Lola Kisses for Jack

Ok, don't want to leave out Lola and Jack.   Lola just turned FIVE and Jack just reached 2 1/2.   Jack continues to sometimes take out his frustrations on the dog, but he also adores her and LOVES it when she attacks him with kisses or actually fetches the ball he throws.

Here is a look back at a Lola kiss when Jack was about 8 months old and another one from just a few days ago.  Funny how the two pictures are so similar!   Plus, I will throw in a picture of Lola with her sister Lily when they were puppies.  SO CUTE!







Jack at two and a half is quite the character.  He is overflowing with personality and determination.   He can now hold full conversations and loves to ask the question 'why' over and over.   He quizzes us about everything around him and loves soaking up all of the new things the world has to offer.  
He now knows all of his letters and even the corresponding sounds they each make.   He quite often walks around our house singing songs.  Jingle Bells is still a favorite despite the 60 degree weather outside.  He also loves listening to music and seems to like songs with a strong beat.   Hard rock I guess you would call it.   Jesus Built My Hotrod by Ministry is the song he frequently asks to hear in the car.   He seems to love all things boys, including cars, trucks, trains, dinosaurs, and all sports.   He also has a recent fascination with rocket ships and you can often hear him doing a countdown from 10 to blastoff.   When I asked him the other day what he wanted to be when he grew up he told me a fireman.

We are struggling a bit with 'big boy' things such as potty training.  No amount of bribery can seem to convince him that it is fun to pee on the potty.   He also still uses a pacifier at night.  He sleeps in his own bed the entire night about 50% of the time, and the rest finds his way into our bed usually around 4am.   He sleeps like a wild man, often with his head pointing the wrong way and kicking Erin and I in the face.    He also still has an occasional temper tantrum which means yelling, kicking and screaming on the floor for a few good minutes.   On a positive note, he has excellent manners and almost always says please and thank you without being asked.    I figure he will be a 'big boy' soon enough, so I am not stressing too much about getting him there quickly.

He is still going to the Goddard School three half days a week and seems to love it.   He certainly has learned a lot there.  He sings songs that I have never even heard!

He is quickly being a little electronics geek.   He loves our ipod and iphone.  He will sit for long stretches playing the tozzle puzzle game or various alphabet games.  And then there is Larry (see blog post on down for details).    I have a feeling his computer skills will be better than mine by age 5 if not sooner.

If he sits down in front of the TV he is almost always watching Leap Frog educational videos.  They are his favorites.  He will also still occasionally watch an episode of Calliou, but not as much over the past few months.   Elmo and Dora have been left in the dust waiting for Charlie to come along.

Overall, he is an amazing kid and I love his current age.  It is so fun to watch him blossom into this little person!