Oh our precious Jacob....where in the world do I begin? We love you so very much and love being around you. You are so sweet and so much fun! Here are a few favorite pictures from our recent family photo session.
You are talking up a storm and say some of the funniest things. Our favorites are "Oh my goodness" (especially funny when you said this in reaction to Nana's messy bathroom), "Let's see" (which you say exactly like me) and "I love you". You also continue to say "No way" and "Alright" which we think is really cute.
Your favorite toys are your blocks, lawn mower, and vacuum. You love to "horse around" (especially with Daddy), have "piggy back rides", play with the hose, and be in the water. You love trucks and we are in constant conversation in the car about what trucks we see, what they do, what sounds they make, and where they are going. Fittingly, your favorite book is "The Big Truck Book". We read this
at least once a day. Other favorites include "The Farm Book", "Caillou", and "Curious George".
Your favorite foods are ice cream, goldfish, hummus with crackers, cheese, M&Ms, frozen Go-gurts, and watermelon.
When it is time for bed we have the same routine. After reading four books, you turn on your owl, turn off your light, close your door, make sure your curtains are completely shut, put on your sleep sack, have me kiss your bears, have me tuck you in with your blanket, sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" together, and give lots of kisses, hugs, and "I Love You"s (my favorite part, of course). Then I close the door and you say "Owl off Mommy" and I go back in, turn owl off and give you one more kiss. It is a wonderful routine and I love that it is the same every bedtime. When Daddy is out of town we always call to tell him goodnight. You are so adorable telling him about your day, saying "night night" and saying "I love you, Daddy".
You are such a sweet child. You are a great big brother and run to Anna when she is upset and sweetly say "It's okay, Anna." You generally share with Anna and often bring her toys and tell her it is "Anna's turn". So sweet! You are still a "big helper" around the house and especially love helping with Daddy's outdoor jobs, cooking, and sweeping.
You turned 2 1/2 on July 8th and we started a tradition of celebrating your "half birthdays" with a fun dinner, cake, and a gift. You helped me make the chocolate, chocolate chip cake the day before. You were so excited about making it and eating it! We gave you a Mega Blocks Fire Truck and Nana and Gramps gave you a Y-bike, personalized flashlight, a book, and a CD that sung your name in a few songs. (The CD was hilarious and we all got a great laugh!) You loved your gifts! Here you are with your cake and 2 1/2 candles.
This picture was taken the week before but I just had to post it. For some reason you prefer to eat ice cream with your hands. What a cute mess!
Jacob, we are so blessed to have you as our son! You are such a joy to be around and I am so thankful I get to spend my days with you!
And then here are a few pictures of the kiddos happy over the past few weeks. 
Jacob decided to push Anna in her walker at my parents' house. I'm not sure which one of them had more fun! 
Jacob playing peek-a-boo with Anna
Saturday afternoon we headed over to my cousin, Kristina's house to visit with her family, my Aunt Laraine, Uncle Bill, and my cousin Jenny and her family. Anna and Julie completely hit it off - so cute! 
Sunday afternoon we headed over to Aunt Laraine's house for playtime and pizza. Jacob loved her big playroom downstairs. Monday we stayed around Papa's and had lunch at Linden Ponds, his retirement community. It is so fun walking the kids around Linden Ponds because of all the attention we receive. I took Anna out for a stoll one afternoon and several people made comments on how "fast" I was. This completely cracked me up since I was walking what I would consider a normal speed. However, compared to them I was Mario Andretti!
The pool proved to be a great idea. Jacob LOVES the water and has no fear. My poor mother was in a constant battle with Jacob to keep him from getting away from her as he was convinced he could swim by himself under water (which he clearly cannot). Anna had never been in a big pool before and also loved it. I think we have little fish on our hands! We cleaned up quickly from the pool and headed over to Legal Seafood which was next door to the hotel. Anna was cracking us up with her legs stretched out straight while she enjoyed her carrots. Dinner was quick for the kids and me as they were beyond exhausted. 
Our flight home was exhausting for my mom and me. Thank goodness I had her help! After four days of little sleep it was hard to keep Jacob happy on the three hour flight home but we managed with a lot of cookies (3 bags of Lorna Doodles), pretzels, cheerios, raisins, ice water, Little Einsteins, books, coloring, stickers, airline magazines, walking to the bathroom, etc. I've never been so happy to have a plane land in my entire life! Of course, despite the challenges of traveling with young children, the trip was certainly worth it and I'm so glad we went. It meant so much to Papa to have us there and it meant so much to me to visit with Papa, introduce him to Anna, show him how much Jacob has grown, and see the rest of my family. I just wish they lived a little closer! Thanks to my family for a great visit!
