He isn't two until August 5th, but we had to celebrate early with the move and I don't want to forget. Early, late, I can't seem to get posts "on time". But this makes me happy, so here we go.

He has always been one to all of a sudden do things, and then once he figures it out its his favorite thing to do for at least a week. Right now it's jumping, especially off the couch. And running, especially around the couch. It is the cutest thing. I'll sit the twins far enough away that they can see him and not get in his way, and every time he jumps or runs by they think it is the greatest thing...and lets be honest, it is. 

He is starting to use all sorts of words, but not many of them without encouragement. Done, snack, baby, book, ball, doggie, kitty cat, daddy, mama, nana, banana, shoe, sock, mooooooo, woof woof. It's getting to be a little unbearable how cute it is. Every time a baby cries or I cry, he is right there patting you somewhere asking "Okay? Okay?". And of course he understands everything you say, and then when you ask for a confirmation that he understands he nods his head and says "okay".

The whining has begun, and we are trying to keep it from being his only form of communication. We're trying to redirect it, have him take a deep breath instead of whining or crying about it, and use his words and try to help him figure out what it is that is wrong or what he wants. I explain that it's okay to feel sad when you don't get your way, but it's also good to get over little things and everything will be okay, and you don't have to cry about it. I'm finally feeling more alive and less like a zombie, and I think the extra love and attention I dedicate to him is helping. If you think about it, basically the last year of his life my main focus has been the twins. 

To sum him up, he is a child that loves people and loves life. He loves play dates and going to the park because he loves seeing different people and the adventure of it all. The park with a splash pad is the best though, the kid has no fear of water (I haven't taken him swimming this summer, kind of been busy with moving, but we'll see about the pool and if he likes that too). He is starting to consistently want to climb the jungle gyms and slide down the slides, with no help from me. I just let him go and have fun, of course always keeping him in sight (when he's out of my sight I really freak out and have to calm myself down, and then he comes around a corner and I immediately am relieved. Why are there blind spots at parks?) He loves the daily routine of playing with the dog, eating and drinking, brushing teeth (maybe he doesn't love that one as much as the others) and combing his hair, which is curly! I can't keep it straight to save my life. I need to cut it that's for sure, but I can't bare too...and I think I packed our hair cutting kit away and I don't want to just take scissors to him. He loves getting dressed, playing with his toys (I don't think he has a favorite, just a favorite of the day, and anything new is the best), helping brother and sister. He loves helping me pack, or should I say unpack. He doesn't like bugs, like at all. I took him outside to show him a snail, and he hid behind me. He doesn't like being too dirty, like when food from a meal gets on his hands he freaks out, or he won't eat some things if he can't figure it out with a spoon or fork because he doesn't want to get his hands dirty. This is starting to stop a little since he's outside so much and gets so dirty, but not all at the same time. He stepped in dog poop (the one that was hidden and I missed) and just stood there like a flamingo calling for me. He loves buckles, any and all buckles, and he buckles the buckles on everything. He can't get into his car seat without buckling it first (I know, right?), and the babies can't get into theirs until it's buckled. He's so proud of himself and I'm so proud of him that one is easy to laugh about. He loves taking cups and filling them with the filtered water from the fridge, and then trying to drink it and it goes all over him and all over the floor, and he smiles his huge open mouth smile and stomps his feet up and down dancing in the puddle around him. And sometimes before I can get a towel down he slips a little, and then I kiss wherever he banged himself and hold him. To me he will always be my little baby, even though he is all grown up (at least he thinks he is). He is just a happy kid, and fills my life with joy.

So with the move we had to move some things around (ha, get it? I crack myself up), including his party. We were going to do it on August 8th, but then it looks like we are moving on August 1st and I didn't want to have his party at our new house because one we'd still be unpacking and two, Fresno people have this funny thing about driving out to Clovis. It's like I'm moving out to the wilderness, or another state or something. So we had to bump it up to the July 25th...which gave us only a week to tell people about it...and it was Pioneer day...and everyone and their mother was out of town...and something serious happened to everyone that was in town so they couldn't come. But I was stubborn. I didn't want to do a party in a new house that I had yet to really move into, and I wanted him to have a good second birthday party because he didn't have a first one (I was super pregnant and wanted to throw him a great party, and Robbie said no because he didn't want me to stress out about it. We both said our way or the high way, and so we chose the high way. He got three different cakes at three different times...)

Thank goodness for my parents, Robbie's grandparents, my one friend who was able to come and another who finally made it. If it wasn't for them the party wouldn't have been much.

I learned a few things, like I can't stand sweets that early but kids can! It was nice and cool from 9-11, but I couldn't take the candy I'd put out, or the cupcakes. So you either have a pool party in the afternoon/evening or you have more appropriate treats or and actual lunch if you do a party in the morning. You live and you learn. 

I also didn't get many pictures of what I did, or a picture of us, I'm working on this whole taking pictures thing. It's hard to document when you're trying to live in the moment, you don't realize you wanted a picture of something until it's long done. Maybe I'll make a list of the pictures I want to take before it starts next time. So you'll just have to take my word for it that the food was adorable and the games and decorations were cute.

But I did get a lot of pictures of what actually mattered, Jacob having fun at his birthday party. So all the things that didn't go as I wanted them to, they didn't matter in the end because he was happy.

 He's loving to copy everything you do, like where your shoes (even if they're high heels) and carry around a case like daddy.

 Kisses from nana

 He and his friend loved the jungle gym

 Of course he can say bubbles, as you can see here

 Took you long enough to get us juice boxes...gosh

 I saw this on pinterest? Making your own bubble wands out of pipe cleaners. The bubble solution made them too heavy and the circle wouldn't stand up straight, so we fixed it by putting them in straws. The pipe cleaners are by far the best bubble wand I've ever used. 

 Say hello Dorothy! There was a swedish fish in each cup and if you got the ball in the cup you could eat the candy. By the end they just wanted the candy.

 Sweets in the morning don't bother him 

 Oscar's trash can toss was a lot of fun. Next time I'm going to use the big #10 cans.

 They went back to each game more than once but I think bubbles were the favorite. I also think he may have eaten more soap than actually blew bubbles, but maybe not on purpose. All except pin the nose on Elmo, that one wasn't very popular. That's okay, I only spent 20 minutes of my life making a giant Elmo head. It was a cute decoration if nothing else. And coloring. Only Shelby wanted to color.

 He tried so hard, I don't think he got any bubbles. I thought it was better to just wave the wands instead of blowing, but he insisted. When he tried to wave them he waved them too hard.

 Even grandpa tried to eat, I mean blow the bubbles.

 He kind of got it eventually.

 I stopped putting fish in there after awhile. How do you like that throw?!

 I didn't get any pictures, but the little one year old friend that came, she was doing what Jacob is doing with the cups. Something so simple can be so great.

 He actually blew out his candle! Don't even get me started on my stupid cake that was too crumbly to frost. Stupidsd sdhghek. 

 But look at that smile! It was worth it.

 He does this funny smile where he sticks out his lower jaw...I don't know what it is or how long he's going to keep doing it.

 Opening presents was so fun. He loves his books from nana, and the animal magnets he got from his 1 year old friend. (I love them too, just so you know :)

 But the cars. He got a noisy one that moves and a heavy good looking one, and those two cars were by far his favorite. Vroom vroom

 He's been obsessed with bicycles, every time he sees someone with one he wants to try. So here you go

And to end, he was helping me clean up. He is OCD apparently. I had them separated, red yellow blue repeat, and he took them apart and organized them by color. He will also neatly put your shoes in front of the door for you when we're going outside so you can just slip them on. 

This kid, I love him.

July

June and July have been amazing. We have been so blessed. 

We tried all the traditional ways to fix the flat spot on Chase's head. We did physical therapy and did his exercises every day trying to teach him to turn his head to the rounded side, but he is so stubborn he wouldn't do it! After a few months the doctors weren't seeing much progress, and his face was starting to look like a mini hunch back of notre dame disney version,  and decided that a helmet would be beneficial. Some new research is coming out that says they don't work as well as we think they do, but it's sure working for us (at $2,500 it better be working, am I right or am I right). They measure the symmetry of his head from the left front to the right back, and the right front to the left back. It started out at a difference of 8 (I'm not sure what the scale is, I always forget to ask) and now a month or so later it's a 2! His forehead, ear and ear are moving back into place. He has another appointment this week, we'll see how it goes. 

For the record, Rachel at Hanger Clinic is amazing. She is always willing to take a look at Chase when I think something is going wrong, especially those first few weeks when the helmet wasn't sitting right because it was a little too big for him. 

 His first day, was he ever that little?

 See what I mean by crooked?

He had it really tough the first couple of days. He didn't like it very much, but by the end of the week it was normal to him and his neck was getting stronger and stronger. The first time he rolled over with the helmet scared me. I came in the check on them and he was face down because his neck wasn't quite strong enough lift and turn so the helmet could get clear of the bed. I turned his head for him, I had to do that every time he fell asleep for at least another week before he could do it himself.

Spoon feeding is going really well now. I don't know if I just completely forgot what it's like to teach a baby to take a spoon, or if Jacob was so easy, but these two didn't want anything to do with it for a more than a week. I was so frustrated. They were hungry! The bottle wasn't enough for them anymore, they needed some solid food and they weren't taking it. But finally, they got it. I tried cheerios and puffs but they didn't like them so much, they just stuck their tongues out at me. And sweet potatoes, they clamped their mouths shut. What is this crazy baby strength? 

 For awhile this is all I could get out of Chase for a smile.

 They are so easily distracted. Whether it's Jacob or each other. 

 See? What was that noise?

Ah the spoon. I should just get two spoons, but this is more fun for me so.

The dog always gets too close. It's a risk she's willing to take to lick up the mess.

Riley is starting to do the worm crawl, and Chase is rolling around and scooting on his back like crazy. With both of them, nothing is safe anymore. Every time you pick Riley up she does this funny thing with her legs, she squats in the air. Riley razzes and says bwah bwah bwah, and Chase is just starting to razz. He was so proud of himself, it was so cute. He would razz and then smile, then razz and then smile at himself. Chase is doing everything Riley does just a month later. Chase just screams, whether he's happy or sad it doesn't matter, he has one volume and it's screaming at the top of his lungs. Jacob likes to talk back in the exact same language, screaming at the top of your lungs. They love Jacob, they watch him and laugh at him all the time. Jacob loves them too, and doesn't ever intentionally hurt them. I turned the corner once to find he had taken Riley out of her exersaucer and was trying to put it on top of her. You'd think I'd learn by now to not leave him alone with them, and I never am out of ear shot or gone for more than a minute or two, but for goodness sake. Jacob is trying to jump and sang his first song today, Frozen's "Let it Go".  He's also starting to really use his words, which is fantastic. He copies me in everything, even wearing my shoes. Riley is getting a tooth, and she has the best belly laugh when you tickle her on her stomach and neck rolls, or attack her with kisses. 

Other happenings of July

 Poor Indy

 Notice that Chase is screaming

 Why is it too much to ask for a smile?

 Whatever works, right?

 He has been such a good helper.

He was just a little scared of the thunder and lightening. More curious than anything. Going to bed when it's still light out is hard, but when something big is going on it's almost impossible.

More to come, all about selling our home and buying a new house, and Jacob's second birthday party!