Two

New "choo-choo" from Aunties and cousins is a hit!

Grammy says Colt used to lay exactly like this when he played with his trucks and cars as a little boy

My baby turned two years old a couple of weeks ago...or as Jace would say: "tyooo." We kept it really low-key this year, since he's still pretty little. But we were lucky enough to have Grammy in town from Colorado to celebrate with us! I made him special birthday pancakes with sprinkles and a candle for breakfast before I had to run out to a doctor's appointment that morning. On the way home, I stopped to pick up a few balloons, sprinkles, and a candle for his cake. Jace loved his Thomas the Train and Firetruck balloons; it really is the little things, isn't it? We hung up a "Happy Birthday" banner and tied his balloons to our benches, and the day started to feel pretty festive even though we didn't have a lot planned. For dinner, we met Colt at Chick Fil A and Jace noshed on chicken nuggets, applesauce, and a mini-chocolate cupcake that Colt brought as a little birthday surprise. Afterwards, we played for a few minutes and then headed home. I made a banana birthday cake (Colt and I thought it was delicious, it reminded me a little of our wedding cake), but Jace wasn't super impressed with it, unfortunately. I think it was the cream cheese frosting that turned him off. Oh well, next year I'll stick with "choc-ut." 

Grammy kind of saved our butts as far as presents go! Jace doesn't need a whole lot, especially since his birthday is right after Christmas, and he isn't very interested in opening gifts, so C and I just ordered him one present this year: a pair of bright blue Nikes! However, they got delayed in the mail and hadn't arrived by the time his birthday rolled around. Mom and Dad dropped the ball on that one. Luckily, Grammy is basically Mary Poppins and she pulled a whole pile of presents out of her magical suitcase! She and JJ's aunties, uncles, and cousins got him clothes, books, and the cutest little train track set that moves on it's own when you press a button. He was totally enamored with it, and played with it non-stop until bedtime.

Our present arrived a couple days later, and we kind of thought that Jace wouldn't care too much about a new pair of sneakers. He needed some shoes the next size up, so it was more of a practical gift. But when Colt took those shoes out of the box and showed them to JJ, he wanted to put them on RIGHT AWAY. NOW, DADDY! So on his feet they went, and he proceeded to squeal with joy and run around the living room, falling every few steps because they are still a little big. When it was time to get ready for bed, he refused to take them off. Haha!! Even now, two weeks later, I can't get him to wear any other pair of shoes unless I take special precautions to keep his bright blue birthday sneaks out of sight. I think it's safe to say he likes them. ;)

At two years old, Jace...

-Says "two" when he hears anyone say "one." However, we can't get him to say it when we ask him how old he is. 

-Likes to hold my hand in the car. He will extend his chubby little hand and plead: "Hannie?!" When I reach back and grab his hand, he hangs on tight to my fingers and goes back to reading his book or playing with his trucks with his free hand. I love it. I hope he wants to do this for a few more years, at least. 

-Gets a little bit anxious when I hold another kid. It's not terrible, but he comes right over and wants to be held, too. I'll literally have my hands full when this baby arrives!

-Still loves to play hockey! He runs around with his plastic golf club yelling "P-ay hockey! P-ay hockey!"

-Is producing two and three word utterances, but he still mostly speaks in unintelligible run-on sentences and long paragraphs. He has a lot to say! I think this leads to some of his tantrums, when we can't understand everything he is trying to tell us. Which leads me to my next point...

-Has some pretty epic temper tantrums. Again, I think this is likely due to his age, a combo of being misunderstood, not getting his way when he is understood, not wanting to be contained, and maybe a little bit of new baby-anxiety. It's definitely hard for me to be patient when he throws a tantrum right now. Hopefully I'll be better once the baby gets here, as long as the horomones settle down (fingers crossed!).

-Has a good time in nursery as long as either myself, Colton, Grammy, or Mimi stays in there with him. Otherwise, he screams the entire time, poor soul. 

-Hates to be contained in any way, shape, or form. For instance, our house sits on a half acre of property, and has a play structure, dirt to dig in, rocks and trees to climb on, etc. But you would not believe how difficult it is to keep him in our yard. He wants to go outside and wander anywhere and everywhere else. Or if we take him to the park, he plays for a minute or two on the playground, then wants to leave and wander around the neighborhood, the parking lot, the fields...anywhere other than where we brought him (although the last couple of times, he's done much better)! Another example: when we go to church and try to sit in the chapel, he wants to be in the hall. When we sit in the hall, he wants to be in the chapel. And although he's improved a lot, he has a hard time staying in our pew. He is an explorer by nature I think, and even though right now I'm too tired to keep up with him and I get frustrated that he can't just be content where he's at, I think it kind of a cool character trait. He's persistent and adventurous, and I can't wait to see all the places he'll go! Maybe after I'm done having kids, I'll have more energy to follow along a time or two ;)

I love this two year old whirlwind. His smile is infectious, his eyes light up with joy, and I think if you look up the word "exuberant" in the dictionary, you'll just find a picture of my boy. He's a treasure, and I can't wait to see him become a big brother to another precious boy. I'm a lucky lady to be surrounded by all these incredible guys!