Jonas

I haven't given any updates on our fast growing little guy in a while, so I decided I better document some of his latest changes and accomplishments and there have been many - he grows and changes so much everyday!

Here we go! So he has become so much more active and so verbal - I just can't believe how much he talks and how fast he runs! He is our little wild man without a doubt. Here is a list of some of his stellar verbal and physical skills of late:

When someone calls his name, you can hear him call out from wherever he is in the house, "coming, coming" and he does come running! It is so cute!

He also has learned to say prayers, he folds his arms and says,"Hevly Father . . .(pause). . . amen." It is really sweet and he tries so hard. He also loves to fold his arms and say amen whenever anyone else prays. He also loves to lead the music for Family Home Evening. He stands up at the banister and waves his arm back and forth, he has yet to make it through a whole song he usually runs off about half way through, but it's a start!

He loves making all sorts of boy noises. He makes lots of variations of truck noises, he loves to bang things against the walls or floors and his latest trick is that he grabs a dish towel, his blanket or anything like that and flips it up and down quickly and yells "hi-yah, hi-yah" like it's a whip! Where he learned that I have no idea, but it is so fun to watch him doing things that are all boy!

He has also learned to say "love you" which is one of my absolute favorite things to hear him say! He also gives the best and sweetest kisses and he still loves to cuddle on my shoulder, especially when he's hurt and crying or tired, and at this point with how active he is I'll take what I can get!

He knows all of the names of everyone in our family and most of the extended family as well, it is really impressive because some of the names are pretty hard!

He really loves Grace next to mom and dad hers is the name he says the most, because they spend so much time together, they get along so well too for the most part! Grace mothers or more accurately smothers him to absolute death and he is so patient and such a willing little participant on pretty much anything she decides to play with him. Sometimes he doesn't quite follow all the rules she sets out and this annoys Grace, and I can hear her say, "Jonas you are seriously annoying me right now!" It cracks me up! He is not annoying her on purpose yet, but someday it will be totally deliberate!

Here are some of his latest physical accomplishments. He followed the old wives tale of "early talker, late walker." He was definitely a late walker he didn't start walking until 16 months, but he quickly made up for lost time. He runs everywhere he goes, he can climb anything, onto the couch, the bar stools, the stairs, the dishwasher you name it he will figure out how to climb it! He loves to open the dishwasher and the oven doors. The oven door makes me crazy, because if the oven's on I can't leave the kitchen for fear he'll open the oven door when it's hot, crazy little guy!

He loves to brush his teeth, he is a champ at feeding himself well until he gets full and then he is a champ at throwing it on the floor and smearing it on the counter and in his hair. He absolutely loves baths, which is a good thing considering his mealtime antics at times, he is a little splash mania though, something the girls never did, it usually ends up a combination bathe Jonas -mop the floor kind of situation!

He is making progress with nusery, the first few times he cried nonstop to the point the leaders had to go get Larren, none of the kids have ever cried over this transition, of course for two of the four, I was put in as nursery leader when they were old enough to start going, but still it has been kind of sweet to see his attachment to us and watch him cry when we leave, that sounds awful but sometimes it is nice to feel loved and missed! Oh I'm such a bad mom! The last couple of weeks have been a lot better, he just cries for a few minutes and then settles in just fine, so I think the worst is over, but he totally lost it the first few times!

I would have never believed having a boy could be so different and so much fun and that those differences would be so obvious at such a young age, but I feel so blessed to be raising a son! He is an amazing little guy and brings so much joy to our family. In fact the other day we were all at Target to look for some new school shoes for Audrey. When we got to the shoe department I was immediately drawn to the little boy summer sandals they already had out. I held up a pair to Larren and said, "oh my gosh wouldn't he be so cute in these this summer!" To which Larren replied, "you are out of control with him and we are supposed to be looking for Audrey today." Just then Audrey and Savannah came around the aisle (they had been one aisle over" each had a pair of little boy shoes Savannah had tennies and Audrey had a pair of hiking boots and they said, " ooooh mom look at these!" I looked at Larren and said, "it is not just me who is out of control, the girls are bananas for him too!" Then Larren looked at Jonas and said, "when you get a little bigger ask for a motorcycle, apparently the sky's the limit for you!" Having a little guy in the house has us all a little crazy, we just love him and are completely smitten!

Here is another new trick he has learned, whenever I change a poopy diaper he holds his nose and says, "ew, ew!" Nice Jonas, I wish someone were holding my nose "ew" is right! Sick and wrong I tell you are what those diapers are!

This is his favorite Friday morning activity, waiting on the garbage truck! He loves watching the garbage truck, as soon as he hears the rumble down the street he says, "outside" and points to the window and starts mimicking the sound of the truck! It is really cute and he hears it every Friday, never misses it - so funny! I love it!

Look what a good sport, he is invited to many a tea party, this is one of the games where he starts out strong and then according to Grace he gets real annoying real fast! He puts up with a lot of girlie games, poor thing!

Here he is getting his second haircut and his first one in a public place, he did fantastic! He held so still and never even cried once!

I just love him in his Sunday suit! He looks so handsome! He loves the tie and points to it and says, "tie" like a zillion times! This is his first suit and with how handsome he is, there will be many more in his future! What a cute little guy all dressed up!

Jonas with his Tonka dump truck that Santa brought him! He loves this truck! In fact here's a little story! My mom was over a couple of weeks after Christmas and he was pushing his truck around and so as we were watching her I was telling her the following story: I said "watch your shins because when he comes at you full bore with no brakes, it will leave a mark!" Of course I was speaking from personal experience. I then starting pointing out to her gouges in the walls and on the corners of walls where he rammed his truck and left big black gouges and marks. She said, "if that had been one of the girls you would have killed them, but since it's your son, you're just smiling and so proud!" For the record I would not have actually killed the girls but I certainly would not have bragged about how rough and tough they were! I for sure would have been telling the story from a different angle. But lucky for Jonas he is a boy and I find the gouges in my walls adorable and the bruises on my shins will heal! I know, I know, I'm in big trouble this kid's got me just where he wants me completely wrapped around his little finger! I think I'm a lost cause - but I tell you what I absolutely love having a son!