2.5

I cannot believe that tomorrow my little baby will be two and a half. It's crazy because just this very week he has grown up right before my very eyes. I'm not ready for this but at the same time, isn't this what being a parent is all about? Helping our children grow and learn and become everything God wants them to be. Today we were very blessed to spend some time with several other people from church at a really cool park. We had never been to this park because it's on the other side of town from us, but after today I would say that we will definitely go back. It's a splash park with a unique playground right next to it and a nice covered picnic shelter. We had a great time playing with friends and eating a picnic lunch. I made a few observations about my big 2 1/2 year old that I want to share here:

Jack is a good friend. He and Joshua had fun hanging out in the water today. Jack gets so excited whenever he talks about his friends from church and school. His favorites currently are Joshua, Caleb, Sawyer, and Max.

Jack likes to look up. He talks about God a lot and loves to read his Bible. The other night the youth group was at our house for Bible study and Jack went to get his Bible from upstairs and came down to sit in the living room with the teens and read his Bible. It was very precious (until he started being more of a distraction and had to go back upstairs to play).

Jack has a big imagination!Today he climbed up this rope web and turned around and sat down and said, "mommy, I'm a spider and now I'm going to catch some food to eat....but I promise I won't bite you like those other bad spiders." (I had a couple of spider bites earlier this summer).

Jack can have fun with anything.
While his favorite toys continue to be his trains, he can have so much fun with anything including this hole in the playground wall. We played with this hole a million different ways today (peek-a-boo, drive-thru window for pretend ice cream, and a waterfall of mulch came out of this hole).

Jack is full of joy!Jack is happy constantly. Now, don't get me wrong - he has his moments. But, for the most part he is so pleasant. He is really starting to understand the meaning of using his manners AND he is using them. He is always keeping us laughing.

Jack is determined.
When he sets his mind to something he does it. I love the look of determination on his face in the 2 pictures above. He was determined that he was going to cross this bendy balance beam thing. And, he did it! The other area he has become determined in is potty training. I have completely been laid back about this and not pushing the issue at all. Friday night Jack told us that he wanted big boy underwear. So, we all went together and bought big boy underwear. Saturday morning we put it on him and today Jack stayed dry all day until about 6:30 tonight when he had an accident in the comfort of our own home. I think I can safely say he is getting it. Now, with that being said I have not been brave enough to leave the house with him in underwear so we've used pull-ups for that but I think that today he proved he can do it. So, that's the next step.

Jack is adventurous.The first thing I noticed when we arrived at this playground was the REALLY tall slide. And, guess what the first thing Jack went for was....the REALLY tall slide. But, he did it! And, he did great. He had a couple of moments on the way down where he was really holding on for dear life but he went back for more. I love that he is not afraid to try new things. I hope that I as his "momma" do not get in the way of Jack trying new things. That's the other new thing going on.....Jack has started calling me, "momma" instead of "mommy." Oh, so sad.

My little baby turned into a toddler a while ago but now he is well on his way to being a little boy and it's so fun. I'm glad I have the front seat to watch this adventure!

Happy Half birthday, Jack Jack!!! I love you!