I truly understand now that toddlers experience things through all five senses. Taste included. This one loves to taste things.  It's more than just putting things in his mouth. He wants to eat/lick markers, bubble wands, and pretty much everything else he shouldn't. 

We are by no means potty training, but he does sit on the toilet whenever he doesn't have a diaper on. The problem with this and his particular anatomy is that he can hold on with one hand and now takes the other hand and sticks it right into the stream. 

Jack loves basketball, he has a really good jump shot and solid one handed form, but he also likes to watch it on tv now and claps whenever someone makes a shot. It's pretty adorable.

He is getting pretty good at the chunky puzzles and matching what should go where. His animal sounds and gestures are quite extensive as you saw and we've added in alligator too! He knows a lot of body parts too.  Don't ask him to say any words though. Thats on his own terms.

I have found the least gratifying activities of playing with your children.

1. Filling up water balloons
2. Building sand castles
3. Setting up kiddie bowling pins

 The set up to take down time ratio is so lopsided.

It was fairly early and DST

Must stop making impromptu trips to the beach, or at least put a towel in the car. It was 80-85 all weekend so we went both mornings after our walk and it was so nice. Jack is a little shy of crashing waves, but he warms up to it.

Loves the cold water

Loves the sand

Jacks dog bark is evolving. It used to sound like he was blowing bubbles but now he's getting a little more woof in there. I have to capture his oink and meow on video. It kills me. Still not so many other words but dang, if he isn't super bossy with his grunts and pushes. 

My favorite sight

After the beach Sunday, we went straight outside to ride bikes and other items, then the ice cream truck comes by (always right before lunch) more scooting over the ramp, someone got out a sprinkler, trampoline jumping and so on. 

Needless to say, they slept well that night. 

Circled up totally on their own (around the hamster)

Knees like his mommas

I don't want to be all stereotypical, but this one is all boy. I still have scars on my knees from skinning them, but you could attribute that to clumsiness rather than risky and fast moves like Bobby.

Practicing

I'd love to say he was loving on his baby doll and all that, when really, he was just stopping to take him out and put him on the floor, preferring to push an empty stroller.  He will give the baby kisses but regards it cautiously.  Jack doesn't even like when Bobby and I snuggle, so June will be very very interesting. Three years apart might have been a good separation after all, two is pushing it with a jealous/protective kid like Jack.

A little pat on the back tonight. We were outside all afternoon and when we finally came in it was six o'clock. Oops. And we had some followers.  So bag of meatballs and a bag of broccoli, and I fed six kids! And it was calm and everyone had good manners. And I was the only adult there. 

Jack got up at 5 today but we pushed through on a walk to the beach then to the playground and lunch out even, then he napped from 1 until  4. That's like the schedule bobby had at this age so I'm going to try to get to that. But I will be the first to admit, I love my Mondays and/or Wednesdays when bobby is at school and jack naps at 9 or 10am. But maybe that is too much afternoon time awake and it's affecting his overnights. I don't feel the need to have my mornings free to clean and plan and whatnot when I'm so pooped and cooking this bun. 

For as bad as the rest of the country had an eternal winter with record low temps and snowfall, we didn't have a winter at all. Last year, there were 50s ad maybe even some days in the 40s, but nothing this year. Just Christmas Eve on the beach. Huh. 

You know I thought 5:30 was bad, but I would give anything for those days. And I also thought he was getting up because he was hungry but nope. 4:30, or earlier, wake ups seem to be out of spite and he wants me to look and feel terrible. Mission accomplished. And I need everyone to know because my whining seems to fall on a deaf ear at this hour.

 

No one will ever enjoy those long lashes (without mascara at least)