Recap of Jacob's 2010

I can't believe how fast Jacob is growing up, but I try not to think about it because when I do, it makes me so sad that my "baby" is getting so big. 

Jacob is a very friendly and social little guy.  I love that when we go out to run errands or to the playground, he smiles and waves at everyone.  He talks so much and says the cutest things and you would never believe that he had speech delays early on.

He loves his daycare friends, but this year has been an adjustment for him because he went from having all the older girls (there were three five year olds who went to kindergarten this year) who "mothered" him to being the oldest kid there.

A big accomplishment for us this year was when we finished potty training.  The whole process was actually quick and easy because he basically decided himself that he was ready and once he decided, there was basically no turning back for him!

He absolutely loves his big sister.  The first question he asks when he gets up in the morning is "Is Emmy awake yet?"  He loves it when she reads to him, plays games with him, and lets him play in her room.  I love that they get along so well...most of the time!

Here are a few "fun" things that I love about this age with Jacob right now:

When he wakes up in the morning, he crawls up on my lap and wants to snuggle.  He also wants snuggle time before he goes to bed at night and lately, he's been crawling in our bed at night claiming to have had a bad dream for more snuggles.  I know this stage probably won't last much longer, so I cherish all these hugs while I can!

When I pick him up from daycare, he always says, "Mom, can I tell you about my day?"  I love the stories and love that he is so eager to share!

He is all boy and loves running around, pretending to be Buzz Lightyear, playing with his cars, and playing with his trains.  He just got some new tools and a workbench for Christmas and it's been fun to watch him pretend to fix things around the house.  He's also been having a great time with the marshmallow gun he got Jason for Christmas (before Jason even had a chance to open it, he blurted out - "Daddy, I got you a marshmallow gun and we can share it!!")

He is a total chocoholic (I'm guessing he gets that from me...)  He goes into stealth mode and steals whatever candy he can get his hands on (Emily has lost more than a few goody bags from birthday parties this way).  Here are a few pictures in case you don't believe me.

We are so grateful to have this sweet little boy in our family and can't wait to see what 2011 holds!

Recap of Emily's 2010

2010 was a BIG year for Emily - lots of "firsts"

She "graduated" from kindergarten

She lost her first tooth!

She celebrated her 6th birthday and she rode her first "BIG" (or real if you prefer to call it that) rollercoaster and we quickly discovered that she is a complete daredevil and can't get enough...unfortunately, she's just not tall enough yet to ride all of the rides she'd like to!

She started 1st grade and is doing an awesome job!  We are amazed at how far her reading has come!

She started a dance class and absolutely loves it!

And she got to go to the Alamo for the first time!

It's been so much fun watching Emily grow up this year and experience so many firsts (although sometimes I'd like to just press the pause button and slow things down for a little while).  I can't wait to see what this next year brings.

Jason calls Emily "mini me" and she is so much like me that it scares me sometimes!  I've always loved reading and she seems to share that love.  She gets so excited when her Scholastic book orders come home and wants to order every book.  I remember those days!  She also seems to be interested in history and was so excited to visit the Alamo and learn more about what happened there.  It took me back to my first trip to the Alamo - I was about a year older than her the first time I went.

Here are some things that I love about Emily right now:

She may be a "mini me" but she is definitely a daddy's girl!  Jason takes her to school and picks her up when he's able to and they have their own special traditions that go along with that (like going to get special treats in the afternoon and not telling mom!)  She loves riding in daddy's truck.

She is a GREAT big sister and Jacob absolutely adores her!  She is also a great help to me because she will entertain Jacob (and keep him out of trouble) so that I can get things done around the house.

She's got great artistic abilities and is constantly coming up with new art projects all on her own.  She also has such a big heart and is constantly putting her talents to use making cards and pictures for other people.

We are so blessed to have this little girl (who is getting bigger every day) in our family!