Before I forget...

Jude updates:

Jude is talking A LOT now. Full sentences, although short ones.

One of his new things he likes to say is how everything is "funny". He was pointing to our family portrait the other day and would single out each person. "Daddy! Daddy's funny!" "Mommy. Haha! Mommy's funny!" and so on. It's pretty funny. :)

When we eat, we usually ask Jude how his meal is. He used to just nod his head, but now he  will tell you what he thinks. "Jude, how's the meat?" "Good." "Jude, how is your broccoli?" "Great." The other day George made chicken and rice and after every bite he said, "Yummy!" Apparently it was a hit.

We've taken the tray off his high chair (it actually broke, so it was out of necessity) and now we just tuck Jude in at the table with the rest of us. He thinks it's fabulous and does a great job using utensils and keeping the mess to a minimum.

I think we may be on our way to transitioning to a "big boy" bed. Every time I put Jude down to sleep, he asks to sleep on the bottom bunk bed in the boy's room. We've tried it a few times without much success, but I think the time is almost here.

He has the best maniacal laugh. George is the best at getting him to do it, but once he gets going he can cackle like crazy. I really need to record it. It's not his real laugh, but the laugh he does when he's pretending.

Jude has become very aware that Lance has the privileges that comes with age. For example, when we put Jude to be a little earlier than Lance, Jude will ask, "Lance, too?" Once we reassure him that Lance is in fact on his way to bed as well, he'll lay down, but has to make sure he's not the only one going to bed right then.

He loves to color. Lance has really taken off with art and will get out our markers and pencils every day to make new drawings and Jude has to be right there with him, scribbling little circles on his paper or wildly filling all the white space with color. He doesn't like crayons because they don't color very dark and will get quite frustrated when I tell him he can't use the markers.

Jude is obsessed with scissors. Probably because Lance is always cutting up his paper to create new things. If he can't find the scissors because we've hidden them, he'll get out anything he thinks he can use to cut the paper with. In the past day alone we've found him trying frantically to cut his paper with a pizza cutter, a knife, and a can opener. He's creative and has great perseverance, I will give him that!

He makes messes. This is kind of a new thing and while I know every kid makes messes, this kid does it on purpose, just to make a mess. Anytime I give him crackers (or really anything for that matter) in a bowl to eat, he'll dump them out onto the floor and step on them and then start eating the pieces. He knows what he's doing, too, because he'll come to me after a bit and say, "Mommy, come! Mess." Today he dumped the WHOLE box of Cheezits on the living room carpet and just sat there eating the crumbs. I make him clean up the mess, hoping it will deter him in the future, but so far it hasn't worked. Any ideas?

There are a million and one little things I wish I could write down, but I guess this will have to suffice for now. It's the little things during the day, the look or the hug or the tender moment that passes all to quickly that I wish I could record and cherish forever. Each day really is a treasure as we get to watch Lance and Jude grow and learn. I am so lucky to be their mom and am grateful I get to stay home with them and discover again how wonderful life really is as I watch them find joy in all the simple things this life has to offer.

Paradise.