last night which in turn caused Mike to call in sick today. So, by default we got to spend the day together as a family!! I think Mike had the best quote ever about turning thirty today, "At four this morning I had throw up in my hands that wasn't mine and wasn't caused by drinking too much. I guess I am really thirty today!" LOL!!! In all seriousness though, him turning thirty has put a little perspective on our life...we have been together for almost half of our lives!!!  It's crazy to think that when we were 15 and 16 years old and talking about our future, that it would actually come true!!  I knew back then that he was The One I wanted to marry, have kids with, and grow old with. I can say 14 years later that I was a very smart 15 year old!! He is the perfect husband and absolute perfect daddy.  There's a quote that says, "Don't marry a man unless you'd be proud to have a son exactly like him." Well, there is a reason I have two boys... I can only hope that they grow up and treat their wife exactly how he treats me. 

 I really do love this guy!!! He makes me laugh ALL the time and lets face it, 14 years of my shinanigans he kind of deserves a medal! LOL

My favorite quality about this birthday boy is how he is as a father.  I have never met a person who after a day (a long 13 hour day) of a crying baby refusing the bottle or three days by themselves with a 3 month old, still say they want to be a stay at home parent!! He is truly an amazing dad! Our boys love him so much!!

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST DADDY AND HUSBAND IN THE WORLD!!

Love is in the Air

Since it is still February and this is the month of LOVE, I think it's time that I post about about the most adorable love of all... Toddler love. For a second there, you thought I was going to blog about Mike and I...gotcha!!! That's a boring topic and let's face it, the pictures just aren't as cute!  It is so fun to watch Jacob and Memo interact with each other. It's just another perspective on how much Jacob has grown in the past two years. They went from not interacting, to fighting, to genuine excitement to see one another in just a short 24 months. The picture above is probably the cutest picture I have ever seen.  Granted they were arguing about the ball before this was taken, but they always seem to get over it in time to give each other a hug when they say good bye.

Their hugs are always so cute!! Jacob always looks like a little old man!!! LOL

I can only hope that the relationship that Jacob and Memo have, is something that Tessa and Brayden get to experience. Having a best friend that you can grow up with is truly a special and unique thing. 

I think they are off to a good start!!

It's Tea Time!!!

As a mother of boys, I never thought I would see the day that we would have a tea party!! Thank goodness I have a friend like Gabby, who thinks of these things!! For Valentines Day, Gabby hosted a tea party for Memo and Jacob....another thing that happens when your BFF is a girl.  I must say it was a genius idea, and probably one of the cutest things in the world!!  Their tea was really apple cider, which helped wash down mini pink cupcakes, fruit, and chicken nuggets.  All appropriate tea time snacks (I'm sure the Queen Mum would even approve).

As you can see Memo was a lady with her tea drinking....and well Jacob lets just say the picture above and below is the most refined moments during the eating process.

About halfway through tea time, Jacob stopped using his manners...

I don't know where he learned to eat like a dog or drink tea with a spoon, but he sure was having a blast doing it!! I'm just glad he hasn't brought this new skill set to the real dinner table.

 These two are just too cute!!

Tea time was not complete without a little crafting!! Gabby set up an awesome craft for the kids to do... decorating a sticky heart with all kinds of things.  (Again something I would never think to do!)

They are obviously very focused and take their crafting seriously!

 

As much as it looks like the babies weren't there, they were. They did great tolerating our toddler activities.  And of course we tried to do a photo shoot with all four of them...and this was the best we got!! LOL I think there is room for improvement...

Jacob may look back at these photos a little embarrassed with what he used to do with Memo, but he truly is enjoying himself.  He keeps telling me to look at his hair and then he says "Pretty hair?" LOL!!!

My Boys...

Since today is Valentines Day, I thought I would share photos that show the love between my two boys. As Brayden's personality is coming out more and more everyday, Jacob is finding him a tad bit more interesting.  Every time Brayden makes a noise, Jacob responds "What's that?!" And I say, "It was Brayden!" and Jacob then responds, "Oh! Hi Brayden!" LOL I love these two!! I can't wait for them to become even more playful with each other!!

 Brayden may not look like he is having as much fun as Jacob, but he really does tolerate Jacob rather well... I think he's being coy!!

Super Bowl Weekend!!!

Every year I look forward to one of my favorite sporting events of all time... I enjoy the yelling, the betting, the food, and the all around hanging out with family. Some years I have had to work, which makes for somewhat comedy watching the game. We turn it on in an empty room (hopefully we have one), then we call into the room from the phone our work station, then we place our work station phone on speaker,and thus we have sound!!! We are rather creative!!! Anyways, I was really excited for this year because I was on maternity leave and I was guaranteed it off!!! Well, it turns out that this year was the worst year to actually watch the football game!! Since the game sucked (and the wrong team won), I am glad we watched it in good company.So there will be no more mentioning of football from hear on out...until next season that is!

Originally, we were going to have Super Bowl Sunday at our house, but a basketball tournament and a torn ACL (Shaniko) changed all that. We were happy to come and visit Pleasanton...I even drove the boys down by myself!! I think that makes me a true mother of two! We had a great weekend playing at the park, eating great food, and Mike and I actually went on a date!!!

Shaniko and Brayden had a great time hanging out...especially since they both can't move very well!

We spent a long time at Emerald Glenn Park. It was great discovering a new park with the boys...they had the best time running up and down a hill. 

I love this photo because it shows Jacob as such a kid! The best part of this picture is the memory we have of Jacob and Everett high fiving each other.  It was so funny...I hope to catch it on video one day.

Some funny things happened while Mike and I were on our date.. Jacob turned into a dog.  This is what we walked into...

It's funny because Jacob never wants to be near a dog with a cone on...he is truly terrified, so maybe he got over his fear?

Rainy Days...

It has been some much welcomed rain the last four days here by everyone, except maybe Jacob.  Having a toddler couped up in the house for four days makes for a very irritable child come the fifth day!! I should start by saying that the rain was not just a little drizzle, but almost a non stop downpour for the whole time!! Here's a little fact for you...in the last four days, Folsom Lake's water level has risen by 14 feet!!! So, needless to say, there was no breaks in the weather for a quick bike ride or a park visit. However, we have been to the library almost everyday!! The rain makes us intellectual! We have been reading a lot too!! Brayden is starting to love it!!! He just stares and drools, but if you take it away he starts scream crying, lol! It also makes for lots of cuddles, hot beverages, and movies. It seems that two movies are on loop in this house lately, Nemo and Thomas! I can't complain about Nemo, but man Thomas is getting old!! (On a side note...how cute is Brayden in the above picture!?!?!?)

Here's Jacob and I after nap time (for the both of us, if you couldn't tell).  He loves cuddling on our new big chair.

Here is the reader!! He seems to be extra fond of animal books! (He sat there for 20 minutes that day)

This is how our lunches have been looking lately. Jacob watches Nemo on the ipad while Brayden watches him watching Nemo. Let's face it, Jacob wants a personal fan watching him do everything!

As much as this rain is messing with my toddlers playtime and my backyard plans...I know it is much needed and I could not be more thankful that it is finally here!! Hopefully it is here to stay for a while!

Busy Days...

With less than a week until my arrival back at work, I have been packing our last days together full of fun!! I guess I am having the mother's guilt (that we all know and love!) that over the last 10 weeks, I haven't done as much as I should have with the kiddos. So, I am making it up in  one week!! LOL We somewhat have a schedule...Monday's are gymnastics and park days, Tuesday's are mother goose and park days, and Thursdays are somewhat up in the air. I try and keep them both as busy as possible in the mornings, so they both take good naps. The plan worked better than expected on Tuesday... Brayden napped for almost five hours!!! I don't even know if you still call that a nap? What's makes our busy days even more fun is when our friends join us.  Memo often meets us at the park and mother goose and Jacob met a new friend Cody at the park too (not pictured, a blog for another day!)

Both Memo and Jacob's new favorite thing is their bikes!! Although it causes some frustration with both of them, the pedaling more than anything, they still love to ride and crash into each other. 

Another moment captured on camera, of what it looks like when your BFF is a girl. His face is hilarious, it's like he's saying "I don't really want to wear this, but I know safety is important."

This past Tuesday was extra special because we went to the Roseville mall and rode the carousel! It was Jacob's first time, so he didn't want to ride an animal, so we all sat on the bench together.  This carousel, I swear was super fast!! Or I am just getting old... two times around and I was ready to get off that thing!

Sometimes we do extra special things and go get smoothies at Jamba... Brayden gets to watch us eat...

I think he is starting to get food envy already...lol. Oh this chunky monkey!!

All this toting around for hours at a time, comes to an end around 1:30 or 2, when this happens...

We never really travel more than 10 minutes from our house, so this is how tired they get!! It's great because they both transfer really well, so it's nice to have some afternoon mommy time!

Bressa

The next new toddler "IT" couple has arrived!!! Born just 15 hours apart, they are destined to be BFF's!!  They met each other for the first time on New Year's Eve, and have hung out a few times since then. Their first meeting went a little better than Memo and Jacob (no punching each other). There are also more similarities between these two... they are both big babies, have lots of hair (Tessa more than Brayden), and they tolerate their older siblings like champs!! They also already crack us up, (as you will see in photos), but they give the same crazy looks!! The looks of, "Mom, why are you doing this?!?!"

The photo in the middle makes me laugh every time I look at it!! I'm sure they will get a chuckle out of it when they're older.

On New Year's we actually got a picture of the four of them!!! We're amazing, I know ;0) Now it's not the perfect picture, but hey they are all in the same frame, so that counts for something!

I just love it!!!

Sleepover!!!

This past week the cousins had one of their many sleepovers they will have in their lifetime.  This one was extra special because it was the first time that they really played with each other. They were both into playing trains, watching Thomas, eating, and playing outside.  It was funny to see them run around together because it made me realize how much they have grown up!! I love the cousin love they have for each other...

Here they are cuddling on the couch together...I promise they are watching Thomas and not some scary movie as their faces portray!

They also enjoyed some Memo time! They all three took a bath together, which was rather funny! I'm sure they will appreciate all these photos when they are older!

This collage cracks me up because it's Everett saying goodnight to Jacob. He was trying to give Jacob a hug, but Jacob was too into his Duplos and Bumbo. They did have some great hugs this week actually!