On Jack's Second Birthday

My sweet Jack,

Today you turned two years old!

I really can't believe it.  My sweet little baby is already two years old...you are so big!

This year has been so fun for all of us.  Every day I have gotten to see more and more of your little personality.

Jack, you are so funny.  This year you have shown us more and more of your goofy side.  You love to laugh and make little jokes.  You love being tickled.   You are a total goofball.

You are also so intense.  When you want to focus on something, you ignore everything else around you.  You can play with your trains for hours on end.  You remind me of your dad in that way.

Speaking of trains, you absolutely love Thomas the Train.  We have spent countless hours watching episodes of that show or playing with your train set.  Your daddy and I know the name to every train.  You also love Mickey Mouse and Goofy.  You have never cared for stuffed animals, but in the past couple of months, you have taken to carrying your Mickey and Goofy dolls around with you everywhere.  Lately you've also gotten into The Lorax (which you for some reason refer to as "Gogie") and Toy Story (you carry your Buzz figurine everywhere!).

You are pure boy.  You are constantly making a mess out of everything.  And you never stop making noise.  You run around and wrestle everything to the ground.  You jump and climb and splash in puddles.  You are my little "hot mess."

You can do so much on your own now!  A year ago you were just barely walking.  Now you love to climb up steps alone (with me right behind you!), feed yourself, brush your own teeth.  

But you still have so many baby-ish qualities too.  Amazingly, you are still sleeping in your crib.  You still bring your lovey everywhere, but we were able to drop your pacifier a few weeks ago.

And you are still a little cuddle bug.  You get in moods where you just want to snuggle with us, and I love it!  You also love to be carried around, running up to us and saying "Show me, Mommy" (Hold me).  

You talk SO much!  After your first birthday, you started saying more and more words.  But it wasn't until February or March that you started putting two words together.  Your first sentence was "Bye bye, bulldozer."

Now you make lots of sentences!  If we teach you a word, you learn it immediately.  Your favorite verb is "want" (Oh, boy, are we in trouble!).  You often put "Uh huh" at the beginning of a sentence: "Uh huh donies.  Uh huh eat donies."

You know all of your colors and usually get them all right.  You like to count to ten, but you usually skip a few numbers!  We're still working on that.

We've also been working on your catechism.  You know the first three answers!  I know that they are still just words for you, but I hope that those answers will become truths growing in your little heart.

You still love music so much!  Your favorite song is "Blessings" by Laura Story.  I have it on a burnt CD and you always ask for it in the car.  Lately we've been keeping you in church through the music, which you love.  You love any type of music and you love to sing and dance.  

You have started to become a somewhat picky eater.  Gone are the days when you ate any and everything!  Your favorite foods are pizza, spaghetti, ice cream, "donies," and anything sweet.  You also love Nana's homemade jelly.

You are obsessed with slides, which you call "Whee's."  A good day for you is trip to get ice cream or a "cone" (snow cone) and a visit to a "whee."  We call these treats, and you love ask for a treat.

We've travelled a bunch to family this year, and you've done great!  You really continue to be so adaptable.  We even flew to San Diego a couple of weeks ago and you were amazing on the plane.  I worry about you during and after the move to Pennsylvania, but I know that you will do wonderful as always.

But this year has been hard in many ways.  I can already tell that you are stubborn (your Dad and I are both stubborn, so I'm not surprised!).  We have already had a couple of mid Target tantrums.  At first I tried to rush you out of the store, but last week I just gave you a time out in the middle of the ladies underwear section.  

You have spent a good amount of time in time out lately.  As hard as that is, I love getting your hugs, kisses, and "Sowwy" when you leave.  I know that we are going to have lots more corrections in the future, but I pray that God is beginning to work in your heart to really make you repentant.

Jack, you delight us.  Each and every day that we get to spend with you is a gift.  You drive me crazy, you make me laugh, you melt my heart.  This past year with you has been absolutely wonderful.  You are my sweet little boy.  I know that my days of Baby Jack are done, but I cannot wait to see what toddler Jack is going to be like.

I want to end with what I said on your first birthday.

One of my favorite Andrew Peterson songs says, “Now we’re counting stars and counting sand, little feet and little hands; we’re counting joys.  We pray You’ll know them as you knew us when you wove us.  As you hold us, hold them, please hold them.”  That is my constant prayer for you.  I pray that you will know God, that you will love Him, that you will be a man after His own heart. 

And it is still my prayer, that you will know God and be a man after his heart.  

And as we wait for that day, we will continue to count all of the many joys that you have brought to our lives.

Happy Birthday, Toddler Jack!