Photography

Mr. B was over at the house yesterday for an Independence Day picnic, and I got a fantastic picture of you in return for the chicken sandwiches and ice cream we served. Very convenient to have such a skilled photographer as a friend (especially since I can't seem to focus a camera). Thanks, Mr. B!

A Date

You and Miss Georgia had a fun lunch date today. You even got a kiss!

Playtime

You love to play. You play with books, trucks, trains, blocks, friends, bubbles...you name it, you play with it! These are some of your all-time favorite activities:

Judah. You two have such a fun time together:

Legos...you count them and build towers:

Pretending you are a conductor on the Thomas Railway:

Sweeping the floor!

Reading, especially with your cool sunglasses on:

Decorating shipping boxes with stickers and markers:

Shame on me.

Oh Jason. I have been a terrible blogger. The good news is, we've simply been having too much fun for me to sit down and write you a letter! You are such a blast lately--easygoing, happy, conversational--and I love every minute we spend together. I know my account of Spring 2009 is woefully inadequate, but here are a few thoughts:

- We spent a wonderful week on the North Carolina shore with Mamo, Granddaddy, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Lenny, and Uncle Matt. You were afraid of the waves but had a grand time playing in the sand and looking for seashells. We celebrated your second birthday on the trip, and your favorite gifts were a bundle of helium balloons (from Aunt Kathy) and a Bertie the Bus model (Mr. & Mrs. H***).

- It rained on at least 24/26 days so far this June. You've been so bummed! No park, no playing outside, no tee ball, no bubbles...finally I embraced the weather and we spent an entire afternoon jumping in puddles. You are a big puddle jumping fan.

- You learned to drink from a regular cup.

- We had a lovely bridal shower for Aunt Michelle, during which Daddy, Grandpa, Uncle Bubba, Uncle Dave V, and Uncle Dave F thought it would be a good idea not only to bring you to the shower venue for lunch, but to allow you to run wild through the throngs of Italian women in attendance. Given your smashing good looks and charming personality, it wasn't a terrible disaster :)

- Michael Jackson died yesterday. The news is streaming MJ coverage. Such a tragic life...so much talent, so much wasted. I do love his music, though. Nothing else like it.

- Your current stats: 31 pounds and 36 inches.

Two Years Ago...

Since I didn't get around to starting this blog until you were nearly a year old, I thought it would be fun to show exactly how much you've changed. Here you are on the day you were born:
And here you are now:
Maybe things aren't so different, after all!

Happy Birthday to You!

Happy 2nd Birthday, my sweet little boy! We celebrated on the North Carolina beach with Mamo, Granddaddy, Aunt Kathy, Uncle Lenny, Uncle Matt, Mr. & Mrs. Hodges, Napoleon, Josephine, and Paddy. You got lots of fun presents, but your favorite part was devouring the rainbow sprinkle birthday cupcake. There was so much icing up your nose you sneezed sprinkles all night!

Overheard

Your facial expressions and word choices are constant sources of amusement lately, as you are in the midst of a massive language acquisition phase. Intensity is the name of the game when it comes to your emotions and opinions, which leads to a lot of lip-biting on my part while I try to hold in my giggles. Here are some of my favorite Jason quotes:

"Oh no, that's a puma!"
Despite our suburban location, you keep hoping to spot a puma in the grocery store parking lot. The eternal optimist!

"Jason scared the peacock."
You scared the bejesus out of a peacock one day at the zoo, and he returned the favor by squawking loud enough for half of New Jersey to hear it. You still have dreams about that peacock, often talking about him in your sleep.

"Skip, skip, skip the balloon"
Instead of the song lyrics of "Skip to My Lou."

"Jason, what are you doing? Jason's playing with the blue lego (or fill in the blank)"
This is funny stuff. You talk to yourself, asking questions and then answering them.

"Put it right HERE."
You definitely know what you want.

"I need Mommy's lemon."
Although come to think of it, you don't just WANT things, you NEED them.

"That's a good muffin"
Overheard at sushi dinner, after you hijacked Daddy's california roll.

"She's crying. She's sad. She wants his Mommy."
Upon hearing a little girl crying at the store.

"Jason's laughing. Jason's funny!"
I agree :)

"Ouch! That hurt your hiney! Mommy kiss it."
Cute now, but not permission to tell me to kiss your ass when you're older.

"Big monkey read the book. Look, big monkey, it's a parrot fish."
You like to read your stuffed animals bedtime stories, making sure to point out all the important details.

"Let's do-it again! Once more time!"
You think these two phrases are synonymous, not quite grasping the meaning of "once."

"Ayudame! I'm stuck."
Thanks to Diego, you even know a few Spanish words!

"Hola Mommy. Adios Mommy."
Another point for Diego and Handy Manny.

"Ohhhhh, pancake..."
Funniest moment ever while pining over a pancake at the diner.

"I need a hug...mmm that's a good hug, Mommy!"
This never fails to get a smile out of passersby.

"I ludyou"
I love you, too!